A Year with Milan

As fans, many look at our position on the table and think that this year was a complete waste. But actually, it was a year of so many changes, and in many ways, Milan are actually in better shape as a club, even if we are in a lower spot on the table. One of the advantages of having a blog is that everything about Milan is documented, good and bad. So for today, I present “A year with Milan.”

Looking to the future

The Importance of Being Ibra

After six weeks of media drama surrounding the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, drama that would have made even Oscar Wilde blush, he has reportedly agreed to terms with Milan, with an official announcement and contract signing still pending as of this writing. This signing is particularly significant after the soul-stealing loss on Sunday to Atalanta. The agreeing to terms shows Ibra’s desire to return to Milan, but it also shows the club’s faith in and the importance of being Ibra.

No one else like him

Milan Grinchmas

Things finally seemed to be heading in the right direction for Milan. Until Sunday, when the Grinch team, dressed appropriately in green, stole not only Milan’s Christmas, but all of our souls. With that historic loss, Milan fans lost their minds and abused a 23 year-old for posting about celebrating his birthday, and a 20 year-old for posting a video of an evening out from a previous week. To their own social media accounts. Ouch. Things go from bad to worse, and it feels like a Milan Grinchmas.

Okay, maybe there are some good things about Milan these days

Atalanta 5, Milan 0: Christmas Massacre

It couldn’t even be a game at a reasonable hour. Milan’s Christmas Massacre was a lunchtime game, a time that Milan has often struggled with. At three-nil, I saw my life flash before me, but at five-nil, my pulse was gone. Myself and fans around the world were DOA, Dead on Arrival, when La Penna blew the whistle. Amongst the carnage was all of the mentality Pioli had managed to rebuild, the faith of Milan fans everywhere, and the last shred of Milan’s dignity.

This is the intensity with which the entire team played

Atalanta-Milan Preview: Lunch Date in Bergamo

Full points last week against Sassuolo would have really helped to give us confidence for this one. Atalanta are the little engine that could, then sold all of their players, then did it all again and again. And instead of losing steam, they are actually in the Champions League this year and into the knockout rounds. Where we should be. Literally, they play at the San Siro. So Milan come into this one with slowly growing confidence, headed just up the road for a lunch date in Bergamo.

Champions League: where we should be

Results-dependent Response

Sunday’s nil-nil draw reiterated something that has been going on for a while now amongst Milan fans. Many seem to be ill-tempered, impatient, and football-illiterate “fans.” The week before, when Milan won, a Milan fan literally stabbed someone outside the stadium in Bologna, fighting for the jersey of a player who won. This week, they are “out of patience” with Maldini and Boban (again) because of a very unlucky draw. They don’t necessarily respond to the performances, or any heroics within the match. They seem to just check their phones, see the final score, and then overreact one way or another. It seems like it is a results-dependent response.

Maybe the gold letters were just too heavy for them?

Podcast: Milan’s 120th Birthday

Milan’s fortunes are taking an upturn, no matter how briefly, just in time to celebrate the 120th birthday of the club. We talked about all of the things going on at Milan, including recent matches as well as our favorite memories. Happy 120th Milan!

So much to celebrate

Milan-Sassuolo Preview: Party at San Siro

Milan come into this match with confidence, playing steadily better and now having won two in a row. It is also Milan’s 120th birthday celebration, so there will be a lot of Milan legends there, with a Walk of Fame scheduled for halftime. The players will need to focus, and as Pioli says, play with intensity for all 90 minutes against 14th place Sassuolo to earn a third consecutive win. If they do manage to pull it off, there will be a party at San Siro.

Intensity

The Raiola Effect

When we hear “something wicked this way comes,” there is fear. But something far bigger and far more wicked is slinking into Casa Milan. And when I say bigger, I mean 212 lbs. bigger. I speak of course of the dark evil that is Mino Raiola. Never content to have one or maybe two Milan players, he seems hell bent on taking over the entire squad. With the waiting for Ibra and some very important contract renewals, he is not to be taken lightly (no pun intended.)

"Yes, I'd like 4 large pizzas. And hurry up or I'll sell your favorite players"

Bologna 2, Milan 3: Precarious Win, Strong Victory

This match brought a much needed three points to a team that has worked hard to be deserving of a little more than their spot on the table shows. The players showed a confidence and level of teamwork that is growing quickly now that there is some stability. Both strengths and weaknesses were exposed, both risking and helping to secure the win. And we saw some good football, too. So it was a precarious win, but also a strong victory.

Exactly what Milan have needed

Bologna-Milan Preview: Heartstrings

This matchup has been viewed with emotion since beloved former Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was diagnosed with Leukemia this year. As head coach of Bologna now, he has recently returned to the bench again, making this encounter at the Dall’Aria enough to pull at your heartstrings.

Some battles are bigger than football

The Ibra Factor

When Milan’s mentality collapsed like a paper airplane under a car tire under Giampaolo’s three month tenure at Milan, everyone in management conceded that there was a need for at least one or two more experienced players, players that could make the difference and help the younger players keep their heads up under pressure. Since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left, he has been linked with a return to Milan. But the question is, can he, or another player like him, really make the difference this team needs to make it back to winning ways?

He is a god to the fans of Milan

Parma 0, Milan 1: Exclamation Mark

The mentality has been building since Pioli came. Slowly, but surely, even when the results didn’t come. The last three matches, we’ve seen the actual performances improve each match, but with opponents like Juve and Napoli, three points were always going to be elusive. Then against Parma, we dominated in both possession and shots and played at a steady tempo the whole match. Not a perfect performance by any means, but it started to feel like we were going to let the win slip away… again. Until the 88th minute, when Theo Hernandez scored, and Milan’s moment finally arrived. With an exclamation mark.

Exclamation mark

Parma-Milan Preview: Maybe

Milan travel to Parma with the most hysterical and downtrodden fans possibly ever. Morale at the club seems to be on the upswing, but the fans are apparently slow to pick up on it. So most of what you will read or hear may be doomsday/apocalyptic. In reality, you can tone that down a few notches. Milan are desperate for points, certainly, but with the improving mentality and a reprieve from playing the top five or six teams, Milan may actually take point(s) from this one. Maybe.

Will one of our strikers score? Maybe.

Gratitude

It is Thanksgiving here in the United States, a time of showing gratitude for the things that we have. This tradition comes from a group of people who were grateful to have their lives, shelter, and a bounteous harvest, even if many of them had more before immigrating to America, and many of them lost family and friends on their journey. In that perspective, we can look at Milan and the things we are grateful for with more humility and gratitude.

So much gratitude in one pic

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

There is a cancer amongst Milan fans right now. It started to eat at their souls since around 2011 or so. And now it has metastasized in their brains, and they are no longer able to think clearly, let alone analyze reality, or something. Whatever the cause, with all of the changes and the best efforts to get Milan back on track, their constant abuse online and whistling of players in the stadium is actually holding the club back from getting what all of us want: Champions League qualification. This is why we can’t have nice things.

We hold the final keys to the rebuilding

Milan 1, Napoli 1: There and Back Again

This match was a tale of two halves if ever there were one. Milan were missing seven players, well six plus Borini, including three starters. After going down initially, Bonaventura scored a goal that felt like it was worth ten, and still all we could get was a point. Not to mention that not one, but two hobbits featured for the other team, it was truly like something out of Middle Earth. Milan were there, and then they came back again.

A personal victory for someone who has definitely been there and back again

Milan-Napoli Preview: Who Has It Worse?

Milan has been in decline for twelve years, ever since our last Champions League trophy, really. With three ownership changes in two years, a parade of coaches, and the number of players in and out equal to the population of a medium sized country, it is no wonder we can’t seem to get back on our feet. But Napoli right now are in the midst of a drama right now that would make the Real Housewives shows look like wholesome family entertainment. So the question is: Who has it worse?

Need more of this

Podcast: What the Fans Want

During the International Break, there is less Milan to talk about, but that doesn’t stop the media from spewing rumors and “news.” Amongst their finest work, there were plenty of tell-all interviews with ex-Milan people who have nothing better to do than talk because they are unemployed. So instead, this time around, we gave more fans a chance to shape the conversation.

Saluting the fans

Of Maldini and Boban

Milan fans were overjoyed last year when Paolo Maldini finally came back to Milan as a director. Alongside Leonardo, they brought in players like Paqueta and Piatek, and Milan almost returned to Champions League, their best finish in years. Then Leonardo left, and Maldini was appointed as Technical Director. Boban left his job at FIFA and joined him. Two club legends working side by side to clean up over a decade of mismanagement. That was four and a half months ago. Today, fans have already turned on them, calling for their heads on a platter. Forget the lack of patience or even footballing knowledge these so-called fans have. Forget the fact that these people whine about how the club burned legends like Seedorf, Inzaghi, and Gattuso as coaches, all of whom had more than four months to do their jobs. The blatant lack of respect for Maldini and Boban by people who claim to support the club is unforgivable.

Four and a half months.

Finding Conti

Andrea Conti was one of the Mirabelli purchases of the infamous Yonghong Li Era. It didn’t take a scout to see the speed and talent he displayed at Atalanta, and certainly fans were excited to see what the young right back could bring to Milan. But in over two years since he signed, he has only made a handful of appearances in the red and black because of long-term injuries. He is not the only one with bad luck, though as Milan have had some very tough times, too. Times would certainly improve for both club and player if he is able to stay healthy and get plenty of playing time. It’s all about finding Conti.

Just what we needed? 

Juve 1, Milan 0: Closer

I don’t know anyone who realistically expected Milan to win this one. But the performance they gave surprised even the most optimistic. Were it not for Szczesny’s incredible saves, and the skill of Dybala coming on as a sub for the goal, Milan would very likely have won this one. Which showed the fans that Milan are still not quite back in form, but they are closer.

Close, but not enough

Juventus-Milan Preview: On A Wing and A Prayer

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Milan, we face Juve on Sunday. Whether or not you buy into the whole ref mythology, they are always tough to beat. Especially since their wagebill is more than double ours, it really is almost as if they buy results. Which they can afford to do because they own their own stadium, hotel, and accused rapist. Truly, if this was even remotely going to be a sporting match, it would be one thing. But with the lack of character in their entire organization, it’s a match I’d rather not have to play at all. And with Milan still struggling to find our feet, this one will definitely be played on a wing and a prayer.

Wait, I'm so confused...

Podcast: Calm in the Storm

If you read what the media are writing about Milan, you’ll know that Milan as a club has died 29 times in the past two weeks, and the world has also ended multiple times, too. Social media has created a level of hysteria around Milan that makes the Y2K conspiracy theorists look sane and stable. Amongst the turmoil, there are actually some positives and signs of progress, but you have to look past the distraught voices in order to see the calm in the storm.

His agent change is the only real thing to be hysterical about

Milan 1, Lazio 2: In the Cards

Anyone who watched Milan play on Thursday knew that barring some intervention from a superhero or other worldly power, Lazio would be taking all three points tonight. I mean of course, we all wanted Milan to win. Even the guys really seemed to want it. They played much better than Thursday’s “victory” (although that was a very low bar,) but Lazio were in much better form. A Lazio victory was in the cards.

More united

Milan-Lazio Preview: Dead Men Tell No Tales

After Milan showed very little signs of life against SPAL on Thursday, it seems obvious that Lazio will finish them off tomorrow, and probably quickly, too. While fans impatiently wait for the much needed resurrection under Pioli, Lazio are flying high, in fifth place and undefeated in six Serie A matches. So unless Pioli found a magic wand since Thursday, Milan are likely to be made to walk the plank tomorrow. Because Lazio know that dead men tell no tales.

We need Suso more than we know

Milan 1, SPAL 0: Zombie Victory

People say that the result is all that matters. Those people did not watch this match. It is something we are unfortunately not a stranger to. When Milan’s mentality lapses, they sometimes play down to a lesser team. I am not sure if playing down to a lesser team properly describes this nightmare, but as far as Halloween matches go, it was very frightening. Amazingly enough, we did take all three points, even if it didn’t feel like something worth celebrating. It was more like a zombie victory.

Suso saves the day again

Milan-SPAL Preview: Happy SPAL-loween

As if Milan fans weren’t frightened enough, we face more of a trick than a treat in 19th placed SPAL on Thursday. They earned one of their seven points on Sunday at the expense of Napoli. And with Pioli desperately trying to stabilize Milan’s mentality, meanwhile Milan fans continue to heap ten years of failure on the shoulders of this young team, this match could turn into a frightfest. Happy SPAL-loween.

Petagna and friends: "We're here for 3 points and all of your candy!"