Milan continued their string of great performances with another win, another clean sheet, and another three points. This in spite of missing Ibrahimovic at the front and Romagnoli at the back. Also in spite of two very young players getting their first Serie A starts with Milan in Tonali and Brahim Diaz. And, even in spite of wearing the most horrible Milan kit in recent years. Crotone did their best to attack, but with only one shot on target, i Squali seemed more toothless and much less the aquatic predators they are named for. Meanwhile, Milan remained steady.
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| Steady. |
Between Calhanoglu and Brahim Diaz, Milan had three shots on target in the first 16 minutes, and Kjaer hit the crossbar four minutes after that. Cordaz was very busy, as Milan took 14 shots and had seven on target on the night. In the 45th minute, Theo Hernandez sent an amazing ball forward for Rebic, who was then taken down by Marrone in the box. After a VAR review determined that there was no handball on Rebic as he received the ball, Marrone saw yellow and a penalty was awarded to Milan. Kessie stepped up, cool as you like, and slotted it home. 1-0 Milan.
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| First start, first goal. Steady. |
Five minutes after the break, Calhanoglu and Saelemaekers had a nice back and forth before Calhanoglu sent it in and Brahim Diaz tapped it in perfectly. 2-0 Milan. Things got really scary when Rebic was clipped and fell awkwardly, his elbow visibly dislocated. He immediately went to the sidelines for help and was whisked away. Reports are that the elbow was popped back into place in the dressing room, and we await more news about any further injury or when he can return to training. Meanwhile, Pioli, like a protective father, was screaming at the referees for not protecting Rebic, and out of his technical area, so received a yellow card. Colombo came on for the injured Croatian.
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| Get better soon. |
Gabbia, Theo Hernandez, and Leao would also receive yellows in this match, as the Sharks were circling more intensely in the second half as Milan let up a little in intensity after establishing a two goal lead. In addition to Colombo, we say Castillejo, Bennacer, Krunic, and Leao all get some time. It was great to finally have Leao back from his lengthy COVID-19 quarantine. In addition to hitting the crossbar in the first half, Kjaer had some great clearances. Late in the match, Leao had a nice run, Krunic hit the crossbar, and Colombo had a shot that went just over. However, the score stood, and Milan left Calabria with all three points.
Those of us who have watched Milan since Pirlo left know that our midfield has been entirely dysfunctional all of these years. Yet now, we have this amazing midfield, where even with Tonali and Brahim thrown to the Sharks, our passing and buildup play is a joy to watch. Where creating chances once was a vacuum that cost us points week after week, we have so many scoring options that we cannot help but score. Even without Ibrahimovic.
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| More than steady, another great performance |
We anxiously await the return of Romagnoli, who is training now. But Gabbia has really grown a lot. We anxiously await the return of Ibrahimovic, whom COVID-19 very mistakenly chose to try to conquer. Our condolences to the virus. But honestly, the team is reinforced so much better, and the mentality is so strong, the system so effective, that it is actually exciting to watch them play again. We won't win every match, but we can be optimistic about our chances. Because above all, Milan are steady.
This post inspired by the music of X Ambassadors' "Unsteady"
Reviewed by Elaine
on
11:40 PM
Rating:
