Milan-Benevento: Desperation

Pippo Inzaghi returns to the San Siro Saturday, for the first time as the opponent. If fans were in the stadium, he would definitely get a warm welcome, he was always a fan favorite. But he is not coming back to be nostalgic. His side are fighting desperately to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, Milan are fighting desperately to gain back a top four spot, having been through so much this year and working so hard. It will be a match of desperation, and the team that wants it the most will bring home all three points. 

Two former Milanisti celebrating Pippo's best coach in Serie B award

When Everything is On the Line

Milan have gone from the shining stars of Europe to a team that risks everything they have worked for. The players and Pioli said on Sunday that they need to achieve their goal of top four to prove that everything they have done all season long meant something, but they did not play like they wanted to prove anything. As a result, our fate is no longer in our hands. We sit in fifth place due to goal differential, but we will need someone above us to drop points, and we play two of those clubs above us in these last five games. The question on every fan's mind is what will Milan do when everything is on the line?

No one wants to break up this family

Lazio 3, Milan 0: From Bad to Worse

Have you ever watched a movie where things were going badly for the star, and then, just when you didn't think it could get any worse it did? That movie is Milan's 2021. We started this calendar year in first place, and after this match, we are in fifth place. There are a lot of factors that may have influenced our poor form of late, but ultimately, the ball was in our hands. First place was ours to lose, and we lost it spectacularly. Even after Juventus and Roma dropped points to help us, we could not take advantage of the opportunity. Things just went from bad to worse.

Kinda like that

Lazio-Milan Preview: Now or Never

Every point counts from here on out. That is, if we are not sanctioned by Serie A and/or UEFA, prohibiting us from playing in the Champions League next season. If that is the case, then we may as well forfeit these matches and give our players an early vacation. Since we don't know yet what if any sanctions there will be, Milan need to go to the Olimpico and bring back all three points, in an effort to achieve the goal we have been trying to reach for years now. Every match is now or never.

Ferocious joy

The Final Countdown

There are six games left of the Serie A season. Milan are currently in second, ten points behind Inter. However, both Atalanta and Juventus are only one point behind us, with Napoli a mere three points behind us. Lazio, whom we play on Monday, are eight points behind us, but have a game in hand against relegation-threatened Torino. This past year was so miraculous with Milan's unbeaten run. Then injuries caught up to us and now our future is not so certain. Will Milan make our goal of top four? These next six games are the final countdown.

Six games for top four... can everyone do that math?

After the Football Insurrection

This week, after the managements of 12 European clubs showed their true colors in a failed coup to take over football, people everywhere were enraged. Despite rumors leaking about a Super League for a while now, the late night announcement was both unexpected and shocking. Likewise, the 12 clubs seemed to be shocked by the fact that no one wanted the Super League. Everyone agrees that UEFA need wholesale changes due to corruption, inconsistency, and greed. But moving forward after this is not as simple as a ref blowing the whistle to kick off the next match. There are a lot of questions and uncertainties after the football insurrection.

The clubs forgot where their jobs come from

Milan 1, Sassuolo 2: There's No Place Like Home

After such a stressful week due to off-the-pitch events, I was hoping that this match would remind me why I love football. Technically, it did, because it proved that anything could happen in 90 minutes. Even the house burning down. Which Milan are particularly adept at this season, losing so many home games. After taking the lead with an exquisite Calhanoglu goal, Milan threw it all away in just over five minutes. Because for Milan this season, there's no place at home.

No place like home

Milan-Sassuolo Preview: Wait, There's a Game?

Just when Milan thought that we were approaching some semblance of normalcy, we find out that our club are one of 12 teams who left the ECA and are attempting to form a Super League. While money is clearly the objective, they claim to be trying to offer better quality games for the fans. Fans are so busy trying to digest all of this that they may be surprised to learn that we are actually playing a game tomorrow. Hosting Sassuolo at the San Siro, Milan need to prove they can beat Serie A's eighth place side before we can think about playing against Europe's "best" teams. 

Yes, there's a game and Ibrahimovic should return, too

Why the Super League is a Bad Idea

When the news broke that 12 clubs were breaking away from the European Club Association (ECA) and forming their own, self-titled "Super League," my heart broke to see that Milan was one of the clubs. While I like that Milan have become a little more progressive since Berlusconi let go of the club with his dirty hands, this is not progress. This is elitism, only not necessarily from the actual elite. The Super League is a self-promoting scheme for the rich clubs to get even richer without any accountability whatsoever. Worse still, by stepping away from established organizations, they are dooming so many of the "Cinderella teams" to football and financial insecurity. There are so many reasons why the Super League is a bad idea.

The original name was "The Money League," but that wasn't entitled enough

Milan 2, Genoa 1: In Spite of Ourselves

This match started out well enough. Milan had an early goal, and seemed fairly confident. But after an ex-Milan player scored an equalizer, Genoa gained more confidence, and it seemed like nothing Pioli did could change the outcome of the game. Fortunately, a player linked with Milan as a potential transfer target this summer took matters into his own... back of the head, scoring an own goal and gifting Milan all three points. Milan managed to win against all odds... playing at home, playing at lunch, and facing Genoa. Milan won in spite of ourselves.

We'll take it

Milan-Genoa: PTSD Flashbacks

Milan fans are traumatized by results against Genoa under Pioli. We are traumatized by Milan's poor performances for the lunchtime games. We are traumatized by the poor results at the San Siro this season. Fans may also remember that this was our last fixture before the world shut down due to COVID-19 last year, and also the day after Gazidis wrongfully fired Boban. So it is only natural to have PTSD flashbacks.

PTSD flashbacks... no thank you

Podcast: Ibrahimovic Problems

For this episode, Jesús and I talked about all of the current problems that Ibrahimovic is facing, and we also talked about the punishment Red Star Belgrade received for abusing him. We also talked recent Milan news, injuries, and the match against Parma. Then we turned our focus to next season, looking at where Milan needs to make changes in the squad.

Seriously?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

One of the most frustrating things about football is how results-dependent people are day to day. From the fans to the media and really everyone, when a team is winning, they are the best. Everyone else is the worst. But when you look at the big picture, some teams deserve accolades even when they slip a little. And some teams get accolades when they are not even living up to expectations. It's a shame that teams that have accomplished so much don't always get the respect they deserve.

Winning battles against all odds

Moments of Brilliance

Leao is often criticized for "going missing" or not working hard enough or who knows what else. It seems that criticism is always more plentiful than gratitude these days. But then, out of the blue, he will produce an incredible assist or an exquisite goal, and suddenly, everyone loves him again. I suppose that is why he has used the "talk-talk" gesture to shut people up when he scores, he knows that people talk about him. But in between those periods of not producing anything, he is prone to produce breathtaking moments of brilliance.

Prone to moments of absolute brilliance

Parma 1, Milan 3: Dysfunctional Win

Milan finally showed up for a match with most of a starting eleven, and apparently it was going too well. With a 2-0 lead in the 60th minute, Ibrahimovic got himself sent off for saying something to the ref. Because playing with our backs up against the wall is the theme of Milan's season. Despite the home side pulling one back, and Pioli emptying his bench in the face of a determined Parma, Leao grabbed a third goal from a Dalot counter attack in stoppage time to seal all three points for Milan. It was the epitome of a dysfunctional win.

They're all in it together, come what may

Parma-Milan Preview: The Risk of Complacency

Milan have been decimated with injuries for much of this season, but now have only two players out. However, they have played their best and won more games when they were missing at least five to seven starters. Their form post-injury apocalypse has been very disappointing at times, as they lack the sense of urgency when they have most of their starting 11. But it truly seems that when they have a competitive squad, they lose all mentality and motivation. To stay in the top four, Milan need to win every match from here on out, especially a match like this one. However, recent history indicates that with most of the players healthy, Milan run the risk of complacency.

No room for complacency in the top four

Pioli and Milan's Renaissance

Last week, it was announced that Pioli had equalled Ancelotti's points per game record. That's when it hit me how overlooked Pioli's contribution to Milan's renaissance might be. He literally took a team that had been in Year Zero for eight years, with its accompanying poor mentality, and has transformed it into a team that has been smashing records in Serie A and Europe for more than a year now. While people are focusing on the poor results of late that followed an injury apocalypse, Pioli deserves a lot more credit for Milan's renaissance.

Making history at Milan

Podcast: Showing Up

Milan did not show up on Saturday against Sampdoria, but the club are starting to show up off the pitch. Søren joined me once again to discuss lots of news from over the international break, the players recovering from injuries, contract negotiations and upcoming changes, as well as the lunchtime game that was mainly a disappointment. To qualify for the Champions League, Milan will need to show up for every match going forward.

At least Hauge showed up

Milan 1, Sampdoria 1: Flatlined

Coming into this match, I assumed we would be surprised, one way or the other. Unfortunately for Milan fans, it was the other. With 14 players who went out on international duty, Milan played as if they had all been on vacation instead of being a team wanting to stay in a title race. With zero shots on goal in the first half, and only three shots on target the whole game, it was as if Milan had flatlined.

Two of the Norwegians in this match, one scored, the other only got a yellow

Milan-Sampdoria Preview: Easter Surprise

The games before Easter are always a little strange. Everyone plays on the same day and it can be hard to keep up with everything that goes on. This time, the game is preceded by an international break, so it is even more difficult to know what condition all of the players are in and how they will perform in this match. Add to that the fact that a number of Serie A players and staff from various teams contracted COVID-19 while out on international duty, and we really just don't know for sure who will even be available to play. Considering Sampdoria are in tenth place coming into this one, they have "The Tinkerer" as their manager, and we are playing the early lunchtime game, this game could be an Easter surprise.

Hopefully our Easter surprise is something like this