Next stop on Milan's European Tour is Valencia, Spain, where Milan will face Los Che in the 49th edition of the Trofeo Naranja. While that sounds all official and everything, it's really just another summer friendly. But there is a trophy. And since it wasn't played last year, Inter are the current "title holders" (meaning they won it on penalties but probably count it amongst their paltry offering of International trophies.) So it would be nice if Milan won properly, just to shame them. But with Milan having finished second in Serie A last year, and Valencia having finished 13th in La Liga, it really should be like comparing apples to oranges.
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| Valencia did beat Real Madrid 4-1 back in November... |
Valencia have some kind of connections with Puma to design much better kits than they do for Milan. Let's start there. And with the killer Bat-crest on them, they will probably look the best on Wednesday night. Plus, there will be 3,000 fans allowed in the stadium, and I'm guessing they'll be almost completely Valencia fans. But Milan need whatever a friendly type of revenge is after having lost to Valencia 2-1 the last time we played in this single-match Trofeo Naranja.
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| Our starters in 2014 – Now Bonera & Abate are coaching at Milan, Pazzini getting his badges |
That was then, this is now. In 2014, Inzaghi was the coach, Berlusconi hadn't yet let go of his death-grip on the club, and we had finished eighth in the league the prior season. This time, Pioli has fostered a fantastic mentality and spirit of unity and family that absolutely should have been able to beat a Serie C side 5-0 or more. The fact that we only managed a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 side OGC Nice on Saturday was slightly disconcerting, but hey, it's just the preseason, right?
Pioli will still be missing Kessié and Kalulu, who are on their way back from the Olympics. Ibrahimovic is still recovering from his surgery, and Kjaer only returned to Milanello on Monday, so I would not expect him to be called up for this one. Hauge was not called up for the match in Nice on Saturday, pending a move to Eintracht Frankfurt that has been reported for months, yet still has not materialized. Caldara has been heavily linked with a move away as well, and other young players may be fighting for their right to stay in the first team. Personally, I'm just hoping for a stunning performance from Castillejo that makes Valencia's owner, Peter Lim, want to just write a check and take him off our hands right then and there.
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| For sale: a sometimes lucky/brilliant Spanish winger. A steal at €8m No extra charge for the distinct hair, fashion, and tattoos |
While I don't put a lot of weight into friendlies, they are always fun to watch in anticipation of a new season. Especially this season. I don't know that winning the "Orange Trophy" will mean as much to us as it did to our pathetic Cugini, but obviously, it is always important to shame Inter. Valencia's league matches kick off a week before Serie A, so they might take this one more seriously. But no matter the result, at this point in the projects of the two different clubs, it is still like comparing apples to oranges.
This post inspired by the music of R.E.M.'s "Orange Crush"
Reviewed by Elaine
on
7:31 AM
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