Roma 1, Milan 2: Raiding the Capital

Milan went to Rome to win, and they made that clear very quickly. Despite Roma's best efforts, and in spite of a very card-happy referee, the Rossoneri brought all three points back home with them. The natives were more than restless, racially abusing both Ibrahimović and Kessié throughout the evening. Perhaps that inspired Ibrahimović even more, as he scored his 400th career goal in his usual spectacular style. Certainly, he and Kjaer, our two Viking warriors, were massive in leading the raid on the capital. 

Taking all 3 points

Roma-Milan Preview: Howl-oween

The most entertaining thing about playing a Jose Mourinho side is usually him, which is a shame for football. This season is no exception, as Roma have had some very disappointing matches, including a recent 6-1 decimation by Norway's Bodø-Glimt in the UEFA Conference League (Yes, that is Jens Petter Hauge's former side.) However, these wolves are certainly not toothless, and have a decent record overall. Milan are still missing plenty of players to injuries, and with an unbeaten record in the league have the most to lose in this match. With Mourinho having just served his first of who knows how many  bans for misbehavior this past week, he will be back coaching i Lupi for this one. Meaning that with his antics, it could easily be a Howl-oween.

Let's give him something to "howl" about

Tolerance

This week, as one brave man stepped forward, thousands on social media condemned, insulted, abused, and even threatened to change football clubs over a single tweet or retweet. In a sport where sportsmanship is growing extinct and violence seems to be ever increasing, Milan has attempted to change the tide of hatred, particularly amongst our own fans. Not asking people to change their religious or personal beliefs, simply to be willing to have tolerance and respect for other human beings so that football can be for everyone. What does it mean to be tolerant?

Tolerance simply means respect

Milan 1, Torino 0: Defending the Fortress

With the win tonight, Milan have an astounding nine wins, one draw, and zero losses in our first ten matches of the season. This is only the second time the club has managed to do this, and the last time was in the 1954-55 season, according to OptaPaolo. While this may have not been our best performance ever, we faced a tough Torino side, whose performance Jurić said was their best of the season. With eight players out yet again and tired legs from playing midweek last week, Milan did enough to take all three points at home, something we had struggled with the past year. It seems that now Milan are making a habit of not only winning, but also defending the fortress.

Taking the San Siro back 3 points at a time

Milan-Torino Preview: Holy Cow

Milan host Torino on Tuesday, as the injuries continue to pile up and the fixtures keep coming thick and fast. Pioli is not looking for excuses, but let's be realistic: the injuries have clearly affected not only Milan's quality, but our mentality as well. Torino's season leaves much to be desired, but certainly could be worse. They have a few injuries of their own, and despite having one more day's rest, having played on Friday, will still have tired legs, I'm sure. Ready or not, this one is coming at us fast and furious. Holy cow.

No rest for the weary

The Derby d'Italia: Inter, Ignorance, and Infamy

Every calcio fan base has a reputation for certain things. For example, Juventini hate when you generalize them as a fan base, which ironically makes them fit the stereotype they claim to hate so much. Milan fans used to be classy, but as we discussed on the last podcast, are now best known for a group of keyboard thugs who called themselves "Milan Twitter" and started terrorizing rival fans, each other, and anyone they felt like. Shocking and disgusting as they may be, there is a club and fan base that has been classless for much, much longer. They are entitled, unaccountable, and took down all of Serie A because they could not win on the pitch. And they still claim they were the victims. I speak of Inter, of course, and their ignorance and infamy made its mark on calcio with one ref call 23 years ago in a Derby d'Italia.

One call to ruin it all

Bologna 2, Milan 4: Unnecessarily Difficult

This match could have been pretty straightforward, but apparently, Milan did not want it that way. Bologna even offered to help, going down to nine men. With more twists and turns than a roller coaster, it seemed at times that Milan were going to drop points. In the end, they pulled it together, but it wasn't pretty. Milan made it unnecessarily difficult.

Football matches are won on the pitch

Bologna-Milan Preview: Back on Track

Milan are back on the road again on Saturday as we travel to face Bologna. After a discouraging display midweek vs. Porto and a more discouraging result, meeting up with our former manager Mihajlović will not be a friendly family reunion. However, with injuries, Milan have no guarantees against a side that is sitting in eighth place on the table. Bologna have had some discouraging results, but also some surprise wins. Milan will need to make sure that our result with them is not one of the latter as we look to keep our undefeated league run going and get back on track.

Looking to keep the unbeaten streak alive

Podcast: The Importance of Being Milan

The injuries at the club are soul-crushing, and Tuesday's loss to Porto in the Champions League did not help the mood, either. Taylor joined me to talk about all of the injuries, news, and more happening at the club right now. A common theme was the importance of being Milan.

The fans are back

FC Porto 1, AC Milan 0: After the Battle

There is always a bitter taste in the mouth after any loss. Too many Milan fans have turned to blaming the referees, especially after the match vs. Atlético when UEFA and the world agreed with them that they were robbed, and the head ref and VAR refs suspended. But it wasn't like that this time. While there were inconsistencies and errors in Brych's reffing, they were not as egregious. This time, Porto controlled the game and took 20 shots compared to Milan's four. But Milan fans also know that with three matches left in the Group Stage and zero points, our Champions League experience will almost undoubtedly end after the next three matches now. Decimated by injuries, and having such a bad night tonight, it always hurts worst after the battle.

Current mood

FC Porto-AC Milan Preview: Facing Our Dragons

When our Champions League group was drawn, everyone acknowledged that every team in this group was difficult, there were no "easy" matches. However, these matches with Porto seemed like the most realistic for us to hope for a result, particularly given that their wage bill is less than half of ours. But the Dragões eliminated Juventus from the competition last year, in one of the best games of football in recent memory as well as a perfect example of how heart can overcome any other deficit, and thus are not to be underestimated. They are not the only dragons Milan are facing, though. We have a preposterous amount of injuries, and Kessié will be suspended, too. Plus, we have been burned by refereeing, too. Going to the Estádio do Dragão (Dragon's Stadium) in Portugal on Tuesday will see us facing our dragons.

Injuries and referees are our biggest dragons this season

Milan 3, Verona 2: Heart

The injuries going into this match were incredibly nerve wracking. Those nerves only intensified when Verona came out like a dog running rampant in a meat factory, and Milan showed... well, let's say less intensity than usual. Maybe it was because there was no visible crest over their hearts, but a bunch of watermarked ones instead. The first half was like watching a train wreck, but with your family on the train. But Pioli subbed on heart and soul in the second half, also known as Castillejo and Krunić. And together, they brought the team back together, and back from a two-nil deficit to actually win this one. Despite wearing kits that look like pajamas, they showed the world what it really means to play with heart.

Heroes wear... pajamas? Still questioning that third kit

Milan-Verona Preview: Zombie Apocalypse

It's not even Halloween yet, and Milan look like the walking dead. One by one, our players have succumbed to whatever is going on at Milanello. The injuries are not even primarily muscle injuries, like we survived during Allegri's reign of terror. There are random and unusual injuries, with three players needing surgery so far this season, and this is only week eight. Just when you thought that it couldn't get any worse, someone gets COVID-19, even when vaccinated. That is the story going into this match. Not looking for the win, not being undefeated in the league and breathing down Napoli's neck. Fans went from optimism to despair over our zombie apocalypse.

Heal up fast, Super Eagle

Milan's Tragic Luck

After years of decline and neglect of the club, Maldini had almost singlehandedly dragged Milan back on track. Creating a team with youth, talent, and fantastic football, returning to the Champions League this season was a dream come true. But for some reason, our dreams keep turning to nightmares. We were cursed with some very poor refereeing. And there are also the injuries. Not unlike last season, no matter how hard we work, and against the most insurmountable odds, just when we thought we had caught a break, we are slammed once again with another tragedy, more bad luck.

I blame Suárez (even though it was the other hand)

A New Stadium for Milan: Promises, Promises

When Berlusconi appointed his daughter, Barbara as co-CEO of Milan, One of her projects was to build a new stadium. However, after wasting a ton of money in architectural plans, permits, and more and getting the first approval for the second or third location and entire stadium project, in 2015, Papa Silvio said he was too in love with the San Siro and scrapped all plans to build. Or move the club forward, or build any kind of financial stability. Fast forward to 2017, when Yonghong Li infamously bought the club, and said that he, too would build a new stadium. But he couldn't even pay his debts, let alone build a stadium. As with everything else in his short-lived ownership (and his bank accounts,) it was just an empty promise.

The "Cathedral" design by Populous could light up differently for either club

Toxic Fan Environment

Wednesday was a very low point for Milan fans. And we have had way too many low points in the past ten years. After abusing their own player for four years over rumors that were never even true, they abused their country's own player for an entire Italy match. Which Italy then lost. At one point, the opposing captain came over to reassure him, that's how embarrassing it was. Italy manager Roberto Mancini condemned the abuse, and rightfully so. I have no idea why fans would go to a match specifically and intentionally to abuse a player, the definition of a fan is to support your own players. Or at least watch football. But this was very shortsighted of Milan fans, who have been creating an increasingly toxic fan environment, because we have a number of players who we need to renew. What player would want to stay at Milan after seeing how "fans" treated one of their own? A player who was playing for his whole country, not a bunch of ungrateful, entitled delinquents.

Does it make you feel good about yourself to make someone else cry?

Podcast: Atalanta Frenemy

Milan are flying high after remaining undefeated after seven Serie A matches, but for this podcast I invited a guest who was our opponent on Sunday, and he was kind enough to speak to me following Atalanta's defeat. Kenny from the Scudetto Podcast joined me to talk about how he became an Atalanta fan, our team's respective fortunes so far in Serie A and the Champions League, and obviously the match. We also spoke about the referees and the financial side of football in the wake of COVID-19 and the Super League project.

Mutual respect

Racism: Not "Just Words"

Those who have never been marginalized, discriminated against, antagonized, abused, or even simply treated differently based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or other inherent attribute often do not understand. They say to someone being abused that they are "just words" or tell them to "just ignore" whatever form of discrimination. Telling someone that they are above the abuse while the abuse continues doesn't change what racism actually is and does. Racism takes a level playing field and sets certain people on a lower level. Because racism is not "just words."

Not just words

Atalanta 2, Milan 3: Devil-May-Care

Milan are hell-bent on winning. They went to Bergamo with a desire to take all three points, and they didn't let their youth or recklessness stop them. Atalanta made some costly early errors, and still fought back until the final whistle, but in the end, Milan got the win against a very tough opponent to remain unbeaten going into the international break, and also gave Ibrahimović a great birthday gift.

So exciting, but a little reckless on the night

Atalanta-Milan Preview: Resilience

The memories of the Gewiss stadium for Milan players the past two seasons could not be more polar opposite. In December of 2019, Atalanta destroyed the souls of Milan fans worldwide in what I refer to as the Christmas Massacre. Pioli was trying to find his footing, Ibrahimović was on the way, and then Atalanta absolutely decimated Milan 5-0. In contrast, our last trip to Atalanta was on the final match day last season, with Milan's entire season and Champions League qualification in the balance. The match was a tense affair, loaded with cards, and decided by two penalties for Milan. But in the end, the ecstasy was indescribable. That match demonstrated the resilience of Pioli's young team in the face of adversity, something the team will need an extra dose of this week as well.

Can this team find resilience?