The year was 2021. Milan were desperate to return to the Champions League, but competition for top four was fierce. One cool, damp evening, they headed to the Grande Torino Stadium. Some say it is haunted by the ghosts of the team it is named for, who all died in the Superga disaster so many years ago. This time, however, it was Milan who would leave with blood on their hands. Like an axe murderer in a horror film, they destroyed that Torino side 7-0, taking no prisoners. Sunday, they return to Torino once again, hungry for more.
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| Haunted by injuries and exes, Milan could really use some Ghostbuster energy right now |
There are rumors that Torino's sporting director is a madman, a man by the name of Davide Vagnati. Legend has it that he even fought publicly with his coach this summer. That coach was Ivan Jurić, dragged from Hellas Verona to manage this Torino side. Only Jurić has never been the same at Torino as he was in Verona. Some say he simply lacks the players to be competitive. Others believe he is haunted by his poor decision. But if you listen closely, you can probably hear Old Man Vagnati screaming and ranting and raving at him still...
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| Pietro Pellegri's father breaks up the legendary fight between Vagnati and Jurić |
Even more frightening are Torino's results this season. With four wins, two losses, and five draws, they lurk in tenth place on the table. They did manage a 2-1 win on Sunday against Udinese, but their winning goal was scored by a ghost from Milan's past, Pietro Pellegri. For that haunted match, Jurić lined up: Vanja Milinković-Savić; Zima, Schuurs, Buongiorno; Aina, Lukić, Ricci, Lazaro; Miranchuk, Vlasić; and Pellegri. In an evil twist to this plot, Jurić will be without Aina due to injury. Also, the Grande Torino Stadium is haunted by another former Milan player, Ricardo Rodriguez. Beware of ghosts.
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| Haunted by the ghosts of injuries |
None of these stories compares, though, to the eerie haunting that Pioli has seen this season. No matter where he goes or what he does, they follow him like a shadow in the night. He, of course, is haunted by injuries. Not just any injuries, either. These are the kinds of injuries that reach out and grab a player and do not let go. Players like Ibrahimović, Florenzi, Saelemaekers, Calabria, and Maignan have had their very souls stolen by ominous and tragic long-term injuries. Even Dest has succumbed to the creepy crisis, although it is hoped that, unlike the others, he will return before the end of this calendar year.
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| Our starting goalkeeper and our captain, mere ghosts until January |
Other players have been inflicted by varying levels of the injury scare, and will be there, but not as likely to start on this cold, dark night in October. Milan may have put the nail in Dinamo Zagreb's Champions League coffin midweek with a 4-0 killing, but are still haunted by the ghosts of injuries past and present. They will need to ward off the evil spirits of exhaustion and the curse of their away games in the league this season in order to escape the Grande Torino Stadium with their lives. And three points, of course.
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| Even our one remaining Ghostbuster is haunted by our former captain... |
Milan may be perched tenuously just below Napoli at the top of the table after crushing the soul of former owner Berlusconi last week in their 4-1 defeat of Monza, but they paid for it in blood. And muscle injuries. These are cautionary tales for Milan fans and neutrals alike. This Halloween Eve, there may be something that goes bump in the night. Let us all hope that it is the ball hitting the back of Torino's net, multiple times, and that Tatarusanu's net remains in mysterious silence.
Reviewed by Elaine
on
2:00 AM
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