Milan 0, Juventus 0: Wake Me When It's Over

Two good performances in 16 matches now. That is double the number of shots Milan had on target in this match, a lackluster 0-0 draw with Juventus. At least we kept a clean sheet, but that was probably because of the strikerless-Juve only got two shots on target themselves. Fonseca did not really have any answers postmatch as to the poor showing, because he has run out of excuses. The longer we keep him at the club, the lower Milan's chances for success this season become. But this match should have told you that, if the first 15 matches did not give it away. It was a match worth sleeping through in a season that is quickly becoming a nightmare. Wake me when it's over.

This was about as fierce as it got, unfortunately.

Milan had zero shots on target in the first half. Honestly, the only real thing of note that happened was in the 25th minute, when Conceição recklessly ran over and bodyslammed Leão. Not only did Chiffi, the referee for this match, not call the foul, Motta was on the sidelines visually accusing Leão of diving. So when Leão made what appeared to be minimal protests about the call, he was shown a yellow card. This fit the stereotypical Serie A narrative, though, a former Inter player trying to condition the refs and make everyone believe that Juventus always get favorable calls. It certainly worked this time.

Leão could be hospitalized, but Motta would claim he dove, and if he protested, Chiffi would still card him.

The second half saw a fantastic block from Thiaw that he made on Cambiaso in the 50th minute. Juventus' shots definitely seemed more dangerous, although neither team looked particularly like they were actually going to score. With seven players out though, and still undefeated in Serie A, Juventus have to feel better about this one. In the 67th, Emerson Royal was shown a yellow card for a sloppy foul on Yildiz, not his first one, either, so deserved. But Juventus players were getting away with murder, or at least a lot of physical contact with no calls. 

That included in the 69th minute, when Savona attempted to get the ball, but also got Leão's foot, and gave him a shove for good measure, all in the box. But Chiffi did not give Milan the penalty, instead, he gave Fofana a yellow card for daring to speak to him. Kind of insane, after the levels of contact Juventus had on Milan players, such as Morata, for example, and this one, which, with a VAR review would have been given as a penalty for sure if it had been against us. But no, two of our players dared to speak to the referee, and they both got carded.

Thiaw after his impressive block on Cambiaso.

Fonseca subbed Pulisic on for Loftus-Cheek in the 70th minute, the latter having not started because of reportedly being in poor physical condition after returning from national team duty. Then he subbed Calabria, Chukwueze, and Pavlović on in the 84th minute for Emerson Royal, Musah, and Gabbia respectively. In the 90+5th minute, Theo Hernández had a shot attempt that was on target. Then the whistle blew, and it was time to wake up. 

I don't really know what it will take for this management to wake up, admit to their mistake, and change managers. Moncada gave a rare lengthy interview this past week. As enlightening as it may have been to those who do not know about the world of scouting, and as nice as it is to hear about certain transfers with firsthand knowledge, it reeked of his arrogance and naïveté as a technical director. He is someone who never played football professionally, his experience is entirely in scouting, but he talks about being involved in managing as if he is the next Sacchi, although Fonseca is actually the manager.

Moncada takes credit for signing Reijnders, but it was Pioli who asked for him.

He brags about the best transfers being his successes, instead of giving credit to those who actually chose those players from the numerous choices he offered and also convinced them to sign. For example, he said Tijjani Reijnders was the signing he was most proud of, but in the same interview, he admitted that it was Pioli who chose him. And he spoke about Paulo Fonseca as if he had personally chosen the next Pep Guardiola, which I can only assume is why he is still here. He clearly cannot see the data through his own ego, which is quite ironic, given how data driven this management claimed to be when they fired Maldini and Massara. I'm starting to wonder if he is one of the people Maldini spoke about last December, who are here to improve their CV. Certainly, as he pointed out, none of he, Boban, Leonardo, etc. ever went "beyond the scope of their competence." It is also of note that Boban won his appeal in his wrongful termination suit this week, even the prior management attempted to extend their reach "beyond the scope of their competence."

Kalulu should have stayed, saving the club millions, and giving Fonseca more options.

Moncada also failed to address how or why we had to watch Kalulu in a Juventus shirt this match, playing against us, having strengthened a rival for next to nothing, while he spent €15m for Emerson Royal, who reportedly had a record eight tackles, but was also lucky to not be sent off. Calabria coming off the bench was still an upgrade for him, but Fonseca's ego has benched him much of the season thus far. Cardinale and Furlani's egos got rid of the Milan by getting rid of Maldini, then they all cleaned house of most of Maldini's Scudetto-winning players. Many of them are crushing it elsewhere, meanwhile, we are watching the players they actually spent so much money get crushed week after week. It is a nightmare that is probably only beginning, too. Wake me when it's over.

Group B Leaders Pescara Crush Milan Futuro 4-1

Longo going up against former future Milan phenom goalkeeper Plizzari

It was probably too much to expect a result from Milan Futuro when traveling to face Group B leaders Pescara on Thursday. But the thrashing was still hard to swallow. They conceded 3 goals in the first half from Pierozzi, Tonin, and Merola, before Turco was able to pull one back for Milan in the 53rd minute to make it 3-1 Pescara. The back line looked not unlike the Three Stooges, and in the end, it was a Bartesaghi own goal that gave Pescara their fourth goal. Highlights from the 4-1 Pescara win over Milan Futuro are on the Serie C YouTube channel, as always. This was the first of four matches in 11 days for Bonera's Milan Futuro, a huge test for both him and the team.

Lecce Primavera Break Milan Primavera's Winning Streak

The starters for Lecce Primavera-Milan Primavera.

After three league wins in a row, Milan Primavera lost 2-0 away to Lecce on Saturday. They gave up two goals just three minutes apart in the first half, and just like that, in less than 25 minutes, they were down by two and were not able to recover. They also lost Sala to injury about 30 minutes in, which added injury to insult. Some brief highlights are available. Because of other matches and the tight table, this loss dropped Milan Primavera from top of the table to fifth place, but the top eight teams are all within five points of each other. The U19 players will fact Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday.

Milan Futuro Concede For a 2-2 Draw with Sestri Levante

Zeroli celebrates a great header to put Milan Futuro in the lead.

Sunday's clash between 18th place Milan Futuro and 19th place Sestri Levante started out with a bang when Zeroli headed a brilliant long free kick from Traorè into the back of the net from point blank range. 1-0 Milan just four minutes in. Sestri Levante came back with an equalizer from Durmush in the 30th, but Milan were awarded a penalty less than 10 minutes later. Zeroli stepped up and took that, converting it to make it 2-1 for Milan Futuro. Unfortunately, Sestro Levante answered back again after the half, with a goal from Parravicini in the 63rd minute. So it finished Milan Futuro 2, Sestri Levante 2. This left Milan tied with Sestri Levante for points, still in the relegation zone nearly halfway through the season, still raising big questions about Bonera's appointment, ahead of both Wednesday's Coppa Italia match and Sunday's meeting with Abate's third place Ternana.

An important message from the captains.

Zeroli's brace was not enough, but clearly he was fired up. I think it was because he was wearing a special armband. This weekend, all Serie C captains wore armbands that read "NO to violence against women." November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and Italy in particular has a pretty high femicide rate, with 120 women killed last year alone, let alone all the other domestic violence and abuse women suffer. While Serie A simply puts lipstick on the cheeks of the players in their "A Red to Violence" campaign, which is very unclear messaging, and while the official Milan accounts actually only posted a sweet picture of a dad and his son going to the stadium, Serie C was much more clear. In addition to the armbands, signage was everywhere that said "You are not alone" and offered a hotline number for women in trouble. I was most proud of Milan Futuro, though, who posted this amazing video, demonstrating how to properly use lipstick to get a message across.

This post inspired by the music of Måneskin's "Don't Wanna Sleep"

Our next matches are:

UEFA Youth League • League Phase

ŠK Slovan Bratislava U19 vs AC Milan U19

Tuesday, November 25, 2024 • 13:00 CET (7am EST)

This match is not being televised in the U.S.

UEFA Champions League • League Phase

ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs AC Milan

Tuesday, November 25, 2024 • 18:45 CET (12:45pm EST)

In the U.S., this match can be streamed on Paramount+,

or use a VPN to access better coverage

Serie C Coppa Italia Round of 16

Milan Futuro vs. Sestri Levante

Sunday, November 24, 2024 • 17:30 CET (11:30am EST)

This match is not being televised in the U.S.