Milan-Roma Preview: How it Started, How it's Going

This year, 2024, started off with a manager under fire, injuries, and fans quickly losing faith in management. Ironically, that is how we went into our home match with Roma in January. But, in spite of hiring a new manager and having slightly fewer injuries, Milan come into this match looking far more bleak, with fans openly protesting everything management says or does, and a manager who everyone (perhaps even him?) knows does not deserve to be here. Luckily, Roma has suffered a similar fate, so perhaps we have a chance. However, I do not feel confident in pulling off the confident 3-1 victory against Roma that our Frenchmen gave us in January, and not just because those players left, were pushed out, or are being benched by this manager, either. All you have to do is to look at how it started and how it's going.

He was once a jolly old elf, now he has been kicked to the Capital.

As implied, Roma have a new manager as well. Their second since January, actually. And while Claudio Ranieri is a living legend in his own right, it is still Roma, so expectations are just not that high. Perhaps higher than the 11th place position they are currently in, though. Their last match was an impressive 5-0 drubbing of Parma last Sunday, so we could be in the way of their upward progress. For that match, Ranieri lined up a 3-4-2-1 with Svilar; Gianluca Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Milan's beloved Saelemaekers, Koné, Paredes, Angeliño; Dybala, former Milan il Faraone, El Shaarawy, and Dovbyk. Ranieri seems to only be missing Cristante to injury for this one.

Now he's giving all his love to someone else...

For Milan, we are still tormented by He Who Shall Not Be Named, the manager who is the first to point the finger of blame, and the last to take accountability for his own actions, and the guy who gives the most outrageous press conferences while simultaneously benching our players. For this match, he will be missing: Florenzi, Okafor,  Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, Musah, and Leão to their respective injuries. Jović is apparently doing better, but will also not be available for this one. Pulisic was also recovered from his calf injury, but now apparently has an ankle problem. 

The good news is, though, that Bennacer is back! He is not fit yet to play 90 minutes, but he is finally available again after his long injury, and he will be a very welcome addition to the squad again, if the guy who thinks Terracciano is a good midfielder allows him to get any playing time. Morata is also available again, and it sounds like Jiménez will get another start in place of the injured Leão. Theo Hernandez was last seen shackled to the bench and being tortured by an evil Portuguese man, so I doubt he will find his way into the starting lineup.

Not bad for a Roma reject.

We know that Saelemaekers did not want to go to Roma, but he has done well there. Look for him to do everything to score against Milan, and likely a golazzo, too. On the flip side, who doesn't want to come to Milan? Tammy Abraham could not pack his bags fast enough to get out of that club and sprint to Milan. And while he gets some criticism from fans, he has also done reasonably well, especially slotting right in as a last minute transfer.

At the beginning of the year, we still had someone at Milan who actually cared about the club, the players, his job, winning etc. Now we have a management who are the worst, most ignorant people, and they are tone deaf, while we also have a manager who only cares about himself. And the results show it. In January, Milan were in third place, finishing in second. Now, we sit in eighth place and dropping, with fans angrier than ever about the condition of our club. That is how it started and how it is going.

This post inspired by the music of The Cure's "To Wish Impossible Things"

Our next matches are:

Serie A Week 18

Milan vs. Roma

Sunday, December 29, 2024 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)

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

or use a VPN to access better coverage

Campionato Primavera 1 Week 17

Milan Primavera vs. Lazio Primavera

Saturday, January 4, 2025 • 11:00 (5am EST)

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

Serie C Week 21

Athletic Carpi vs. Milan Futuro

Sunday, January 5, 2025 • 17:30 CET (11:30am EST)

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