When the club posted the photos of the players' arrival at Allianz stadium ahead of the match, I could not help but notice that they all looked terrible. Like they were exhausted or sick or something. Playing every three days, traveling, and with Conceição's rigorous new training sessions, they looked maxed out before they even warmed up. So when the match finished 2-0 for Juventus, I was not that surprised. The match was intense, and particularly in the first half, Milan gave it everything they had. But there is only so much you can give when you are running on empty.
 |
| What can they do if they've got nothing left to give? |
After the match, Conceição said that they needed to have more hunger. He claimed that he had coached teams that were not as skilled technically, but had great hunger and desire. He also referred to all the resources these players have available for recovery. But he did not mention that those early teams were not competing in four competition and playing every three to four days.
 |
| They all look absolutely exhausted, even before warmup. |
While I appreciate his no excuses style of leadership, admitting that your players are exhausted is not a sign of weakness. In fact, the more managers who come out and talk about the insanely overcrowded fixture list and can make the correlation between increases in injuries and too many matches, the greater the chances there will be for some kind of change.
That said, the first half was incredibly intense football. End to end, heart-pounding football. Juventus had some near misses, and Maignan came out and made an incredible tackle and save after a poor backpass. Theo took a corner in the 19th minute, and Reijnders took a great shot from it, but Juve got kind of a lucky deflection to save it.
 |
| It's not like Milan did not create chances. |
In the 27th minute, Leão had a great shot saved. There was a lot of scrambling in the box, and in that time, Képhren Thuram tackled Reijnders in the box, which was actually a really bad tackle. But the referee, Massa, made no call, nor did VAR intervene. Shortly thereafter, Gatti also tackled Theo, nowhere near ever getting the ball, but again, no call was made.
Maignan made a big save on Yildiz, and Kalulu pretended that he was going to score, but headed it over because he's still a Milanista at heart (or at least that's what I choose to believe.) All three of Milan's shots on target were made in the first half. And while they would create chances in the second half, that stat tells you a bit about how they played.
 |
| Maignan was epic in this one. |
In the 53rd minute, Maignan made back to back massive saves on Timothy Weah and then Koopmeiners, in both cases putting his body (and perhaps his life) on the line. I cannot emphasize what an incredible goalkeeper we have. Unfortunately, he cannot overcome when his own defenders deflect the ball into our net, so when Mbangula took a great shot and he went to save it, Emerson Royal's deflection changed the trajectory and allowed the goal to be scored. 1-0 Juventus.
Bennacer picked up a yellow card for fouling Timothy Weah in the 61st, and two minutes later, Conceição subbed him off, bringing on Jiménez. A minute later. Tim Weah, with only Tomori to stop him, was able to score to make it 2-0 Juventus. This was particularly painful considering that nearly 26 years ago, his father had scored a brace for Milan against Juventus. I'm so grateful my children chose Milan.
 |
| After his POTM performance vs. Como, Emerson Royal went back to being... well, Emerson Royal. |
Emerson Royal earned himself a yellow card for fouling Nico González in the 72nd, and following suit, he was subbed off two minutes later, with Camarda coming on. In the 79th minute, Conceição replaced the exhausted Reijnders and Tammy Abraham with Terracciano and Jović. Motta, almost with a smirk, called his bluff by bringing on Vlahović and Fagioli. While Jović and Camarda did their best to make an impact, Conceição did tactfully mention that there was a difference in quality between the two benches.
The most worrying moment of the match came near the end of stoppage time, when Maignan, heroically well out of his box again to try to clear something, headed a ball clear and then fell awkwardly. He was able to get back up, albeit slowly, and finished the match, and reports are that he is fine. I do love how aggressive he is, but also have traumatic memories of the injuries he gets when he is superhero Mike.
 |
| Expect to see Conceição suiting up and taking the pitch soon, he's getting frustrated. |
At the final whistle, the first team that Conceição defeated was also the first team to defeat him at Milan. Losing is always painful, and losing to Juventus even worse. But the doomsayers who instantly went into their rants about how this team is terrible, etc. failed to notice how well they played in the first half. That intensity would be difficult for anyone to maintain, particularly with so many players out injured and so many matches this month. The big change was that Conceição, unlike his predecessor, took full responsibility for the loss. They are making progress, and I believe they will get there. But it is really hard to win when you are running on empty.
Milan Primavera Lose 1-0 to Fiorentina after Conceding in the First Minute
 |
| Guidi's side fought valiantly, but the early deficit stood. |
Guidi's Milan Primavera were punished for an error in the first minute, as they conceded a goal in just the first minute from Rubino to put Fiorentina Primavera up 1-0. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to turn the game around, but to their credit, they also did not concede again. They sit in sixth place in the league, behind both Juventus and Inter Primavera teams.
Milan Futuro See Red and Drop Points Again in Their 2-2 Draw Away to Ascoli
 |
| Ianesi scores on his debut, a perfect start. |
Bonera's side almost had a win. Away, no less. Raveyre was a late replacement in goal after Nava, scheduled to start, had a last minute problem. After losing Mbarick Fall to injury in the first half, brand new signing Ianesi scored right after halftime to put Milan Futuro up 1-0. Unfortunately, Ascoli equalized in the 60th minute, but Sandri scored two minutes later to put Futuro back on top, 2-1 Milan Futuro. In the most bizarre 15 second performance of the season, Gala subbed on in the 84th minute, punched an Ascoli player, was red carded, and sent off, also in the 84th minute. With Milan down to 10 men, they conceded another goal in the 87th minute, with a final score of 2-2 all.
 |
| Sandri celebrates putting Milan Futuro ahead again, what should have been the winning goal. |
While it is nice to see the new signings making an impact, I absolutely must question the reasoning behind the new signings. Milan Futuro have only won three of their 23 matches this season, and one of those was when Bonera was suspended and not on the bench. In an article about Kirovsky, who oversees the U23 project, it claims that Milan Futuro "need experience," but where they need experience is in their manager. The point of the project was to develop all the young players that we had, not wait until January and buy more older and experienced players to take their starting spots to try to make up for all the points dropped.
 |
| Gala leaves the pitch in disbelief, having being sent off after just 15 seconds. |
And so that we're clear, Jovan Kirovsky came from the LA Galaxy. During his ten years there as technical director, they went from being one of the most successful clubs in Major League Soccer, to winning a title right after he arrived, then winning nothing until the year after he left. This, despite many big name signings, including Ibrahimović himself. So it is not a huge surprise that Milan Futuro sit firmly in a relegation spot, but it is still massively disappointing.
This post inspired by the music of Stone Temple Pilots' "Big Empty"
Serie C Week 24
Reviewed by Elaine
on
10:10 AM
Rating:
