Milan 1, Verona 0: That Perfect Moment

In an unnecessarily tedious match that was filled with yellow cards (and yet somehow still not nearly enough yellow cards,) it only took one goal to decide it all. A beautiful moment in what seemed like an ugly battle between a team desperate for points and a team desperate to get out of those hideous fourth kits. Gimenez was the hero in Milan's 1-0 win over Verona, but the goal was beautiful from start to finish, and worth sitting through the other 90 laborious minutes. It was that perfect moment.

When you've created the perfect moment.

The person who had the most to do in this match was referee Francesco Fourneau. Although with only seven yellow cards, one could argue as to whether or not he did his job well at all. He handed out his first card to Verona in the 11th minute, then one to Musah in the 16th minute for a foul on Kastanos. But when Niasse clearly pulled João Félix back two minutes later and Fourneau did not card the Verona player, it was clear that either Fourneau did not want to give out too many cards, or he was just phoning it in. 

João Félix quickly becoming Milan's most fouled player every match.

Plus, he had to card Niasse three minutes for a foul on Theo Hernández. Literally, Verona could have been on ten men by the 21st minute. There were already more cards than shots, and he wasn't even whistling every foul, let alone carding every cautionable offense. And I wouldn't say that Fourneau lost control of the match for anything he did, it was just that brutal of a battle.

João Félix sent in a beautiful curling shot in the 27th minute that Montipò somehow saved. It would have been a gorgeous goal, had it gone in. João Félix must have been fouled at least a dozen times, he certainly forced two of Verona's four yellow cards in this match. Opposition teams really struggle to keep him contained.

Thiaw reminding us that all 4 of our center backs contribute at both ends of the pitch.

In the 33rd minute, Santiago Gimenez scored a goal from a Thiaw assist, but unfortunately it was called back because he was offside. A minute later, perhaps in frustration, Thiaw shoved a Verona player to the ground in the box, he is my kind of defender. There was a scare in the 40th minute when Musah was down after Kastanos got the ball first and Musah's leg second. But he was able to continue, and after Duda's free kick mercifully went over in the 46th minute, Musah's shot in the final minute of stoppage time also went over the crossbar.

The second half kicked off with two changes from Conceição: Leão replaced Sottil, who had a relatively uneventful first start at Milan, and Álex Jiménez replaced Kyle Walker. The second sub was initially a little nerve-wracking, because Walker is so good defensively and Jiménez is better offensively. But that is exactly what we needed, Conceição always knows what is needed.

And the award for best performance in a supporting role goes to...

There was an incident in the 59th minute where Duda reached forward and just hit Álex Jiménez on the back of the neck. Jiménez, not exactly the coolest of heads, retaliated by shoving Duda. The referee only carded Jiménez, which was insane. Duda absolutely should have been carded for violent play. Which also would have been his second yellow, leaving Verona on ten men. But most importantly, players need to know they cannot do that. And an unfortunate lesson for 19 year-old Jiménez, that refs will often let things go unpunished.

Leão was getting more and more dangerous, with Verona needing to foul him or hope for a last minute deflection to keep from scoring. Then Conceição made another attacking substitution, replacing Fofana with Pulisic. His subs are like a battering ram, he will put every attacking player on if necessary to get the goal. I love it. 

Gimenez brings us all to our knees in gratitude.

Once again, Musah sent a shot that was just over. After 75 minutes of battling, finally, the moment of perfection had arrived. Leão started the play, but Álex Jiménez made a brilliant flick forward to send the ball to Leão, who, with a flying volley, sent the ball toward goal, and Santiago Gimenez headed it home. 1-0 Milan. It was so perfect. Jiménez to Leão to Gimenez. Almost poetic.

Santiago Gimenez followed that up with earning a yellow card for a foul on Duda, and Leão followed it up with a shot that went well over the bar. Clearly, the perfect moment was over. Conceição subbed Tammy Abraham on for Gimenez in the 82nd minute, then Terracciano replaced João Félix in the 88th minute. Maignan almost slipped again trying to catch the ball in the 90th, but managed to make the save anyway. And although Verona gave it their best, they were unable to find an equalizer. Milan had won, in spite of those horrific kits.

Flying Leão is a beautiful Leão.

Speaking of those kits, I have reiterated over and over that when you look good, you play well. The opposite is also true, performance is based on confidence, so if you don't look good, you won't be as confident. That second point held true for this match, which felt more like a playground fight than a football match. Milan, Puma, and Off White claimed that this kit was meant to highlight diversity and inclusion, power and progress, specifically "celebrating black excellence." But I did not even see any of our black players at the kit launch party. It seemed more like social justice appropriation for profit, and that really is a form of discrimination in and of itself.

Luckily, our players managed to overcome everything, including these embarrassing kits. We got out with only three yellow cards, and none of them were for players risking suspension. Conceição wisely rotated players and also worked to find more balance as well. Milan have played 13 matches in four competitions since he arrived, in only six weeks. And now they play again on Tuesday. He has been doing amazing things given the circumstances. The football may not be beautiful, but he is getting results, which is what matters. Yet even in this match, we were lucky enough to be blessed with that one perfect moment.

Milan Primavera Lose 0-1 to Sassuolo

This match had draw written all over it until Sassuolo scored in the 87th minute.

Guidi's boys lost to Sassuolo 0-1 at home in a match that was fairly equal until a late goal gave Sassuolo all three points. Both sides had chances, Milan seemed to play well, but Sassuolo were a team above them on the table. A draw seemed within reach until an 87th minute goal gave Sassuolo all three points. Highlights are available. Milan Primavera stayed in 5th place on the table, but all the other teams in the top six won their matches, so Milan will need to win on Wednesday against Cagliari to stay competitive.

Milan Futuro Lost 1-0 Away to Pianese, Finishing on Ten Men

Bonera: "So... you're telling me that I'm supposed to win some of the matches?"

In yet another terrible decision taken by this management, rather than sack Bonera, who has kept Milan Futuro in the relegation zone for most of the season, they invited the legendary Mauro Tassotti to come and join his staff as his Assistant Manager. Obviously, in less than a week, he was not going to work miracles, but this match was so much less than a miracle. It finished 1-0 for Pianese, with Milan Futuro playing on ten men for 50 minutes.

It started with Camporese, one of the 32 year-olds recruited to bring experience to this young side, conceding a penalty. Pianese converted it. Less than ten minutes later, Camporese committed another foul, receiving his second yellow of the match, so was sent off, leaving Milan Futuro on ten men from the 40th minute on. They did rally and have a couple of chances, but it was not enough. If you can stomach yet another loss, the Serie C YouTube channel has highlights.

I have no idea what is going on in trainings, but I do have a lot of questions about how Bonera manages the games. His lineups, substitutions, tactics are all incredibly impactful on the (checks table) Milan Futuro's 18th place on the table. Also, his squad have often looked absolutely demoralized, with loss after loss after loss. How is keeping him in place but bringing in someone to help going to change things? It shows a lack of full faith in him from the club, and it sends that same message to the team as well.

This post inspired by the music of Depeche Mode's "World Full of Nothing"

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