Milan's schedule just lightened up a little bit, there will be far fewer weeks of playing every three days now that they have exited the Champions League for the season. Last season, we dropped down into the Europa League Playoffs after our early Champions League exit, but with the changes in format this season, we just become more like Napoli... playing once a week. With all the chaos this management continues to throw at this team, slowing the calendar down should help with both fewer injuries and better results. It will also be the first time Conceição will have more than a day or two consecutively to properly train with the squad. So, while this match comes only four days after our fateful match with Feyenoord, hopefully it is our first step to regroup.
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| The team need to regroup and refocus on Serie A. |
Milan travel to Torino, who are also trying to bounce back from a painful 3-2 loss to Bologna last week, caused by a late Biraghi own goal. Unfortunately for us, I am sure they have not forgotten the 7-0 destruction we rained down upon them four years ago, because we have not won there since. This season, they currently sit in 12th place on the table, with six wins, ten draws, apparently trying to make Turin the city of draws this year, but then they have also lost nine matches. However, they have only lost that one match since the turn of the year, so they have been in good form.
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| Vanja Milinković-Savić, the goalkeeper who saves everything Milan sends his way. |
For that most recent loss last week, Vanoli lined up a 4-2-3-1 with: Vanja Milinković-Savić; Walukiewicz, Maripán, Saúl Coco, Borna Sosa; Linetty, Casadei; Lazaro, Vlašić, Karamoh; and Ché Adams. Vanoli will be missing Masina to suspension due to card accumulation, and also Schuurs, Tamèze, Duvan Zapata, and Nije to injury, with Borna Sosa also at risk due to flu symptoms. Ché Adams is also a doubt due to fatigue, but likely to recover.
Conceição is still missing the longterm injured players of Florenzi, Emerson Royal, and Loftus-Cheek, and this week, they are joined by Kyle Walker, who has a slight problem following the Feyenoord match. He will likely be out for two matches, actually. Santiago Gimenez was subbed off on Tuesday because he was tired, Pulisic also does not have a full 90 minutes in his legs right now, but both will likely start against Torino. Álex Jiménez is likely to replace Kyle Walker.
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| The young Álex Jiménez is proving himself very useful this season. |
When Torino came to the San Siro at the beginning of the season, it ended in a 2-2 draw, but that was during the failed Fonseca experiment. The Curva Sud, having boycotted the final matches of last season finally showed up for that match, but not always at full volume. Torino's Ultras have also been staging various protests against their owner, but have promised to come back with flags and banners in full voice against Milan. Perfect.
I don't even remember the last match the Curva Sud showed up in full voice, with flags and banners (which have been banned due to their criminal activities,) and showed unwavering support for the entire match. And the only three matches Conceição has lost were away matches, where they boycotted completely. Unlike Torino's Ultras, who take out full page adds in their newspaper to criticize their owner, all of Curva Sud's actions hurt the team the most, and are usually things RedBird does not even notice or care about. It seems like they need to regroup, too, and try some new tactics.
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| Neither are 100%, but both will play. |
Everyone keeps asking the players about when they will find consistent form. I'm sorry, but how about when they have some consistency from management? This management cannot even make consistent statements, let alone keep people on that they've hired, and they make changes to the squad every six months as if it it is a pair of old shoes. There was a great quote from former goalkeeper Simone Braglia this week: "A club that takes João Félix and Gimenez in January but could have taken them in the summer, it means that it doesn't know this game." And if management don't know what they are doing, how are the players supposed to find confidence or consistency in this environment?
Conceição has had a very emotional week, after the passing of his close friend Pinto da Costa last weekend, the 31st anniversary of the passing of his mother was Friday. Hopefully, despite the midweek draw that ended Milan's Champions League run, he is also able to regroup and focus 100% on this match, because it will be a difficult one. But Milan need the points to keep climbing the table. If they can just get the result in this one, they will finally have a week off to recover and sharpen their focus for the next match. Hopefully, with any luck, this match will help them regroup.
This post inspired by the music of X Ambassadors' "Unsteady"
Serie C Week 28
Reviewed by Elaine
on
3:00 AM
Rating:
