Sunday night's clash at the San Siro is significant in multiple ways. First, obviously, Milan are desperate for points, and taking them from a team above them is even more important. Second, to defy all the talk from the unhinged Italian media so the team can have a peaceful week to train for once. But also, if you'll recall, our match away to Lazio was the first time He Who Shall Not Be Named benched Theo and Leão. Then, after scoring the goal to salvage the point, in an act that was seen as defiant, they did not join the team for a one minute water break, aka Waterbreakgate.™It still freaks me out how fans and the toxic Italian media will still talk about that one minute of hydration, but no one talks about the two points dropped because of the arrogant manager, who is no longer at the club. This match is a chance for the team to set the record straight by exceeding expectations, another type of defiance.
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| The best act of defiance is to show your best self. |
Marco Baroni's Lazio sit in fifth place, six points ahead of Milan. Winning this one would halve the distance between us, while losing... well... we've done enough of that lately. Lazio will be looking to regain their form after back to back draws in Serie A and a 2-0 loss to Inter in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday. For that match, Baroni lined up a 4-2-3-1 with: Mandas; Lazzari, Gigot, Milan's former captain Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Rovella, Guendouzi; Isaksen, Boulaye Dia, Zaccagni; and Tchaouna.
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| It will be Lazio's Tijjani (Noslin) vs. Milan's Tijjani (Reijnders). |
He will definitely be missing Hysaj, Dele-Bashiru, Bašić, and Castellanos to injury. Vecino, Gigot, Patric, and our old friend Romagnoli are all working to be match fit for this one, but all are in doubt. Provedel may also return to goal, or Mandas may repeat, Baroni did not commit. But certainly, Milan are not alone in their trepidation about poor refereeing in Serie A, as Lazio have also had poor experiences this season as well.
Conceição actually got some good news, in that Walker recovered quicker than anticipated and will be available to start Sunday night. But he will still be missing Florenzi, Emerson-Royal, and Loftus-Cheek to injury. Conceição mentioned in his press conference that various players have been struggling with some fitness issues for up to a full month now, Pulisic being one of them. However, he is still rumored to start this one.
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| A welcome return to Milan's back line, he brings calm in the face of adversity. |
If Pulisic is allowed to start or even play a decent amount of minutes, he may be looking to replicate the chaos he created for Lazio his first season when he personally helped get three Lazio players sent off. Meanwhile, Santiago Gimenez is a type of Kryptonite for Lazio, as he has scored five goals against them in four matches in Europe. It will also be an emotional one for Conceição, as Lazio is both the first and last Serie A club he played for.
Hopefully, the team shows up in defiance in a good way. Because the fans have been incredibly defiant this week, and plan to continue during the match. On Friday, the Curva Sud placed banners at both Casa Milan and then at Milanello that said, "Unworthy: Go Away All of You." They also released a scathing press release criticizing management, referencing Cardinale and Ibrahimović specifically, that included:
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| Sometimes, I feel like the Curva Sud projects onto the team. |
"...The faults of a totally invisible ownership (Cardinale has not been in Milan since September) are evident and unjustifiable, the choice to eliminate a key figure, such as that of the Sporting Director, who is fundamental to building a team that is up to the task and guaranteeing a constant and constructive presence at Milanello, instead, entrusting the image of Milan to collaborators who have distinguished themselves only for charades or interviews that go beyond the ridiculous."
Then they released another statement saying they will boycott the first 15 minutes of the match, and that if they don't see a significant change in performance and attitude, they will get to the point of abandoning the team, leaving them "alone with your shame." The AIMC (Association of Italian Milan Clubs) also issued their own statement against management. The irony of all this anger is that they act like they have been so patient this year, yet they have protested at or boycotted at least 18 matches and events since the end of last season. Maybe they just don't remember anything, since they haven't been there.
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| This is the level of energy Milan needs to be able to defy the odds and take all 3 points. |
Once again, it will be up to Conceição and the team to self-motivate. The Curva Sud have been going through some things this year, and clearly cannot be counted on whatsoever to support their team. In spite of some poor results, I still believe we can possibly pull off a result on Sunday. But it will need to be the opposite of how it was when we faced Lazio in August, which should be easy, now that we have a manager who respects the players. Still, given all that's going on, it will absolutely be a difficult match. But three points would potentially restore a small amount of hope. If not, fans may truly leave, din their self-absorbed acts of defiance,
This post inspired by the music of Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back"
Serie C Week 29
Reviewed by Elaine
on
4:30 AM
Rating:
