Wow, if you read the comments on the last post you would have to assume we are going to be relegated in mere seconds!? I mean no mention of the fact that injuries have decimated this team beyond recognition or that we have played three games in six days. Or maybe that our players are at some of their worse form all season, sure these are excuses, and I hate excuse, but they are also the sad fact of the matter at the moment. The nice thing is, despite what people want to spew in the comments, we are not getting relegated, we are not even out of the Coppa, we still sit second in the table, and we are in the CL knockout stages. Maybe it is best these crazies just abandon ship…
I have no real interest in sitting here and painting some rosy picture on what happened last night. From my perspective Milan started brightly, in fact they have shown brilliant flashes against three men backlines, which made me question Conte’s tactics in this one. Lazio, Napoli, and now Juve, Milan seem to be do OK early with the numerical advantage, but on this day with Seedorf in behind the strikers, no Nocerino the advantage was fleeting. Conte’s decision made more sense as the numerical advantage in the midfield grew more and more evident as the game wore on.
Urby was a bright spot, as he managed to work the space in behind Estagarribia, but was met more often than not by the figure of Chiellini and the results were not pretty. El Shaarawi also proved a bit of a lightning rod missing a crucial chance early, but the chances for Milan were fleeting as Juve continued to dominate areas of the pitch and possession. In fact it was a bit like the first match between these two teams, Milan forced to defend but never truly out of the match until the waning moments, and even then it continues to be exciting.
So we lost the first leg of a Coppa Semifinal against our direct rival. We took some hits; we fought back, and now have it all do to in Turin, as well as a direct match-up in the Serie A. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we limp slowly into a match against another team that employs a back three in Udinese. Do we exploit like we know we can, or do we get overrun in the midfield yet again? Your guess is as good as mine, but have a little bit of perspective for what our team is enduring at the moment. You can whine and complain about Allegri, or our lack of Plan B, but at this point and time all that’s left for this team is to grit i'ts teeth and keep plugging along. There are no players for Plan A, let alone Plan B, there are no players for tactical shifts or changes, we go into games with no midfielders!? We can’t expect to win comfortably, we expect to fight for a result. But hey we could always call Leo back! Tactical plan? Have a problem? Throw a striker at it! Better to lose 3-0 then 1-0 right!? To think after watching this hard fought match, people thought old man Pippo should have been given a start? These same fans say Allegri has no clue? Looks like the problems with Milan at the moment are evident everywhere…