Milan 0 Chelsea 2

I for one enjoy late summer friendly matches, both as a fan, and in my Coaching days. It gives you a chance to see players that don't usually feature, but also to asses the team's progress from the summer holiday. If you watch these matches looking for crisp results orientated football you will surely be disappointed. Even Juventus fans were humbled expecting the illustrious brand of Conte football to show through only to be humbled at the hands of the LA Galaxy! The simple statement, pre-season matches are about progress and progression, not results. The problem with last night as I didn't see either...

To start, I have never seen a team struggle more than this one with personnel changes. The players seem to look at each other as though they have never played a match together. It takes them more time than a girl getting ready for the prom to get their asses in gear. It's OK, they just got back from holiday, but geez Monty, Balo and El Sharaawy should not play football like strangers! There was also a lot of rust, and I mean a lot on a few players. Muntari couldn't put a foot right and instead of simplifying his game, he only over complicated. Niang was just as guilty seeming to try far to hard to work his tail off to stay at San Siro instead of go to Genoa or Milan B!?

Some players don't have rest, they just simply suck. Sadly for Boateng and Urby, this is now the case. Anyone who even suggests for a second that Urby can actually play LB will be shipped a DVD of this game. I will arrive five minutes later and together we will watch this performance over and over again until you to are convinced that Urby is not and will NEVER be a LB. As for Boateng, one may say heavy is the head that wears the crown, that crown a gleaming #10. He neither deserves it or supports it. I received a tweet last night stating maybe it would be better if Boateng was played in the midfield closer to our goal. To which I replied, that would require him to make smart passes, press and tackle, and he clearly isn't going to do that! He has one spot left for him, it is on the bench.

Apart from personnel, the passing was there and the team created and worked space nicely. The finishing ball however was not and when Chelsea countered Milan had no answer other than to foul. Now we all know Mourinho's teams are impeccably organized and put together, but the players seemed disinterested and unwilling to even press the simplest midfield ball. Surely Allegri will be blamed for not furiously pushing the press "button" on the sideline, while his lazy players are left with no blame. But a five AM training session this morning would surely have been in order.

I don't need results, but I need progress to feel comfortable...onto the 3rd place game versus Everton...