SempreMilan
·16 Desember 2024
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Yahoo sportsSempreMilan
·16 Desember 2024
A period of introspection has once again started up after AC Milan dropped yet more points in the league last night, drawing 0-0 with Genoa.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall how Milan won the Scudetto two years ago, then started to slide gradually, but above all the club ‘lost its soul’. The team is not a poor one, some players who arrived since have quality, but the mistakes add up.
Milan have nothing that a strong team needs: it has no leaders, they do not win matches with ruthlessness, they lack strength and personality and the club do not communicate through directors, leaving fans in the dark.
Club choices: This Milan has lost all the love from the fans and never gives the impression of wanting to go in one direction with force. The directors never speak at the end of the difficult evenings, and their decisions when it comes to transfers and the hiring of Paulo Fonseca are beginning to draw criticism. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was even booed last night.
The coach: The fans have no problem with Fonseca and appreciate his honesty, but the coach is a symbol of the crisis. Some fans wanted Antonio Conte because they asked for a winner. Fonseca was not a glamorous name but he has been firm, as he was with Leao and Theo, but draws against Torino, Cagliari and Genoa plus defeats to Parma, Fiorentina, Napoli and Atalanta have weakened his position.
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Leaders: Milan lack a group of leaders who know how to carry the team through difficult periods. Leao, yesterday’s captain, is a very strong player but not a leader. Calabria and Theo are in a prolonged rift with the coach, and Reijnders is the same as Leao. Maignan and Morata are candidates, yet even they haven’t been heard from much.
Errors: This season the Rossoneri have conceded many avoidable goals, many copies of previous ones. The only reliable player seems to be Gabbia: Theo is a defensive problem, Emerson Royal is up and down and the centre-back pairing has constantly changed. Fofana and Reijnders must always play and defend for three men.
The attack: It seemed that Milan had no problem scoring goals, yet in eight league games out of 15 the team have not scored more than one goal. Against Genoa they were ‘trying to open a lock with a bunch of wrong keys’, and Morata’s missed chances were glaring. He and Abraham have a combined six league goals, while Retegui at Atalanta has double.
What next? Milan will play on December 29 against Roma to close the year, and paradoxically it is probably an advantage given the protests that would take place. RedBird have a vendor loan to be repaid by August 31 to Elliott Management but in the meantime, there is one reasonable certainty: Cardinale will not talk about Milan in the coming weeks.