AC Milan 0 v Juventus 0

 

 

This morning AC Milan hosted Juventus to the San Siro . I am always happy to see Chiellini and was looking forward to the clash. AC Milan needed a result to ensure they would keep up with the title race and Juventus need to claw their way back to the top 4.

The match started off with Juventus very much on the upper hand with their attacking intents but it could not result in a shot on target. As the match settled Milan took control however Cudradro  and Dybala continued to threaten as Juventus decided to do a counter attacking mindset, very much the game plan AC Milan should have been implementing. 

The referee was poor against with him only rewarding fouls once players dropped and drew him in with yells and cards were inconsistently given, with Locatelli very lucky to not recieve a red for his tackle on Tonali. Leao continued to threaten on the left hand side but could not turn the good intentions into a positive outcome. Ibrahimovic who was playing much deeper was subbed off with an injury before half an hour had played out. Tonali was a beast and was very unlucky to not have had more off his opponents be given cards for their awful fouls which appeared to be the only one to curb his impact. Calabria threatened from the right hand side , showing very little respect to Sandro and running in centrally two shoot twice unluckily.

 

The second half played out much like the first with good intentions from AC Milan , with the ball mainly in there attacking half whilst holding a strong defensive line. Romagnoli was very formidable during both halves, tracking back on Morata or Dybala and snuffing out any of their attacking instincts. Even Brahim Diaz looked the best he has since September with his runs putting Juve under pressure and though he may not have been able to unlock their defence, he was pick pocketing the Juventus players in their own half, creating a number of turn overs.  Salaemakers who replaced Messias Jnr, made a number of errors off the ball however nearly won the game with an amazing dribble which results in a shot too high and wide. Rebic was not able to provide any impact off the bench for Leao and Giroud battled hard for 60 minutes but had 2 shots that he should have scored with one he headed away from goal to team mates who weren't there .

 

 

The match was a frustrating affair coming off the Spezia game,  though the point was a welcome result and get Milan in the title hunt but leaves a lot of pressure coming into their Inter game which will prove to be a 6 point affair.

Man of the Match
3- Tonali
2- Romagnoli
1-Calabria

Messias Jnr Disallowed Goal!

The video below highlights Messias Jnr disallowed goal at the death of the match against Spezia can be seen at the 2minute and 27 second when the interval of play begins.

The individual videos of this has been removed or at least don't appear on my youtube search , so please enjoy the highlights of this match below!

AC Milan 1 - Spezia 2

 Milan dominated the first half with relentless offensive movements with Spezia taking a handful of attacking initiative. Kalulu and Gabbia were composed in their defensive duties and Bakayako and Krunic midfield combination met expectations of both defensive stability and offensive contributions. 

 

Provedel was a giant in goal for Spezia and the key to them not conceding. However he was unlucky in a 2 minute period , giving away a penalty against a Leao challenge due to a loss of ball control , Theo did miss this giving him a quick break.  However a minute later Krunic regained possession and initiated a long ball counter resulted in a Leao who was able to tap it past the keeper into the back of the net.

 Milan's attacking dominance continued into the second half , with Spezia having a 5 minute attacking interval with Verde found in space who passed to an unmarked Agudelo who was a mere few metres in front of Mike and slotted it home . The remaining of the match became an arm wrestle with Milan trying to force it into the goal and Spezia doing whatever it took to stop Milan, including a number of illegal fouls which resulted in yellow cards.

Milan's lack of composure in the attacking front resulted in a large waste of shots which by end of the match resulted in 25. Swapping out Brahim for Giroud was a mistake as Ibrahimovic was still involved in the game heavily, one of the most dangerous players on the pitch with repetitive efforts and was trying to get players into the game. However when Ibrahimovic is paired with Giroud , both of their flaws become multiplied due to the lack of movement between the pair and bringing on Rebic behind for Brahim earlier on would have also given Rebic time to grow into the match and still provide dynamic flair to the match.

Final few minutes were scrappy with Rebic growing into the game despite being thrown on very last minute with ten minutes remaining, he was able to pass the ball over to Messias Jnr who slotted past the keeper but due to Rebic being fouled , the referee refused to play advantage and brought the game back for the free kick, in a puzzling decision I can not justify.

Spezia was able to get a lucky break and score on the counter by  Gyasi, who should not have been on the field still due to repetitive illegal challenges whilst still being on a yellow card. AC Milan had one minute left to provide an impact but could not do so in the closure of the match .

Though AC Milan dominated the majority of the match and were hard done by referee mistakes, they lost with 25 shots and 61% possession , if they have been more efficient, a win would have occurred regardless of referee mistakes.

Man of the Match
3- Leao
2- Krunic
1-Ibrahimovic

Andrea Conti to Sampdoria

 

Andrea Conti has joined Sampdoria on a short term loan deal, both contracts from Sampdoria and AC Milan will end in 6 months which will leave him as a potential free agent should that come to pass.

He came to  Milan in 2017 part of that transfer window of Milan spending spree and since then he has played just over 50 games for the first 11. His time at Milan has been dominated by injuries with a couple of bright spot games here and there.

I am personally disappointed with him leaving and wished he could have been more of success at Milan and I do believe if it weren’t for injuries, he would have been a very capable addition on our right side .

He thrives at overlapping runs with the ability to provide support from both flanks, whipping them into the box whilst still attending to his defensive duties and ensuring stability throughout the side.

His best form was particularly at Atalanta and I hope he can provide a great benefit to Sampdoria who have been extremely inconsistent as of late as they  have run into a recent slump of form since December with draws to Venezia ,Roma and loss to Cagliari .

Milan currently have plenty of options at right back with Calabria, Florenzi and Kalulu performing at a consistent and high level, with Andrea 27 now, consistent playing game is what his game needs and I wish him the best.

 

Here below are some of his highlights from over the last few years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmC8EY-UlRA

Venezia 0 - 3 AC Milan

I was late to watching this game and had to resort to watching replay due to time and work commitments.  I will also admit to have a soft spot for Venezia and coming into the game I was hoping the other relegation battlers all lost to help ease the pain Milan may inflict upon them.

Leao and Theo Hernandez start the match as firecrackers , bursting upon the Venezia defence causing early chaos, with Theo continuing this pressure throughout the match and playing a key role in both defensive stability and offensive support.

Ibrahimovic may have scored the opening but it was set up through a Theo ball to Leao who exploded upon the defence and put the ball into Zlatan's path who simply could not miss . This pattern continued with Leao attempting to dribble past multiple men every chance he had and Theo a constant presence which later evolved into a Leao pass to Theo who dribbled through the opponents and scored a minute after half time and after barely ten minutes he would score a penalty through a handball .

Tonali was able to control and settle the game with Bakayoko providing a servicable addition in the middle of the park. Florenzi display a great enthuasium for the match with trickey and long shots, which however were off target. Brahim and Salaemakers were the noticeable absentees with Alexis even getting a yellow which caused his early substitution from the match.

Zanetti has transformed Venezia into a very capable side who have good intentions but lack the technical ability to finish off a match. Milan dominated much of the match with Venezia taking their chances and were often prevented by last man efforts by Milan or the technical limitations. 

Key notes from the match.

• Milan did need Theo to take a yellow as he risk going into the next three games with a yellow in either potentially suspending him for a Juventus or Inter Milan derby clash, neither of these situations are ideale.

• Gabbia and Kalulu held firm and did not concede a goal from their partnership, I would let this duo ride through the Genoa Coppa Italia clash and the next Spezia game, leaving Romagnoli and Tomori fit and fresh for Juventus and Inter Milan.

• The debut of Stagna the captain of the under 19 for AC Milan was a highlight, his first contribution to the match was a tactical foul. I look forward to seeing him get even more minutes.

• Rebic and Maldini both came off the bench with Rebic appearing quite flashy who will hopefully be back into top form from injury before our derby clash. Maldini may get a lot of heat but he look competent today with his distributing and involvement in the game, I would like to see him get some starts in our nest two clashes .
  

•  Brahim Diaz slump continues, I would highly recommend we start him off the bench against Spezia allowing him to cause some chaos into their defence late in the game and regain some momentum and form into a our more important matches.
  

  Man Of The Match

3. Theo Hernandez

2. Leao

1. Tonali

AC Milan 3 v Roma 1

 AC Milan hosted Roma at the San Siro in an intense showdown. Milan were the better team for much of the match with much more dynamic play upfront with intense pressing causing errors and turnovers from Roma.

Giroud, Messias Jnr were excellent in the early first half, with Giroud proving a handful for their backline who could have had a double. Tonali performed admirably as always with Krunic very serviceable in his assistance with pressing and short passing range to his teammates.
Milan were able to score from a chaotic handball which resulted in a penalty for Giroud, before the handsome rosseneri devil pressed and forced an error from Roma defender and keeper before hitting the post which deflected to Messias he scored.

The centre pairing of Kalulu and Gabbia left some cause for concern coming into the game , with Terry providing to quick and slotting home at 40th minute. Roma started the second half with much more vigour holding Milan's backline , with a flurry of corners and thankfully to Mike's heroics with an amazing double save reflex, no goals.

AC Milan then grew back into the game, with constant pressing and offensive efforts from Messias , Brahim, Florenzi and co, who were all very unlucky not to score.  We had all waited impatiently for Leao, with good reason who thanks to an Ibrahimovic chest control and assist Leao was able to score the winning third goal.

Overall Roma provided quite a challenge with Abraham their most dynamic player, once he was substituted , their offensive threats were nullified.As a Milan fan, I am very happy with Kalulu and Gabbia minimal errors in the game and allowing them both to get some much needed minutes under their belts.Florenzi , Mike and Brahim Diaz were all back in top form.
Conti in his first appearance held his ground and did not make any mistakes, it was nice to see him get a game.

Roma getting two reds , including one in the 93rd minute, is going to hurt their chances against Juventus next week and  make their chances for a point even harder.

 

Best for Milan

3- Mike Maignan, for his incredible defensive efforts, back to his best, Roma could have snuck a point without him.

2- Messias Jnr, consistent offensive efforts, caused major chaos for the Roma backline.

1- Leao,  once he entered the pitch , we held our breathes and he did not disappoint with finishing the game off and then later on ensuring Roma got their second red.