Trofeo Berlusconi • Milan 0, Inter 1: Reap What You Sow

This summer, Milan finally seemed to be engaged in a project to restores some common decency to the Milan crest. But somewhere they went wrong, and they failed to do some of the most important things to elicit actual change. So today, in a match that was created to honor Silvio Berlusconi’s father, Milan’s management learned that you reap what you sow.

A bright spot amongst the drudgery

If Galliani really loved Milan, he would have actually stepped down, and probably should have done so a number of years ago. He also labored, whether with actual intentions or not, to acquire Kondogbia this summer. But Inter stole Kondogbia away from the “transfer guru,” and today, he scored the winner, too. There you go, Mr. Condor, you reap what you sow.

Berlusconi is the ringmaster in the circus that is Milan these days. When Galliani tendered his resignation, he refused to accept it and left him in charge. But he did promote his daughter, Barbara, to co-CEO, a title that lets her decorate the house, but not much more. He squashed the stadium deal that she and her team worked so hard for (and spent so much of the club’s money and resources, too. And to put some icing on the cake, he personally had Mexes extend his contract another year for this season. So fitting, then, that Mexes held the door wide open to Milan’s goal for his countryman to score today. To honor your father like you always do, Silvio… you reap what you sow.

Had this gone in, would fans forgive him for previous errors?

I didn’t mind the 4-3-3 so much with this lineup. Honda miraculously played really well again with no Ball-hog-livo on the pitch. He was so unlucky to have a couple of brilliant shots saved, one in the 56th and another in the 66th, where even his followup shot was cleared by a defender. And I think he ran more than everyone else combined, too, as I noticed him back on defense a number of times as well. But it wasn’t only him, we actually created a lot of chances… well if you can count Kevin Prince Boateng firing at will and not scoring “chances.” Although he did more in his first ten minutes on the pitch than Cerci did in all 45 of his minutes.

But as predicted, we do have at least one new injury, to Bertolacci. He was stretchered off in the 13th for a knee injury. Milan announced soon after the match that there were no lesions found, just heavy bruising and a sprain, but he will have to be examined again at a further date to determine when he’ll be back. Just another case where scheduling a “friendly” like this was not a good idea, Milan management being shown yet again that you reap what you sow.

The kid's got game... but can he save us from ourselves?

Donnarumma was brilliant in this match, making a couple of massive saves. Romagnoli was eclipsed by his sub, Ely, who had a fantastic bicycle kick shot that went just over the crossbar. That is when he wasn’t defending, of course. Mauri had some very refreshing moments. De Jong will be hard pressed to get his spot back from her royal highness, he did well enough but didn’t overwhelm. Adriano still struggled with this formation. Calabria was simply amazing. In the 83rd, he dribbled through the defense like a slalom skier , but then unfortunately put the ball across goal. Abate nearly killed Zapata, then tried to take out Baldini, too, he looked very off. Those were the most notable things that stood out in such a lackluster friendly.

I will say that when we talk about individual errors, let’s not forget that Antonelli and Mexes both left each other hanging on the goal, with Antonelli throwing up his arms in frustration before Kondogbia even took the shot. That disgusts me. Go after the ball and then blame each other. The complacency and willingness to blame others while refusing to take responsibility for one’s own actions is the tumor that the Milan cancer has formed. But then again, it’s a perfect mirror of what is happening at the top: two CEO’s, no one willing to do the right thing, and an owner who just stands there and watches. Or steps out, like he did during the game today. Until someone at the top takes responsibility for their actions, how can we expect the players to? You reap what you sow.

Did the Milan fans come with the trophy, or had they already switched over before the match?

So, despite maintaining decent possession and taking a lot more shots than Inter, we lost. To the team I hate most in the universe, a team that started as their B team and finished being pretty much their entire youth team. The only thing more disgusting than Milan’s continued plummet after spending such a ridiculous amount this summer are the Milan fans. They weren’t at the stadium, they weren’t on social media, and they’re still not around discussing the match. They claim to want a better Milan, but are unwilling to support their team in order to achieve that. I’d rather watch Mexes and Antonelli wave the goals in like airport runway workers than associate with people who claim to bleed red and black, who have long bullied other fans and said they are better than, who tweet or post or comment only when Milan are winning. Perhaps they have gone to the dark side of Milan, if their loyalty is dependent upon results. But the joke is on all of them. Because Inter won not only a meaningless trophy, but the curse that goes with it. A perfect example of how you reap what you sow.

This post inspired by the music of Muse’s “Reapers”

Our next match is

Milan vs. Sassuolo

Sunday, October 25 15:00 CET (10am EDT)*

*Note the time difference due to European Daylight Savings Time ending