Milan Obsession

Snow in Rome? No problem.

In ancient Rome, death, sport, and entertainment were all intertwined. And on Wednesday, that tradition returns… kind of. While it is sincerely hoped that there is no actual death, this match will determine the Coppa Italia death for one of the teams. With both Milan and Lazio finding great form lately, the sport and entertainment factors are likely to be at maximum levels. Unlike the frustrating 0-0 draw in the first leg, this match should rival the ancient Roman events like chariot races and gladiator battles.

I really don’t think I can come up with words to describe this game, or what it means to Milan fans. I mean I’ll try, but no words can do justice to the magic we saw on the pitch today. Facing Roma in their house, a place we hadn’t won in for seven years, I didn’t have much faith in a good result, despite our positive run of results lately. But our boys proved me wrong. And I’m so glad they did. Their belief has instilled a growing new belief in fans who have been abused and disappointed for years. But thanks to Gattuso, it’s a Brave New Milan.

There was a time when literally, all roads led to Rome. That is obviously no longer true, but for Milan this week, it is. Tomorrow we face Roma in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico. The players will then stay and train in Rome ahead of our Coppa Italia Semifnal second leg tie on Wednesday. Assuming we survive the wolf mauling we could get tomorrow, that is.

Milan were warned about Ludogorets. They have won the Bulgarian League for six years straight, have competed in Europe all of those years consecutively, too, and were an adversary not to be underestimated. Milan are in our sixth consecutive Year Zero with an ownership change less than a year ago, too. Despite our elite European history, it’s hard to say that Ludogorets were truly an underdog given all of the turmoil at Milan. But it seems we all overlooked the Borini Factor™.

Never trust Milan with a 3-0 lead in Europe

After worrying ahead of the away leg to Bulgaria, three away goals and no answer from the Bulgarians could give us a false sense of security going into our match on Thursday. Certainly, they will be coming to the San Siro looking for at least some redemption. For them, it is win or go home, so they could be very motivated to change our fortunes. For us, it’s more a matter of keeping our eyes on the prize amidst a couple of very big games coming up in Serie A. And in doing so, it would be a kind of redemption for us, too.

Going into this match, we knew there were three points available to us. But we also knew that Sampdoria were only three points ahead of us, and that they could cause problems in our nice string of results. What we got, though, was a performance that thoroughly entertained the 47,000 fans at the San Siro. And it only took one goal to bring us three points and help us right the ship.

You can never be too careful with these old sailors

Tomorrow we welcome the sixth place Sampdoria to the San Siro. They are three points ahead of us on the table, which means this game really means a lot, especially in the challenge for a European spot. With Milan playing like they are literallypossessed with grinta, we actually have a good chance of taking three points from the Blucerchiati, especially since we are playing at home. But it will take all of our focus and willpower, and maybe a little luck. All hands on deck.

We had all been cautioned that Ludogorets were very good. Like the Juventus of Bulgaria. But despite playing uglier than Gattuso’s beard, Milan relieved Ludogorets of three precious away goals and did not allow them to steal even one. And although Milan were the ones traveling this time, this game was a lot like highway robbery.

It’s not often that you face a new time only to learn that they have been conspiring with your enemies. But here we are, heading to Razgrad, Bulgaria, to face the six-time Bulgarian champions Ludogorets. They are called the Eagles, and they are not the only Eagles in our lives right now. We are also sandwiched between two Coppa Italia ties with the Eagles of Lazio. And it turns out that Lazio gave an eagle, called Fortuna, to Ludogorets. Coincidence? I think not. Our enemies are conspiring against us.

Celebrating five years of the podcast with a positive string of results is apparently enough to bring optimism to even the most practical of Milan fans. So much optimism, in fact, that we’re still having dreams of Europe next year. But with players like Borini scoring, the sky is the limit as far as our dreams go.

We’ve been needing goals for so long. And four in one game is almost too much to ask for. But we’ve been asking, and today, they came through in a big way. The game itself was kind of poor, especially the first half. But no one ever cares about a poor performance when you have three points and four goals on the scoresheet. So today was more about letting off some steam.

It may not look like meat, but looks can be deceiving

Serie A Week 24 SPAL vs. Milan Saturday, February 10 • 15:00 CET (9am EST) This match will be shown LIVE on BeIN Sport in the U.S.

FORZA MILAN!

Milan had three wins in a row, then a draw in the Coppa and another in the league. This match represents the perfect test for them ahead of a tough European meeting with Ludogorets. SPAL are still sputtering in the relegation zone, but have shown signs of life, such as when our former Paloschi scored a late equalizer to steal points from Inter a couple of weeks ago. Milan have been playing better, but not always getting the goals and results they want, so especially at this point in the season, SPAL are the perfect test subjects.

We’ve heard it hundreds of times since Milan went on an epic spending spree last summer in the transfer market: It will take time for the team to gel. We also heard it over and over again from everyone under Milan’s hire: Our goal is the Champions League this season. Two very different statements, and yet no one seemed to really get how opposite they really were until maybe after Montella was sacked. In fact, the appointment of Gattuso as first team coach seemed to be the reality check that one of those statements was not like the other. And while that reality check seems to have subdued the belief in Champions League for many, still others are clinging on to that hope. It is a hope that fans have had for years now, and it’s certainly one to aspire to. However, with all of the changes of the past year, Milan’s ups and downs have left us where we are, currently eighth on the table. And for better or for worse, Milan are making our own fate.

The goal was absolutely rapturous. Suso just stopped, miles outside of the box, and took a shot that no one but him believed… until it hit the underside of the bar in the right corner, well out of Bizzarri’s reach and wildest dreams… and went in. A rocket blasted from the foot of the man whose position was nearly made extinct under Montella, despite now having six goals in Serie A, the most league goals of any Milan player. With that incredible goal came a poignant reminder that, while Milan are a team, we must always make room for Suso.

Recorded on Sunday after the first Lazio match, there was plenty to talk about on and off the pitch. With three straight wins, something we haven’t seen since the beginning of the season, that elusive optimism has popped up once again for Milan fans everywhere. It may not last, but for now we have something to smile about.