Milan Obsession

If only Gigio hadn’t made that error. Or if Orsato had called the penalty. Or Gattuso hadn’t benched Paqueta and Kessie. Or if the weather had been different. Or if your horoscope had been different. If Milan want Champions League, they have got to play well enough to win despite mistakes or ref calls or VAR reviews or whatever. If Milan want Champions League, then they have to step it up now. No excuses.

Sampdoria’s season this year has been eclipsed by an old man. In a lesson for all of us that experience can be more important than youth, Fabio Quagliarella is having the season of his life, with 21 Serie A goals and seven assists at the age of 36. And while Milan boast a couple of amazing young strikers and Borini, the bigger scoring threat seems to be from Sampdoria’s veteran. Having just broken the record for goals scored by the oldest player for Italy’s national team, Quagliarella is less the old man and more like a fine wine.

When word spread in October of last year that Milan were signing a young Brazilian talent, the excitement was real. With Leonardo as our Sporting Director and his history with scouting Brazilian talent, it had to be a good signing, right? Even if UEFA expressed their disapproval almost immediately, there was a lot of hype over this 21 year-old Flamengo player with comparisons to other great Brazilian players. However in just a few short months, he has proven himself to be his own player. He is the new Paquetá.

Growing up, parents are the experts about everything, and children blindly believe everything they say. As children get older, however, they start to realize that maybe their parents don’t know everything, and often question their authority. Right now, UEFA are like the parents who have been found out, as their FFP rulings have been so far off base that it has taken the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to put them in their place. And it begs the question, if UEFA are so far out of touch with reality when it comes to football and finances, then who is governing whom?

Gunslingers have long appealed to people from young to old. Particularly as a part of Western lore, they are in everything from cartoons to movies, and children all over the world have grown up pretending to be them. Milan have a new gunslinger in Krzysztof Piatek. And though his trademark celebration is inspired by the popularity of gunslingers in his homeland, it has also quickly become quite popular amongst football fans worldwide. Particularly since it always follows a goal. So in Italy, he is called the Gunslinger, or “il Pistolero.”

This was a tough podcast to record, following the tragic Derby loss. However after venting about what went wrong and all of the darkness of that match, we did manage to discuss some light that will hopefully make Milan’s future that much brighter.

There was so much hope for Milan fans ahead of this Derby. Inter had just crashed out of the Europa League, they were divided amongst themselves, their star striker throwing a massive diva hissy fit and refusing to play, and key players were injured and missing. It seemed like the perfect time to strike. And indeed, it was, only for Inter, not Milan. Because Milan had been lulled into complacency over a ten match unbeaten streak, with good results masking poor performances. And with all of the drama of the pyrotacular coreo, social media, and stadium hype, it seemed that Milan winning was a foregone conclusion. But instead, it was too hot to handle for this team, and Milan found themselves incinerated.

There has been a strange quiet around Milan fans this week, and I have no idea why. I hope it is the calm before the storm. Not here, though. It’s all I can talk about, all I can think about, all I can dream about. My blood pressure is elevated and my breathing is faster in anticipation of this epic match. The Derby is always massive for me, it’s the one game I was able to see at the San Siro. But this match on Sunday has become my obsession. With Inter’s locker room in shambles (as predicted,) and their form dropping, it’s difficult not to salivate at the possibilities. Milan are stronger than they’ve been in years, with good results of late, and are a point above Inter. Going into the Derby in third place was unthinkable at the beginning of the season, and three points would be so massive for whichever team can take them. It’s become my Derby obsession.

The Derby is so intense, so fierce, it is not surprising that there are tons of great stories in its history. There are brothers by birth, brothers by nationality, and brothers by team. There are those who have lived the Derby on the pitch and on the touchline, and then there are those who have lived both sides of the Milan divide. So many stories of both snakes and heroes.

A derby is a game fueled by rivalry and history that sets it apart from all of the others. There is that much more passion, the desire to win is that much more intense. And, of course, there are bragging rights. But one derby sets itself apart from the others: il Derby della Madonnina. Watched over by its namesake and the holiest of women from her perch atop il Duomo, Milan’s great cathedral, it is certainly not a game for girls. When you share not only a city, but actual family and the rich history that Milan and Inter share, this game is the mother of them all.

This match was not Milan’s best, which seems to be a recurring theme for the past few games. But we did manage to win, which is what will be remembered at the end of the season. That’s good, because Gattuso will likely not want people to remember that he was sent off for losing his temper. Rather, he would want people to remember how the boys went into the Bentegodi, faced a very physical team, and stuck with it all 90 minutes to take home all three points. Despite playing uninspiring football, at least their mentality seems to be tempered.

The worst time to face the bottom of the table team is when you are flying high. It is dangerous because they literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Meanwhile, we have a very precarious hold on third place that would be amazing to take with us into the Derby next week. However, with confidence high and back to back performances not so high, the Flying Donkeys could ground us and take all three points. That’s the trouble with flying high.

With Milan in third place, everyone is going crazy for Milan. It may be a little premature, as recent performances show that the team’s mentality is still fragile. In the podcast that was recorded right after the Sassuolo match and nearly didn’t make it to air because of technical difficulties, we talked about changes at the club, Milan’s recent form, as well as our rise on the table. And, of course, why everyone is crazy for Milan.

As a Milan fan, watching the Inter-Icardi-Wanda meltdown has been absolutely Karmalicious. Most people don’t mind a few character flaws, but I find them to be more important than talent. There was a while that Icardi’s talents masked his poor character, but now Karma has caught up to him and to Wanda, and it is hurting Inter, too. All have shown horrific character in the past, and only a fraction of the Karma they have earned is coming back to them at this point. But that is the trouble with Icardi.

Going into this match, the lust for third place was real, at least amongst Milan fans. Despite knowing the spell Sassuolo has cast on us previously, we were all hungry to bypass Inter and and try the third place spot on for size. Whether it was exhaustion after the midweek match with Lazio or an actual mentality issue, Milan did not seem to be up to the task today. But that didn’t stop them from trying, nor Sassuolo for making enough errors to gift us the game. When the whistle blew at the end of the match, how we got the three points didn’t seem relevant any more, even if we were fortunate.

Coming in to this match, Milan are just two points behind third place. With Inter losing to Cagliari on Friday, a win could put is in that third place spot. Above Inter. Where every Milan fan wants to be. However, there is a strange, almost magical force standing between us and gloating to our cugini: Sassuolo. While Milan have a slight head to head advantage, it seems like Sassuolo trouble us more than other teams with similar budgets do. Still, Milan just have to win this one. Not only for morale, but for advantage.