Milan 2, Napoli 1: Are You Not Entertained?

Sunday night, Allegri's Milan exploded with two first half goals, then conceded a red card and a penalty to go down to ten men with more than 30 minutes left. Conte's Napoli converted the penalty, but were otherwise unable to break down Milan's defense no matter how hard they tried. The final score was Milan 2, Napoli 1.This was an epic matchup between the Serie A titleholders and league leaders going into this match and last season's underperforming eighth place team, who came into this match in third place, but left as the new top of the table team. And the best part was that Milan were cheered on for the entire match by their beloved Curva Sud, who broke their season long silence to create the atmospheric sound the San Siro is known for. After such an intense and epic match, the only question is: Are you not entertained?

Pulisic with the assist then the goal, he is inevitable.

Milan-Napoli Preview: Battle of the Minds

Sunday's match is a highly anticipated matchup. Not just for third place vs. first place. Not just for Milan vs. Napoli. Nor just the matchup between champions like Modrić vs. De Bruyne. There is also plenty of anticipation for the matchup between Allegri and Conte, the two current Serie A managers who have won the most. Allegri claims six Scudetti. His first, of course, with Milan, then five more at Juventus. Conte has three with Juve, one with Inter (which he unforgettably dedicated to himself,) and is, of course, the reigning titleholder with Napoli. Both managers are known for their passionate and sometimes explosive personalities, and both managers served bans related to matchfixing during their playing careers. They are as different as they are similar, but pitting two managers who have won so much against one another will always be considered a battle of the minds.

When Allegri still had hair and Conte still had hair plugs.

Milan 3, Lecce 0: Never A Chance

As mentioned in the preview, Lecce were unlikely to get a result going into this match. And Milan's 3-0 win vs. Lecce hardly tells the whole story. Milan had 77% possession and took 24 shots to Lecce's two. And sure, a lot of that was due to the disparity between the two clubs. But there was another unfortunate event that greatly impacted the match. Lecce played with ten men from the 18th minute. Yes, after an early red card, Lecce's Coppa Italia dreams were shattered. There was never a chance.

Magical and wholesome.

Coppa Italia Second Round • Milan vs. Lecce: Never Say Never

Yes, I know we just played Lecce, but that was in Serie A. This is the Coppa Italia. And Lecce are here after eliminating Abate's Serie B side, Juve Stabia in the first round. However, in Serie A, Lecce are bottom of the table after four rounds, while Milan miraculously sit in third. Given that we uncomfortably defeated Lecce 2-0 last month, and our respective positions on the table, this one may seem like a foregone conclusion. However, anything can happen in 90 minutes, and stranger things have been known to happen. Lecce could knock Milan out if we are not careful. Never say never.

After being presented ahead of the first Coppa match, how many of our new players start in this one?

Udinese 0, Milan 3: For Your Consideration

Typically, a trip to Udinese is a difficult match, but Milan made it look easy on Saturday. Pulisic stole the show with two goals and an assist, but even Fofana finally found the back of the net. In fact, there were so many positives in the 3-0 win over Udinese that the media and fans have gone off the deep end with overreactions and grandiose adulation declaring the entire season a success based on this one match. I did notice something, though, with the absence of Allegri. In the five matches so far in the Coppa Italia and the league, our two best performances were when Allegri was not on the bench. Coincidence? Or do they actually perform better with a visibly more calm Landucci? Just a little something for your consideration.

Pulisic gave everyone a night to remember.

Udinese-Milan Preview: No Jacket Required

The away match to Udinese is always a difficult one each season. A match made more difficult by the racial abuse of Maignan two years ago and the subsequent performative gestures made by Udinese and its fans that were a little too much, followed by a successful appeal of their partial stadium closure, of course. But with Maignan serendipitously injured for this one, he won't have to deal with the not-racist racists there. Instead, this match will be sans Allegri after his red card last week vs. Bologna. Again. In fact, he'll miss Tuesday's Coppa Italia match as well, which means he will have missed three of his first six matches due to his compulsion to rage strip for the referees. So, for this match, there will be no jacket required.

No jacket, no party.

Milan 1, Bologna 0: The Modrić Show

After all the other Milan teams had played on Sunday and won, from the U15 and U16 teams, the U17 team winning their Derby, and the Primavera and Milan Futuro and Women's teams winning their matches, the pressure was on the first team. This match had all the beginnings of another disappointment, with a first half that was reminiscent of our opening match vs. Cremonese. And even after things picked up in the second half, injuries, the referee team, and Allegri all tried to steal focus. But in the end, you cannot ignore class, and Modrić was dripping with it in this match. Not only did he finally get his first goal for Milan after his big birthday this week, but a beleaguered Milan team defeated Bologna 1-0 and inevitably became the Modrić Show.

Magic from Modrić, destruction for Bologna. Theater.

Milan-Bologna Preview: Not In Our House

The last time Bologna came to the San Siro, we managed a 3-1 victory over them, but probably because our boys had their mommas there. Because just five days later, in Rome, they took our Coppa Italia trophy from us (with an assist from the referee and local authorities.) But everything has changed for Milan. Literally, we only have nine of the same players left from the team that played those matches in May. And while our San Siro has become even more eery and silent due to ridiculous and oppressive measures from the club and local authorities, this time, our Curva Sud will have the support of the Bologna fans. They, too, are boycotting this match to demonstrate how important organized fan support is to Italian football. The club cannot keep pushing this stereotyping, marginalizing, and damaging agenda on our most passionate fans. Not in our house.

The Curva Sud will be there, but they will sound like this, "The Sound of Silence"

The Theo Hernández Travesty

Milan have said goodbye to one of the best players they have had in decades, Theo Hernández. Maldini himself proclaimed him as his heir, and he is the one who signed the French left back in 2019. Theo would go on to break Maldini's record as Milan's all-time highest scoring defender just this past season. And he did it in just over five years, while it had taken Maldini 25 years to set that record. And the criminal part in losing Theo is that he wanted to stay. He had been trying to get a contract renewal for two years, since before Maldini was sacked. But not only did Milan not offer him a renewal, they pushed him out, threatening to freeze him out this season if he did not accept a move to Saudi Arabia. Theo fought it for weeks, and eventually acquiesced, with the media, fans, and his own club turned against him. After all he gave this club in the past six years, the hell he endured off the pitch and with his family, he still loved Milan and was willing to stay. But Milan did not love him back. That is the Theo Hernández travesty.

Theo loved Milan. But Milan did not love him back.

Lecce 0, Milan 2: Brutal Win

Nothing is coming easy for Milan right now, and this 2-0 win over Lecce was yet another example of that. Allegri lined up the same painful way and with the same tactics as last week's debacle vs. Cremonese. There were two disallowed goals, Allegri being Allegri, and Lecce actually threatening us a few times before we finally pulled it together and got a couple of goals that actually counted. But the disallowed goals were not the only time referee Marinelli had the spotlight, as he failed to stop the match as FIFA protocol requires when Camarda had a head injury. And the 17 year-old was pulled off at halftime and taken to the hospital for examination. But then there were the fans, a packed Via del Mare that seats 33,000, with our Curva Sud finally attending with their banners and in full voice. And the volume made for an intense atmosphere that was both fiery and yet welcoming and familiar. It was like coming home, even though Milan were actually away. All things considered, though, it was a brutal win.

Escaping the Via del Mare with a win in spite of an overall brutal performance.