Allegri's Milan have now faced all three newly promoted sides. And they have dropped points to each team. From the loss to Cremonese, last month's draw with Pisa, and now the 2-2 draw with Parma on Saturday, they have lost seven points from the nine available. The first one was the first match of the season, then against Pisa, he was missing important players. But there wasn't really any justification for dropping points this time, he had most of his players healthy and arguably a much better squad than Parma. Is Allegri simply cursed? This match completed Milan's newly promoted opponent hat trick of dropped points.
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| I doubt anyone warned Modrić about Allegri's impotence with the newly promoted sides. |
As with most of Milan's matches now under Allegri, Milan took an early lead with a goal from Saelemaekers in just the 12th minute, which VAR confirmed. 1-0 Milan. A shame, because the traveling Milan fans had boycotted the first 15 minutes due to unfair ticket policies, and with good reason. They shouldn't have to miss anything, but our club has zero political power to help them. Our former fan favorite ex-Milan player, Cutrone, found the back of the net for Parma five minutes later, but the goal was ruled out because Bernabé was offside.
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| Pavlović, the constant cheerleader, making sure Saelemaekers gets his recognition. |
Only five minutes after that, Ndiaye fouled Saelemaekers in the box, and Di Bello whistled for a penalty for Milan. Maggiori, relatively inexperienced as a VAR ref, called Di Bello over to look at it. However, Di Bello, who is experienced as both a head referee and a VAR referee, stuck with his original decision and confirmed the penalty for Milan. Which was definitely the correct call, as replays proved.
But who would take the penalty? Pulisic was back, but only on the bench. Leão had taken the last one vs. Fiorentina and managed to score vs. De Gea. Would he be able to go two for two? In the 25th minute, we found out. Leão stepped up with confidence and slammed it past Suzuki to make it 2-0 Milan. And now he is two for two on penalty kicks. Stop the count, I want him to have a perfect record.
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| Leão is now two for two on penalties, that's worth celebrating. |
With Milan in control, things started to get more physical. Cutrone stepped on Saelemaekers, for example, in the 31st minute, which was worrisome, as the latter has been playing so well. Then the two sides traded chances, with Modrić taking a shot that did not really trouble Suzuki, then Delprato forcing a Maignan save at the other end. Suzuki had to make a big save when Nkunku took a shot in the 45th minute. But it was Parma's Bernabé who scored a wonder goal that he curled into the top far corner, completely out of Maignan's reach, in the 46th minute, to put Parma on the board. But Milan still had the advantage, 2-1.
However, the second half belonged to the home team. Milan basically threw in the towel and let Parma play their game. Or at least they did not show up. In the 50th minute, Parma wanted a penalty when Pellegrini went down just in front of goal, beneath Estupiñan, who came in with a very clumsy challenge. Ricci was. also right there, and the ball bounced off of him and onto his arm, too. After a VAR review from Maggiori, who had already gotten the first one wrong, Di Bello still trusted him and took his word for it that it was not a penalty, even though it very much looked like a penalty to me. On field reviews take time, but they do tend to be worth it.
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| The only highlight of Estupiñan's performance, surfing with Leão to celebrate his penalty kick. |
Parma continued their shooting practice, with Maignan on full alert. Allegri brought on Loftus-Cheek to replace Nkunku in the 60th minute, perhaps trying to jump start Milan's non-existent attack. but that only resulted in Pellegrino's header hitting the crossbar a minute later. And then Delprato scoring Parma's second goal to equalize, 2-2 all. Not the impact you want from a sub.
Modrić took another one for the team and was awarded a yellow card for stopping Pellegrino in the 70th minute. Allegri used that opportunity to send Pulisic on for Ricci and Bartesaghi on for Estupiñan, who did not have a great night. A minute later, Parma had yet another claim for a penalty, as Pavlović wrestled Pellegrino to the ground in the area as the ball was coming toward him. But for me, there was not enough contact and Pellegrino did not have the ball, so I think Di Bello was right to ignore that one.
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| Maignan was kept way too busy for comfort. |
Milan did have a few chances. Pulisic sent a shot just wide, and then Saelemaekers tried to be fancy and score a Rabona, but failed. It's just that much more embarrassing when you do things like that and don't actually score. In the 81st, Maignan made a crucial save right on the line from a Pellegrino header. GLT showed just how close it came, too, just an inch or two in front of the goal line. That play then led to a Milan counter attack that had serious repercussions.
Pulisic sent the ball forward for Saelemaekers, who was racing down the pitch and about to beat his last defender, he took the ball, and got a little slowed up when he stepped on Zion Suzuki's finger as he tried to go around him. Ouch. That allowed defenders to get in front of him, even though he had made it around the goalkeeper, but his shot was wide, anyway. And he had the audacity to seek a penalty from Di Bello. It was not a penalty. His complaints just made the missed opportunity that much more painful for us fans.
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| That time that Saelemaekers broke Suzuki's finger. |
Speaking of pain, the brutal part is that we saw Suzuki in a lot of pain and getting treatment. And although he stayed on the pitch for the last ten minutes or so, it turns out he had to have surgery for a compound fracture to his finger. Not only is he out for three to four months for both Parma and Japan, Parma had to make an emergency goalkeeper signing to replace him. And the most disconcerting thing is that I still haven't seen Saelemaekers make an apology or even wish Suzuki a quick recovery or anything, which is just basic good sportsmanship. (Also important from the club's perspective, when you consider that Milan are reportedly interested in Suzuki should Maignan leave in the summer.)
A few minutes later, when play had resumed, Gabbia also had a shot that went wide, a header. Oh, and Allegri's fourth and final sub (of the five available) was to bring on Athekame for De Winter in the 87th minute. De Winter has been the surprise of the season for me. Despite a couple of errors, which are to be expected for young defenders, he has a level of maturity and poise and calm that helps to highlight his natural talent and emerging skills. Hopefully great things to come from him.
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| Gabbia is every Milanista after a match like this. |
Modrić took matters into his own hands, with a shot in the 90th minute that Suzuki struggled to control and nearly lost. Tensions were high as both sides were desperate for a winning goal, and Bartesaghi was mixing it up with Pellegrini in stoppage time. Bartesaghi has also been a pleasant surprise, after Theo's exit, his talents have been very appreciated.
In the 94th minute, Delprato pulled Leão down in the box, but there was no call whatsoever, no VAR review indicated. Replays showed that he used both hands to pull him down, too. But we already determined that the guy in the VAR booth was not up to standard, so what could we expect in a match where the right decision could have determined the match? And the wrong decision stole two points from Milan in a race where the Marotta League is fighting to give Inter another title? Obviously, Parma were denied a penalty as well, but this refereeing is so incredibly bad, and beyond suspiciously favored for a certain club on the other side of Milan.
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| United in winning elsewhere, yet dropping points against newly promoted sides. |
Who knows, though, maybe Di Bello and friends were just convinced by Allegri's record with newly promoted sides, and they could not believe that anything but dropped points for Milan was a possibility in this match. Or, like many fans, they felt that Milan had not done enough to deserve the win. But after raising so many questions about referees, for those who had not already been questioning, this match had to raise questions about Alegri's Milan and their record against newly promoted sides. How else could could they have achieved this hat trick of dropped points?
Milan Primavera Lost 2-1 to Juventus at Home
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| Bouyer celebrates saving the Juve penalty, but in the end a late goal left Milan Primavera empty-handed. |
Renna's Primavera continued their season-long struggles at home as they lost 2-1 to Juventus Primavera. Milan Primavera have now won four matches, drawn four, and lost three. All three losses have been at home, as well as two of the four draws. In this match, Pippo Scotti put Milan up in just the sixth minute with spectacular curling goal from the edge of the area across to the far corner of the goal. 1-0 Milan Primavera. However, they conceded a goal by Grelaud in the 20th, which left them level at halftime.
In the 78th minute, Juventus Primavera were awarded a penalty. Bouyer came to the rescue, though, saving Merola's penalty kick to keep the score level. (Bouyer is still covering for Longoni, who, along with Lontani and Pandolfi, are currently representing Italy at the U17 World Cup.) Despite Milan testing Juve's keeper with some incredible chances repeatedly throughout the match, it was a late heartbreak 88th minute goal by Biggi that gave all three points to Juventus Primavera, making this Milan Primavera's third loss of the season. Brief highlights are available. They now sit in ninth place on the table ahead of their match away to top of the table Fiorentina Primavera.
Nuova Sondrio Calcio Blank Milan Futuro 1-0
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| Milan Futuro's starting 11 when they still had hope. And confidence. |
Milan Futuro suffered a humiliating 1-0 loss to bottom of the table Nuova Sondrio Calcio, handing the home team their first win of the season. Former Milan backup goalkeeper Marco Amelia's Sondrio Calcio side came into the match dead last in Group B, while his former teammate and fellow World Cup winner, Massimo Oddo's Futuro side came into this one tied with two other teams for fourth place. While Oddo should have been the one to hang his head in shame after this match, Nuovo Sondrio actually sacked Marco Amelia the next day. After winning his first match. Milan Futuro are managed so poorly, they are now getting other teams' managers sacked after beating them.
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| That will teach Marco Amelia to win matches. Winning is not for everyone, apparently. |
Back to Milan Futuro, though. First of all, I have no idea what the hell is going on with the goalkeeper rotation this season. Where is Lorenzio Torriani? He is supposed to be the third goalkeeper for the first team, but then was meant to feature with Milan Futuro for more playing time. Yet he has only been on the first team bench three of the nine matches he was available for after his injury, and only featured for six of the 11 Futuro matches he was available for post-injury. And while a couple of those matches may overlap due to same day scheduling, it doesn't account for all of them.
For example, he was on the bench for the first team on Saturday vs. Parma this time, while Bouyer played for the Primavera on Saturday. Yet Pittarella played for Futuro the following day on Sunday, and it was Bouyer was on the bench, not even Torriani. Bouyer and Pittarella both played on the weekend, Torriani did not. How is that more playing time for him? And that is with Longoni gone for the U17 World Cup, too, so one less goalkeeper to rotate. Torriani is playing just over 50% of the Futuro matches, and rarely making the first team bench, either. While Bouyer is playing nearly every week for either Futuro or Primavera. And the Primavera have four goalkeepers listed on their roster, none of them named Bouyer. Make it make sense.
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| Poor Duțu gets one yellow card, and it ends up being a "bad day at the office" for him. |
I am not certain Torriani could have made the difference in this match anyway. Duțu was called for a foul only just outside of the area. One error. And Marras only had to get his free kick past the wall, which from that spot was not difficult, and he put it in the top corner, out of 17 year-old's Pittarella's reach. So Sondrio scored in the 23rd minute, and Milan Futuro fought to try to overcome the deficit, but were unable to. And that was it, really. One error, three points gone. A bitter loss for Milan Futuro, and a bitter win for Marco Amelia, too. Brief highlights are available. Milan Futuro are tied on points with their next opponent after the break, Villa Valle.
Allegri's Training Friendly Ends Milan 2, Virtus Entella 3
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| Allegri pretending his side are not losing to the 14th place Serie B side. |
Because drawing to a newly promoted side was not disappointing enough, Allegri scheduled a training match with Serie B side Virtus Entella for the remaining Milan first team players and Milan Futuro players who were not on international duty. And they lost. Sure, the 3-2 loss to Virtus Entella was just a way to give some of the recovering and young players some match time. But even in a training friendly, they should not have been dominated like that.
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| Milan Futuro's experienced Magrassi linked up with captain Pulisic for the first goal. |
Milan scored first, in just the ninth minute, with Magrassi supplying the assist for Pulisic, who also wore the armband for this one. 1-0 Milan. But Pietro Terracciano was soon called into action, and had more touches on the ball than many of our outfield players. There was a little scare in the 28th minute, when Milan Futuro's Borsani, who was Milan's best attacking player for much of the match, clashed heads with Virtus Entella's Portanova. But both were able to continue to see Ankeye equalize a few minutes later. 1-1 all. Pulisic had a free kick and another shot over, but that was it for Milan in the first half.
Allegri's halftime subs were Torriani on for Terracciano, Chaka Traorè on for Magrassi, and Branca on for Loftus-Cheek. Chaka Traorè livened things up in attack, and Cappelletti had a shot saved shortly after the restart, followed by a shot on target from Jashari, then one that was deflected over. In the 58th minute, Borsani scored an easy tap-in set up by Chaka Traoré to put Milan back in the lead. 2-1 Milan.
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| Estupiñan showing leadership, acknowledging Borsani and Traorè after they produced the second goal. |
Allegri then sent Milan Futuro players Nolli on for Cappelletti and Maximilian Ibrahimović for the Futuro goalscorer, Borsani, in the 64th minute. Unfortunately, Virtus Entella's Boccadomo leveled the score one more time in the 67th minute. 2-2 all. And then it was Torriani's turn for a workout, with multiple saves required in the next ten minutes. Allegri's final sub was Federico Colombo to replace Minotti at the back. It was not enough, though, as Debenedetti scored the winner in the 87th minute. 3-2 Virtus Entella. Highlights of the match are available, and if you have a very bleak existence and feel the need to watch the full match, you can also do that. But you have been warned.
To rub salt in the wound (or just open a wound,) Pulisic took a knock from Lipani in the 90th minute that had me questioning why they were playing a friendly at all when Pulisic and others were just coming back from injury. Imagine if he were actually re-injured? But gratefully, he seems to be fine, and he and Jashari both got 90 good minutes in their legs coming back from their respective injuries.
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| Seeing Jashari play a full 90 minutes, and play well, was the highlight of the match. |
Fofana and Estupiñan also got 90 minutes in their legs, but good is definitely not the word I would use to describe their performances. And Loftus-Cheek, Torriani, and Pietro Terracciano each played 45 minutes as well. Yet it was actually several of the Milan Futuro players who had the strongest performances. That's great news for Oddo, but worrying for Allegri, who may have only had seven players total available for Friday's friendly, but has the big Derby della Madonnina on Sunday after the break. With the draw to Parma and this loss to Virtus Entella, plus players returning from their national teams with varying successes, he is going to need to wave a magic mentality wand to prep them for Sunday's showdown.