Cremonese-Milan Preview: Shaky

Milan are playing the lunchtime fixture away to Cremonese, the team who defeated them on day one of the Serie A season. With all of the recent referee incidents, injuries, and players who have simply not been fully fit, this is not likely to be a fixture for the faint of heart. Allegri had to increase the fear by pointing out how long it has been since Milan have won vs. Cremonese. To make matters worse, Cremonese are now hovering just above the relegation zone, which is the most dangerous place for Allegri's Milan to face a team, and the place on the table where coach Davide Nicola does his best work, too. So no one can begrudge Milan fans who are going into this one feeling kind of shaky.

The team were booed for losing their first match... can they overcome the mentality issues to win?

Podcast: 15 Years of Milan Obsession

Milan Obsession has reached an impressive milestone: It has been 15 years since this blog was created, and this podcast is also 13 years old. In a full circle moment, Allegri is back at the club, and if it is to become a complete circle, then we should be winning the Scudetto this season (but don't hold your breath on that one, the AIA are beyond corrupt.) Instead of just having a guest or two, I took a trip down memory lane and found a clip from each year of the podcast that also chronicles Milan's history during that time, and shared a little bit about my own personal journey and presented a new challenge for the next 15 years.

15 long, beautiful, painful, glorious, stressful, amazing years of Milan worship

Milan 0, Parma 1: Smash and Grab

Near the end of the broadcast of Milan vs. Parma, the brilliant commentator from the World Feed, Thomas Holmes Reed, described this match as "the definition of a smash and grab" for Parma. And honestly, it was so perfect. Loftus-Cheek's face was smashed, and Parma grabbed all three points with an assist from the VAR refs, who are becoming increasingly more powerful than the head refs in Serie A. The final score was Milan 0, Parma 1, and any fans who were not consumed with concerns about Loftus-Cheeks well being were shocked and outraged by what had just happened. Again. Milan's 24 match unbeaten streak was over, Landucci's perfect win record was gone, and Inter's lead grew bigger, with only their referees having played in this match. It truly was the ultimate smash and grab.

They told us what to believe instead of our own eyes.

Milan-Parma Preview: The Danger Zone

After a week that Serie A probably wishes never happened, Milan host Parma at the San Siro. Milan's 1-1 draw with Como on Wednesday, all drama aside, was a disappointing two points dropped and a ninth draw this season. And while there are clearly forces working against Milan, I cannot help but think that Allegri's mentality that a draw is better than a loss is flawed. Sometimes, a loss can reset a complacent mentality of continued dropped points. Which brings me to Parma. Parma are 13th on the table, so neither a big team that Milan has dominated, nor a traditionally lower table side, the kind that Milan has struggled with all season. They are kind of in that sweet spot of the great unknown, aka the danger zone.

We need to believe, but this match could trip us up.

Milan 1, Como 1: No Olympic Spirit Here

This match was postponed due to the Olympic Opening Ceremony being held at San Siro. The ceremony was stunning, showing the very best of Italy, with the theme of "Armonia," (Harmony) and emphasized peace and good sportsmanship. Clearly, they took all of those good vibes with them, because this match was fiery and a bit savage, and of course, there was more controversy regarding the refereeing and discipline. The final score was Milan 1, Como 1, but the score does not even tell half the story. Had Mariani actually called everything, he'd have blisters on his lips from using his whistle so much. And certainly, the wrong manager was sent off as we saw some shocking behavior from Fabregas. Things got uglier as the game went on, showing some of the worst of Italy, there was no Olympic spirit here.

If managers get to participate now, can we re-sign Gattuso please? 

Milan-Como Preview: No Koalas for Cardinale

This match has been debated since last summer, because our owners were not content with having traveled to Perth, Australia twice in two years. Due to the Olympic Opening Ceremony at San Siro, they wanted us to play a Serie A match on foreign soil for the first time, regardless of the logistics and fan protests and how it could negate the legitimacy of the entire season. But now, finally, we are here, and ready to take on Fabregas's Como. You know, the guy for whom Allegri's Milan of 2013 lives rent free in his head after we crushed his Barcelona side in the Champions League? But most importantly, we will not be in Australia, the place both team's wealthy owners wanted us to be, for some reason. So there will be no koala bears for Cardinale.

Gerald will just have to look at Ibrahimović's photo album from the last 2 trips.

Pisa 1, Milan 2: Winning In Spite of the AIA

Serie A has a long history of referee controversies. Many are familiar with the name "Calciopoli," but few understand what actually happened. However, it's so much more than that. Whether it was a single team conditioning the refs for a season or more to create hysteria and cry victim when they rightfully lost, or the more recently coined "Marotta League," truth and conspiracy are not always far apart. That was demonstrated yet again this weekend, beginning on Friday with our match and carrying through to another scandalous Derby d'Italia on Saturday. However, this time, not only did Milan win 2-1 over Pisa in spite of absurd ref calls, they won in spite of an atrocious record of dropped points against relegation teams. That's what you call defeating the odds and winning in spite of the AIA.

Modrić knew that it was actually a huge victory for Milan.

Pisa-Milan Preview: Leaning Toward Pisa

Friday night will be yet another big test of the lower table teams for Milan. Pisa come into this match in 19th place, a position that has been cursed for Allegri's Milan this season, seeing us drop points every single time. Additionally, Milan were frozen out by the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony last weekend, and may have had a little too much rest. Pisa are down to their third string goalkeeper, but have 12 draws this season, so could easily take points from Milan. Also, it happens to be where Allegri debuted against Milan as a player, so that could jinx Milan, too. For that reason, it is easy to see why some might be leaning toward Pisa.

The players will need to lean on one another to be able to bring home all three points.

Bologna 0, Milan 3: Revenge Is Best Served Cold

After such a chaotic year last season thanks to our own management, two of our three encounters with Bologna were fraught with controversy. Facing off with the club who were the benefactors of a conspiracy to ban all of our fans for the Coppa Italia final, not to mention some very shady refereeing, while wearing the coccarda tricolore patch this year was triggering, to say the least. And given our circumstances and recent performances, I had no idea what to expect for this match. However, at the end of the day, Milan served up a 3-0 win over Bologna in their house in a dominant performance that was one of the least stressful Allegri matches of the year. And I must admit, revenge is best served cold.

Revenge is best served so very, very cold.

Bologna-Milan Preview: Tuesday Trial

Tuesday night, in Bologna, Milan will be tested in a few different ways. For one, We know that Milan have done well against the top of the table sides, and notoriously poor against the lower table or newly promoted sides. But Bologna are right in the middle, in 10th place. While Allegri pointed out their recent league record has been poor, they are coming off of a midweek win in the Europa League last week. These present unknown dangers for a Milan team struggling to hold itself together with duct tape, a team that only improved by one player in the transfer window, and has many injuries. Then, there's the fact that Milan haven't played in nine days, so in these and many ways, it will be a Tuesday trial.

Our back line especially will be tested on Tuesday night.

Roma 1, Milan 1: Shut Up and Take It

In Allegri's prematch press conference, he used the phrase "zitti e buoni," which basically means "shut up and be good." And while Maignan was outstanding, voted MVP in fact, and others had some highlights to their performances, I am not sure the team got the "be good" part of that message, as in playing well. The 1-1 draw with Roma was disappointing for sure. Worse still, with Andrea Colombo as the referee, the players were calmer and more level-headed than he was, with two of the four yellows he gave (only to Milan players, of course) supposedly being for "behavior" rather than fouls. There is a history with him, of course, that goes way back, but even more recently, he has shown that he not only has an agenda against Milan, but is also a terrible referee. However, our players mistook "zitti e buoni" as more of "shut up and take it."

De Winter was a hero, but can't have felt as great about his first goal with the result like that.