Cagliari was Massimiliano Allegri's first Serie A team, where he won his first Panchina d'oro (Golden Bench) award. He came to Milan the first time straight from Cagliari, so it is only fitting that we should be facing Cagliari in our last match with everything on the line. I don't think fans are happy that he's left it to the final day, with four teams vying for two Champions League spots, and literally any two of them could grab them. But it is kind of the pinnacle of Allegri's corto muso philosophy. Always winning "by a nose," always gambling to just pull it off instead of comfortably winning. And for those who willed Allegri here because he was a "guarantee" for Champions League qualification, having to get through 90 more minutes of his anti-football in hopes of grabbing one of the final two Champions League spots is a bit of poetic justice.
 |
| Losing either of these players because of Allegri's tactics would only be poetic justice for our rivals. |
Cagliari come into this one having already secured their safety from relegation last week, but their manager, Pisacane, insists "they will not let up." Their last match on Sunday was a 2-1 win over Torino. For that match, Pisacane lined up a 4-3-2-1 with Caprile; Zapp, Mina, Dossena, Obert; Deiola, Gaetano, Adopo; Palestra, Esposito; and Paul Mendy. Pisacane will be missing Pavoletti, Folorunsho, Liteta, and Riyad Idrissi to injury.
 |
| Yerry Mina gave them their moment last week. Now please just let us have ours. |
Allegri has all of his players available, even the Masked Modrić. Reports are, however, that Jashari may start, and Modrić start on the bench again. Also rumored to be starting on the bench are Leão, Fofana, and Tomori. Which is a lot of experience to leave on the bench in a big bench, particularly when you consider all of the errors a player like De Winter has made, for example. Up front, Nkunku is supposed to be guaranteed, with one of Füllkrug or Santi Gimenez to be partnered with him. We'll see if Allegri's lightning can strike twice.
The big surprise was that the players asked for the ritiro (training retreat) again, in part to shelter themselves from the ridiculous media, etc. But also to foster that spirit of togetherness they created last weekend. It is a very old-fashioned Italian thing, but hey, it worked last week, so why not? Especially if they are asking for it. No distractions, and it helps them to focus completely on the Champions League qualification. They will all be at Milanello together from Friday evening on.
 |
| Who is that masked midfielder? |
There are certainly plenty of distractions to be had. Not that Gerald Cardinale is by any means a King Theoden, but it definitely seems as though he may be realizing what a Grima Wormtongue that Furlani has been to him these past four years. Beguiling him and telling Gerald the version of Milan that Fulani wanted him to believe. And yet, when Gerald finally showed up and saw what was really going on, Wormtongue's Furlani's control over this club may finally be coming to an end.
I speak, of course of the reports last week that Igli Tare was on his way out. But after coming into the dressing room and interacting with Allegri and the team, Gerald's eyes were opened. And Allegri and Maignan both reportedly asked for Tare to stay. Initially, Gerald was apparently upset with the way transfer money was spent. But then he learned that Wormtongue Furlani went rogue and made signings without Tare or Allegri's input.
 |
| Rumors that |
And now, whether it is by choice after fans let Wormtongue Furlani know in very clear terms and 50,000+ signatures how we all feel about him, or if it is Gerald's choice, learning his true nature, he is reported to be leaving. And to make it even sweeter, Tare, the true Milanista, looks to be staying. Which is fitting, because he did more in one transfer window than Wormtongue Furlani did in his three and a half years as CEO. He brought in record profits from player sales of over €100m, and he brought in Luka Modrić, just to name two. And that is some poetic justice.
And even if we now risk Gerald being a lot more like the Eye of Sauron, turning his eye and all of his focus to Milan, at least hopefully, we will have one person in management who actually played football, who has experience at his job, who is a true Milanista, and who actually did his job well, too. Kind of like beating Inter in both Derbies, even if we did not win the Scudetto.
 |
| One renewed, one not. Will either of them still be here after the management restructure? |
The last game of the season is also the club's big marketing opportunity. I speak, of course, of the new kits. Everyone is loving this one, because Puma is finally listening to fans and not doing a bunch of really stupid things, but actually honoring tradition and keeping things simple. This one features simple, very wide black and red stripes, inspired by the 1998-99 season home kits. If someone besides RedBird owned the club, maybe they would even be worth buying.
But hey, at least our players will look good, qualification or not. Because, as we know from past summers, for many of these players, this could be their last match wearing a Milan jersey. Including important players like Leão, Pulisic, Modrić, or even Rabiot, should Allegri also leave. A win gives us Champions League qualification. At least we have control of our own destiny. Anything else, and there are so many different scenarios. But no matter the result, no matter whether we qualify or not, this match represent closure on another chaotic season, and hopefully closure on some very toxic figures at Milan. That alone is some very poetic justice.
This post inspired by the music of The Marias' "Hush"
Reviewed by Elaine
on
Rating:
