Amorim's first Europa League match of the season was disastrous. Not just because it was a loss, but because the performance was poor after his choices were once again called into question. He was heavily criticized for the three days before the next league match, where he more than redeemed himself and the team with a brilliant performance and 3-0 win. But he seemed to forget everything he learned after the break, and with a couple of serious injuries impacting the team, and a very busy calendar this month, he has no choice but to make some changes to his lineups. Based on his prematch press conference, we may finally get to see some of our young guns.
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| Young players like Camarda and Comotto could take center stage Thursday evening. |
Red Bull Salzburg have a new manager, 37 year-old Danny Röhl, who left Rangers this season to manage this team. They come into this match undefeated and in second place in the Austrian Bundesliga with five wins and three draws. They also won their first Europa League match 1-0 vs. Levski Sofia of Bulgaria. Their most recent match was a 0-0 draw with Grazer AK 1902 on Saturday, who are 7th place in Austria. Röhl lined up a 4-2-3-1 with: Früchtl; Lainer, Boma, Drexler, Schmid; Barry, Krätzig; Lindstrom, Kitano, Vertessen; and Konaté. As of this writing, he has one player from his UEFA Europa League squad with a possible injury, Omoregie, who may or may not be available for this one.
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| Their manager is younger than Modrić. |
The irony of Amorim choosing to field a younger group of players for this match vs. a club that is known for developing younger players is not lost on me. Salzburg's squad has an average age of 23 years old, while our current Milan squad's average age is like 25.6 years old, and that is counting our very young players. Not that I am complaining, I am excited to see Camarda get a start, possibly even alongside Alphadjo Cissè, if rumors are true, and for Comotto to possibly finally get some minutes, too.
Obviously, rotation is good, and necessary, even, but after having lost his first Europa League match, playing so many younger, less experienced players from his UEFA Europa League squad is quite the gamble. I am not sure exactly what he is trying to accomplish, particularly after the disappointing draw to Sassuolo on Sunday, but I really hope it works. It's bad enough that we are missing Saelemaekers after his injury and surgery, and now Gabbia with his serious injury, as well as our third goalkeeper, Pietro Terracciano. I am not even going to start in on Amorim's formation or tactics, because I really think his personnel choices are the biggest factors in our performances and results.
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| Our man of the hour is a former Red Bull Salzburg player. |
One person who must feel like the center of attention this week is former Red Bull Salzburg defender, Strahinja Pavlović. After being awarded Rossoneri goal of the season last week for his incredible goal vs. Torino last season, this week, the Club awarded him with a contract renewal through 2031. And obviously, Amorim chose him to do the prematch press conference with him. Maybe Amorim will start him up front (to have someone with experience)? (watch the goal of the season link if you are not in on that joke.)
Thursday evening will be a big test for Amorim and his squad, especially the young players, who will be very anxious to prove themselves. But will the mister give them enough fire power in the first half to put the game away? Or will he hold important players like Modrić back, not giving them enough time to get the result later? After Red Hat Gerald ripped into the whole team for the draw on Sunday, he has to understand this is a must win game. So I hope he knows what he is doing, entrusting it to our young guns.
This post inspired by the music of Muse's "United States of Eurasia (+Collateral Damage)"
Milan Futuro vs. Piacenza
Thursday, October 15 • 18:45 CEST (12:45pm EDT)
Saturday, October 17 • 11:00 CEST (5am EDT)
This match is not being televised in the U.S.
Chievo Verona vs. Milan Futuro
Sunday, Ocotber 18 • 15:00 CEST (9am EDT)
Sunday, October 18 • 18:00 CEST (12noon EDT)
Reviewed by Elaine
on
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