Milan v Napoli

TIME/LOCATION

TIME: 3:45m EST/7:45pm GMT

PLACE: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli, Italy

WHERE TO WATCH:

Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye and Canada, BeIn for our Aussie pals, ESPNPlay for our fellas in T&T, JioTV for our Indian leoni, and illegal streams that support dictators and oligarchs everywhere.

*Let us know if this needs updating*

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

With so many new pieces and not many examples of how this current squad will handle adversity, it’s difficult to speculate what’s going to happen today. All the back slapping we’ve all been doing about a great summer mercato has suddenly stopped now that we’ve seen Milan struggle playing anything resembling a good team.

As one of the writers at this blog, this is a difficult thing to admit, that I don’t know what’s going to happen, because it’s kind of baked into why this is a blog. We’re supposed to put out there what we think, have something better than a 50/50 chance of being right, then do it again next week. Throw in other regular factors like injuries and form and suspensions and you’d probably get more insight if you literally threw sh*t at the wall and saw what stuck.

All of us have our thoughts about what’s been going on and what will happen moving forward, some will be proven right, some wrong, but either way we will all keep coming back for more because we are Milanisti to our cores and we all want Milan to be successful. So, I’m going to keep plugging away, doing my best to read the tea leaves, and I appreciate everyone new who finds us and especially you all who keep coming back for more each and every day.

Ok, now some actual thoughts about this game:

• Milan was Napoli’s kryptonite last season and a big part of that kryptonite was Brahim Diaz. His ability to dribble and ball-carry is what beat Napoli’s press multiple times over multiple games…but he’s gone now so who’s going to step up and do that in tight spaces? I think the two best candidates are Reijnders and Pulisic with Pulisic probably the better of the two regarding dribbling in tight quarters. I’ll be watching to see if Pioli has him drift centrally, essentially taking the Brahim role of facilitator in the middle of the pitch, or if he leaves it to Reijnders
• The other piece of the kryptonite was Davide aka “The Kvara Killer” Calabria. He…with some help…shut down Kvaratskhelia last season and gave everyone the blueprint for how to beat him. Kvaratskhelia is quick but not fast so make him go to his weaker foot and he’ll be neutralized. I’m expecting this to happen again
• Krunic or Adli? Both players showed their deficiencies vs PSG, with Krunic killing possession and/or build up, and Adli getting burned time and again defensively. Both players require tradeoffs in what they’ll provide and what they won’t, so it’s up to Pioli to game plan around that and have proper coverage so those attributes are not gone and off the pitch altogether. Playing Krunic? Ok, maybe have Reijnders move more centrally when in possession to kickstart the attack. Playing Adli? Always have either Theo or Calabria or even Musah staying back and providing defensive coverage. Whoever Pioli goes with, just tactically adjust for what each option brings…and doesn’t bring to the table
• For Napoli, who have started to play better after a slow start, will be without Osimhen due to injury. Osimhen has missed a majority of Milan games during his time at Napoli AND he’s never really done much when he’s played Milan. He’s obviously a world class player, Milan just seem to deal with him effectively. Raspadori is slated to start in his place but he’s less a #9 and more a second striker. Hopefully Tomori and Kalulu rekindle that Scudetto form because I think there’s going to be a lot of movement and alternating runs into the box between Raspadori, Politano, and Zielinski, so communication will be key
• When Napoli win back possession, stopping Lobotka is key and Pioli has done a great job of this in recent years, be it Kessie, Bennacer, or even Krunic doing it. I think this gives the edge to Krunic starting today

I mentioned in the PSG matchday post last week that I was concerned about a regression to the mean for PSG, meaning that they were due for a performance more in-line with their talent and that’s exactly what happened (Milan helped them, sure, but PSG is a good team). I think the same can be said for Milan today. They’re better than these two losses to Juventus and PSG, so unless they have another unprecedented losing streak like this past January, I think Milan walk out with at least a point today, maybe all 3. Let’s hope it’s all 3…

Alright, those are my thoughts for now. I’ll be talking to you all in the comment section before and during the game so share your thoughts about what you think is going to happen and/or what you’ll be watching out for in today’s game.

Forza Milan

gillis

*Lineups updated. Milan is as anticipated and Elmas in for Cajuste is the only change for Napoli. Let’s go it, boys!