Ok, not exactly ideal today with Theo and Reijnders suspended this game instead of against Bologna over the past weekend with that match getting postponed due to flooding. But, it’s not the end of the world either with the right approach…
MATCHDAY:
LAST FIVE
MILAN: WWLLW
NAPOLI: WWWWW
FORMATIONS
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan (C); Royal, Thiaw, Pavlovic, Terracciano; Fofana, Musah; Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor; Morata
NAPOLI (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo (C), Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Augguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia
TIME/LOCATION
TIME: 3:45pm EST/7:45pm GMT
PLACE: San Siro, Milano
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye (Spanish broadcast on Fox Deportes in the US); FuboTV and TLN for Canada; TNT in the UK (maybe?); ESPN for Mexico; DAZN for Germany, Austria, Switzerland; a website called GXR for our friends in India; and illegal streams that support dictators and oligarchs everywhere.
*Let us know if this needs updating or if you have additional broadcasters to add*
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
As mentioned in the intro, Milan got an unexpected few extra days off with the Bologna-Milan match postponed this past weekend due to major flooding. Naturally, our thoughts are with all of those impacted.
From a sporting perspective, Serie A dropped the ball as there was enough time with the weather forecast to make accommodations elsewhere to ensure the game was played. This is not the first time Serie A has dropped the ball regarding…well, really anything. The extra days off are welcomed to be sure, especially with the packed schedule, but Theo Hernández and Tijjani Reijnders were set to miss the Bologna game due to red cards and I think most Milan fans would have rather they missed that game vs a struggling Bologna side dealing with Champions League obligations for the first time since 1964-65, than first place Napoli.
Speaking of European obligations, Napoli have none after successfully completing the worst Scudetto defense of all time?…for sure at least in the modern points era. I can’t think of a more deserving fan base to earn that parting gift.
So, Napoli sit in first place with a mixed bag of performances but not a mixed bag of results, having gone 7-1-1 to start the season. Conte was brought in for results and really, so far so good. I’m still very skeptical of this team as they surely are one of the better teams, but I don’t think they’re first-place good as the start to their season has been very kind, only playing one traditional top 7 team (Juve) and drawing 0-0. How good are they really? We ‘re about to find out as they have Milan (away), Atalanta, at Inter, Roma, at Torino (meh), then Lazio. Let’s talk after this and see where they are…
Milan coming into this match after a convincing win (but not always convincing during the game) vs Club Brugge and look to get some momentum going during this busy stretch. While Reijnders missing this match will hurt, and hurt more since it means RLC almost certainly won’t get bumped from the starting lineup, I actually think missing Theo will have the biggest impact on this game…but maybe for the better?
Why do I say this? Well, like Inzaghi’s Inter…itself a Conte leftover, Conte’s Napoli want to sit and counter. Pioli had a hard time with this as he always wanted to press and take the game to them (Conte or Inzaghi’s Inter). Not a bad approach per se provided you had the talent to overpower the opponent but usually it backfired, or at least backfired the last…6 times Pioli’s Milan faced them? Fonseca seems more apt to adjust depending on the opponent, often changing formations, personnel (expect RLC…), and tactics. With this in mind, missing Theo might nudge Fonseca into playing in a more conservative posture with Terracciano at LB. Not exactly parking the bus, but sitting back a little deeper and therefore disrupting Napoli’s preferred tactical approach.
Lastly, while I think Fonseca was likely to play Pulisic as the CAM again anyway, Reijnders being out means RLC will likely get the start in the double pivot (again…beating a dead horse here…he’s terrible and Musah should start in place of Reijnders). This almost ensures we see Chukwueze, Pulisic, and Leão behind Morata in attack. So, hopefully Milan sits back a little and we get to see those four guys attack and run in transition throughout the game. I think it’s a winning formula.
As for predictions, if Milan play like I described above I think they can win by a couple of goals. A different approach and I’m less confident but I still expect a draw at minimum. Still, Fonseca seems very tactically astute…let’s just hope the players buy in.
Lisi says: WIN. Eff Napoli. Milan breaks through that defense and it’s a hideous 1-0 win. Pulisic to score or assist.
Let’s beat these clowns.
Forza Milan
gillis
*Lineups have been updated. Also, I don’t know WTF Fonseca is doing…
**Don’t forget to check out Lisi’s Weekend Whip Around: Round 10!