Ok, so a win is a win, right? YES! That is always the case, especially when it comes to Champions League group games. It doesn’t matter if it’s 3-2 or 6-0 it all counts as 3 points. The name of the game here is survive and advance. The bottom line is that after losing the first 2, to the teams that are 1 and 2 in the table mind you, we have won 4 in a row.
Was it pretty? Well yes and no. As Gillis mentioned to me this morning it was a bad 30 followed by 15 good minutes then another bad 30 that finished with another solid 15. That sentiment was echoed by Fonseca after.
By the way, I am REALLY starting to like that guy. It’s not what you want from your team but it does happen. Ninety minutes of running is a long time. If you get 30 really good minutes out of 90 that’s not bad. It’s not enough to knock off a Real Madrid but it’s enough at home against Red Star. Yes I’m calling them Red Star. You know why? The driver that dropped off my 90 inch TV yesterday saw my Milan hoodie and said his team was playing Milan that afternoon. He said his team is Red Star. If my Serbian delivery guy is gonna call them Red star, then Nonno will call them Red Star. It’s good enough. I’ll take it.
There’s also this…does anyone remember the pre-Banter era? The era of Ancellotti and Kaka and such? Maybe you aren’t old enough. If you are, all we gave a shit about was Champions League. The league was always second fiddle. No one gave a shit if we drew against Siena on Sunday as long as we roasted Bayern Munich on a Tuesday night. I carried that feeling through the banter era and I still feel that way now. That will never change. Get top 4 and do the best we can in Europe. Papa Berlu and Fester always played it that way and Nonno still likes that mindset. The league is the league. Success in Europe is eternal. Seven will always be more important than 19. Never ever forget that.
As far as the game goes I liked the tactics. We pressed at times but for the most part sat and waited. I thought Fofana did a very nice job keeping control of the middle. I gotta believe at some point he gets another true DM to help but it’s fine. Reijnders is getting more aggressive every game. Love the movement all over the pitch and the random shots from distance.
We’ve settled into this system where it’s kind of a 4141 where Fofana is the DM, the striker stays high and the other 4 attackers have freedom to mix and match and exchange all over the place. It makes it really hard for teams that wanna play us man to man and means those attackers get a chance to create and flow wherever. It’s similar to a tactic I like to employ where you allow those guys to almost function as a separate group of 4, much like treating the attacking 3rd of the pitch like a futsal floor. It’s less static and more open. Considering the players we have it’s genius really.
Now, on to the highlights and ratings….
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 7 – Busier than expected and rock solid as usual. Absorbed an early flurry that was big. Goal came from a deflection that would have taken an other worldly save to stop.
Goal Keeping Overall 7
Defense
CALABRIA 7 – Thought he played really well in place of Royal. Still think he’s the smarter/better option. Was visibly frustrated by the effort of some others. I get it.
GABBIA 7.5 – Too bad he wasn’t starting from day 1. Love this tandem.
THIAW 6.5 – A good lesson for him on the goal. You can’t ever turn off even for a moment at the highest level. Gotta always be closing down my friend. Let’s hope he learns from that going forward.
HERNÁNDEZ 7 – Barely noticed him and he didn’t concede a goal. Thanks buddy.
Overall Defense 7
Midfield
FOFANA 8 – An absolute boss back there controlling the middle and shielding the CBs. Great signing. Perfect solution to a problem we have had for 2 years now. MOTM performance.
REIJNDERS 7.5 – Bossed it again. Love when he drifts wide left and Leão can disappear into the mixer. Did that several times to nice effect. That’s gotta scare the crap out of opposing defenders
Midfield Overall 7.5
Forwards
MUSAH 6.5 – He’s fine.
LOFTUS-CHEEK N/A – Got hurt and I SWEAR I heard some Milan fans golf clapping around the world. Especially out in Denver. I get it. He’s not great. He’s a body though.
LEÃO 7.8 – He giveth and he taketh away. He might kill a couple attacks per game but then he finishes like that. He’s hitting form at just the right time.
MORATA 6.5 – Came off injured. No applause.
Forwards Overall 7.5
Subs
CHUKWUEZE & ABRAHAM – Came on and gave us the bump we needed to finish the first half strong. I would have preferred we started these 2 but it was inevitable they were coming on. Love what both brought to the table.
ROYAL & CAMARDA – And these guys came on to give us a second half burst. Royal is gonna make people nervous for a while but he is what he is. Camarda is getting more confident every outing. He also comes on looking to score every time. Damn near did again. He just makes things happen. That’s a quality you just can’t teach.
Subs Overall 8
Coaching
FONSECA 7 – Thought he handled this perfectly. Start the starters. Put the pressure on them to bury the opponent. If they don’t, adjust accordingly. Might have had to make changes sooner than he hoped but it worked out. It wasn’t great but the result was achieved. Loved the post game presser where he half roasted the team after a win. I just love that attitude. It should never be good enough ’til it actually is. We are on our way but we aren’t there yet.
Final Thoughts
Six games in and we have 4 wins now. Funny before the CL campaign began folks complained we got a terrible draw. Now after inning 4 of 6 naysayers are upset because it was too easy. That’s what happens when you take care of business. We currently sit 12th with 2 games to go. Top 8 is a very real possibly. Life in the Champions League is GOOD.
Forza Milan
Nonno
