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AC Milan 0-1 Udinese: Rossoneri fall to embarrassing defeat after flat performance

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan suffered the embarrassment of handing Udinese their first win of the season as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at San Siro on Saturday night.

The only goal of the game came in the second half when Ebosele went down inside the area and the spot kick was controversially given and upheld, with Roberto Pereyra keeping his cool from 12 yards.

There was no late barrage from Milan either really as they struggled to combine quality with urgency, though Marco Silvestri did make some smart stops to deny mostly speculative efforts.

The defeat means that the Rossoneri are now six points behind city rivals Inter and could fall five points behind Juventus if they win, with a top four battle looking more likely than any Scudetto fight.

Stefano Pioli sprung a bit of a surprise with his starting line-up as he went with two strikers in Luka Jovic and Olivier Giroud, while Theo Hernandez did not even make the bench due to an ankle issue with Alessandro Florenzi taking his spot.

Milan had nine absentees due to injury coming into the game, and there was a moment of worry early on when Florenzi had a rough tussle down the left side which saw him get up limping and he struggled to shake it off but did eventually.

Udinese had the first big chance of the game and it was nearly an opening goal handed to them by the shaky-looking Florenzi. Zemura ran into space down the left side and provided a cut-back from the byline that was to nobody, but Florenzi’s clearance presented the ball to Pereyra who fired well over from inside the box.

The opening 20 minutes of the game was laboured and lacking in quality from Milan, and the crowd didn’t take long to express their discontent at the misplaced passes. Rade Krunic went into the book for a mistimed tackle around 25 yards from goal, which was a symbol of the nervous atmosphere.

Krunic had a big chance to make amends for his caution when a corner met his head at the near post in the 21st minute, yet the Bosnian put it wide despite being uncontested.

A few minutes later Davide Calabria had chance to let fly from just outside the box having been found in space in a central position, though Silvestri did well to parry his effort at full stretch given the pace it was hit with.

Leao got his first sight at goal just after the half-hour mark as he got in isolation with Perez and managed to cut inside onto his right foot inside the area, though his attempt was well wide and over.

Silvestri was called into another save a couple of minutes later, this time from Yunus Musah’s left-footed shot after he made a dart inside from the right wing.

Florenzi should really have netted the opening goal and it could well have been a stunner. A low cross into the box from the left from Leao saw the full-back control it with a flick-and-spin that would have had him one-on-one had he not slipped at the vital moment.

Pioli made a couple of changes after a sluggish first half as Yacine Adli came on in midfield for Krunic, while Noah Okafor took the place of Jovic.

The away side had the first concrete opportunity of the second half as a corner was glanced on and found an unmarked Kabasele at the far stick, though he couldn’t react fast enough to divert it goalwards.

At the other end Reijnders had a chance to hope his account for Milan as he ran in behind and tried to dink the ball over the onrushing Silvestri but he too cold not find the target, missing the near post.

There was a hugely controversial moment right on the hour mark as Ebosele made a darting run into the box and went down when Adli stuck out a boot, and though the Milan team were furious about the decision and the replays appeared to suggest there was barely any contact, the decision stood. Pereyra took on the responsibility from the spot, and sent Maignan the wrong way.

Midway through the second half, Reijnders made way for Ruben Loftus-Cheek who made his long-awaited return from injury.

Maignan made a good low stop to deny the away side making it 2-0 when Success rose to meet a header at the far post, with the Milan fans beginning to get very restless.

With the game drifting towards a rather embarrassing conclusion, Luka Romero was brought on in Musah’s place on the right as Milan switched to what looked like a 4-2-4.

Milan finally managed to provide Giroud with a good bit of service in the final minute of normal time through Leao’s in-swinging cross, but Silvestri was equal to it with a brilliant sprawling stop. From the resulting corner, Florenzi had a shot deflected wide of the near post.

Silvestri once again denied Florenzi’s half-volley at full stretch in added time, as it became clear it would not be Milan’s night.

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Tags AC Milan Milan-Udinese

65 Comments

    1. We all saw this game. Now tell me what would having David on the field change. What will buying him contribute to the game and squad?
      Jack sh@t! 40M down the drain

      1. Giroud looked so frustrated man, he got no service apart from that one in the end. It is basically no Pulisic, no party with this team.

    2. I am sure Pioli just lost the meager support he had among fans after this masterclass of game management. I can’t believe I cancelled an outing for this.

      1. I don’t like conte. I don’t want conte at Milan. But we are at that point where a conte is needed. At least he’s a winner..
        Don’t see any other Italians that can step up and turn this around..
        Gary might need to think about cashing out on the manager position imao

        1. Milan needs a foreign coach. Someone who has a modern philosophy, knows how to handle big players and isn’t afraid to take chances. Hansi Flick

  6. Pioli is one of the worst coach in serie a, poor team management, lacks motivation and poor tactics…absolutely useless. Please sack him..as its dejavu from last season all over again.

  8. For the optimistic who said that we are “only” 3points behind the leader, we are now at 6points and haven’t yet played against Fiorentina, Atalanta and Sassuolo.
    We somehow manage not only to lose, but look like garbage against a team who scored only 6 goals in the last 10 games. The tactics made no sense, pretty much every player was misplaced and lost and I think every player on the field played the worst game in his life. The only thing, and I mean the only thing we were good at this season, is beating low tier teams, but today we lost at home against a team with 0 wins in 10 games !!
    But again, I’m sure our genius coach will find a way to say that we somehow dominated, but missed and that we were better…
    I don’t care about the injuries; we should be able to beat Udinese even with our B team.

  9. Fu$ck this team, you can’t even have a peaceful weekend with this shambolic team. You can’t justify losing to a team who is yet to win a match this season, oh right now they won. It’s not just Pioli, our whole squad is rotten to its core, now we have to watch us lose again in midweek at home. If it was some team other than Udinese, you would have seen us losing 3-0, 4-0 if not more.

  10. Biggest embarrassment of the season, even worse than losing to Juventus.
    one player worse than the other.
    and now come psg haha

    Can only get better Forza Milan

  11. I begin to fear that Pioli on the one hand and injuries on the other will make it certain that Inter get a second star on their shirt at the end of the season! And I just get sick of it!

  12. Today showed me everything I need to know. It’s time to consider pioli’s position.

    Whether it’s due to bad form, injuries you go and play a 4 4 2 that we have never played before. On top of that, you decide to play leao a left mid and you decide to play a high line? After that failed miserably with perhaps one of the worst first half’s I’ve seen from milan you go and change the formation two more times and still not go back the basics that you’ve done in the last few seasons that your players know?

    To criticize the players is too easy but I truly think they have no idea what the game plan is each game now. He’s playing a 4 4 2 with a high line? Countered each and every time and left the defence for dead. This is udinese a team that hasn’t won in 15 matches. Our b squad should be enough.

    He wants to play this high line attacking bs so why aren’t you playing a 4 2 3 1? You get your attack with creativity and you get the double pivot to support your defence. Don’t tell me okafor can’t play the right wing or attacking mid position. This guy is too stubborn to play someone outside of their position. It’s ridiculous.

    1. Bro, that’s because there is NO game plan. We can see this from all the back-passes and sideways passes. Because the players are too far from each other and NOBODY is making runs, just stands and waits for the ball while defenders are standing right next to them.

      1. Bro I’ve been saying this for this whole season and I have people telling me that I’m wrong and we should be happy 3 points from the top.

  13. For sure, Pioli needs to be sacked. He does not know how to find alternatives when there are difficulties and complications. I do not even see Milan beating PSG this upcoming week. I think Newcastle and PSG will go through the group, most likely. Pioli did a great job with winning the Scudetto. But his tactics are not that good anymore for this new Milan. I think the coach should be the one who selects what players Milan needs, and I do not see that happening in Milan. I always heard that the people of the management are the one in charge of choosing the players. Shouldn’t it be Pioli as it happens in other teams where coaches choose who they would like to add to the team? I guess Pioli is not strong enough to take Milan to the next level

  16. I predicted that Pioli is gonna be fired this season and I was right . His time has come. But the bad thing is who they replace him . Also idk why I predict Jessie Marsch just because he’s American

      1. No, I’d like to try to save the season while we still have 7 months. You don’t just give up with a moron in charge with the whole season still salvageable.

  19. This is the worst Milan I have ever seen. No motivation, no plan, no coordination and no attack!! Shame. You cannot expect to score with Jovic and Giroud!! Leao did nothing to help the team. It is high time the Pioli is replaced by a more motivated coach. The forward line still continuous to be the biggest problem.

  20. Appalling performance can’t say I’ve seen worse in a long time.

    Football in the fa cup has been better standard than this match once again highlights how average seria a has become.

    But please can we talk about the ownership of this once great club surly they have questions to answer regarding this season which let’s face it is already over and before anybody says oh but it’s going to take time and before they came along we were on the verge of going out of business TOTAL BOLLOCKS we need a top coach and transfer budget asap WE ARE NOT A CLUB WHO YOU CAN RUN ON THE CHEAP.

  21. Another W for Moneyball, MR Bean, the SuperScout and The Bankers. We saved money this summer and the computers did a great job again today. We beat the odds by loosing to a winless team while playing terrible football, got shut out too. All the bargains are paying off. An exhausted, injury filled team after 1/3 of a season. 20 starters turn to 12 liabilities and 8 Forrest Gump’s Box of Chocolates from Wish. Never know who you are going to get with this bunch. That is what you get for the price of good old American, cost-efficient reliability, question marks.

  22. That was incredibly flat from Milan. Across the entire 11, no one played with urgency. Or maybe no one is rallying for Pioli anymore. Seems like there are psychological issues. Has Pioli lost the locker room already?

    We weren’t even missing that many players. Theo and Puli? Theo wouldn’t have made a difference as his form is down this season. Puli would have made a difference but how can this team play this bad without one player? Olivier needs to be managed better but we don’t have options and Jovic has contributions of a frozen yoghurt.

    Something’s gotta give. Ibra coming back would bandaid it somewhat but management needs to figure out if this is a coaching issue.

    1. It’s a coaching issue. The second I heard about a 4 4 2 It confirmed to me it’s a coaching issue. A change of formation from a 4 3 3 should have been the 4 2 3 1. Not a Sunday league 4 4 2.

      1. Coaching yes – and management as well. They really believed we could go into the season with a 37 yr old Giroud playing every 3 days and thought Jovic as his back up was sufficient. They also gave Pioli all this power and he is exposed. He no longer has the buffer of Malidini between him and the players or management/ownership. That was a gross error in judgement by management to give that power to Pioli and underestimate the significance of a figure like Maldini in the locker room w the players and fans – which is why they are now begging for Ibra to return. They should have thought of that in summer. Classic inexperience. Pioli should be fired but this management won’t do it. They like him because he doesn’t demand players or complain about transfer budget; he makes a ln average salary and is a yes man. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon unfortunately.

        1. Maldini was there last season and it didn’t exactly go to plan either, only making CL due to Juve’s penalty… Feels like if Ibra comes it will be a temporary band aid, but eventually management needs to upgrade on Pioli. Although I think he stays ’till the summer, unless our season CATASTROPHICALLY derails.

      2. i mean ancelotti using 442 with madrid this season and multiple time in the past too. coach can play any formation if coach know what he want. the problem pioli seems confused and has no idea how his team gonna play.

  23. So now you got your Adli. But of course he is not the reason we lost. Well he actually technically is, but I have to say that did not matter. And after that game I actually change my mind: Pioli — out. This is just embarrassing. Adli is bad but the whole team is also bad and the decisions Pioli made are all but bad. IDK why he changed formation? Why after that he subed Jovic. If anyone was actually not bad it was him! Like I wiuld understand if we would see a different match and have won at the end and you like, ok he seeing something we dont. But no. We lost. So he does not. Its just that simple.
    Subs were horrible, the whole team apathy… everything.

  26. This was the last game I watched until that clown Pioli is gone. No offensive tactics to be seen. Everyone just slowly goes up, far from each other, without making any runs to confuse the opposing defense. Then we pass backwards, sideways and back-and-forth until we lose possession, or we take a speculative shot from 20-30 yards or make a terrible cross to nobody. Oh, we also play a high line so we can be beaten on counters easily. That’s Pioli.

  27. It’s high time Pioli hugged the nearest transformer. He should leave already!!
    Leao is the most inconsistent and lazy player I’ve ever seen… Sometimes he plays like as kid.
    Why is Romero playing in this team?? Let him join the Primavera as he’s got no strength or brain. Playing a kid against men??! That’s totally wrong….
    Worse teams always gets points against us. I remember BENEVENTO. I laugh when some of u said Milan will thump UDINESE, I’m sure u forgot it’s thatt very very very RIGID team. They play their lives when it’s Ac milan.
    Pls Pioli resign in peace

          1. That was so disgraceful…. I remember their goalkeeper getting a goal in the dye minute. It’s a memory that has refused to leave my head. UDINESE haven’t won a game this season but they just did against the almighty Milan. It’s very shameful!!

  28. Absolutely disgusting all around. It is crystal clear the players have stopped playing for Pioli. He has lost the locker room. Which explains why the rush to bring Ibra back to save the season. It is also clear Pioli without his “shield” in Maldini – is exposed and cannot handle the pressure of being a coach AND handling the players AND tactics AND formations AND the market. His tactics are horrendous. Jovic and Giroud (who played a full 97min despite our must win UCL game on Tuesday) have never played together and it showed. It reminded me of last season – let’s kick the ball to Leao and expect him to create miracles all on his own. Disaster.

    Let’s call it what it is. Management made a huge mistake trusting the project to Pioli on his own. They must take some blame. Many celebrated player acquisitions in the summer but we seem to STILL have the same holes that we didn’t fill. Who’s fault is that??? Yes Pioli is bad but some blame must also be put on management for giving him all this power; for failing to realize just how important a respected voice like Maldini was in the locker room that they failed to replace; for missing out on key transfers like a real striker so we don’t have to play a 37yr old Giroud every 3 days instead of this trash Jovic; failing to upgrade at RB; failing to get back up LB; failing to address playmaker position so someone can provide proper service to Giroud, etc….

    I don’t want to hear the injury excuse either. Every team deals with them and they are part of the game and didn’t we brag after the transfer windo about how “deep” of a team we now have??? Well where is it lol.

    What an embarrassment. Fire Pioli and spend some real $$$ on a fkn striker and back up LB and CB in the winter window or we are out of top 4 for sure.

    1. We got 70 million from Tonali and barely spent the previous 2 seasons. They underspent.

      I said Maldini was the backbone of this team. The clueless keyboard gms and accountants here said he was the problem.

      You see it, this coach is out of his element and yes man for a bunch of numbskulls trying to grow the value of their analytic IP. They don’t know or care for anything abiut our culture or team. The day the greatest defender of all times knowledge is put into question to defend people that never won anything in this sport, you know we have a bunch of tools mouthing off.

      1. “..The day the greatest defender of all times knowledge is put into question to defend people that never won anything in this sport, you know we have a bunch of tools mouthing off.”
        Couldn’t have said it better. The way that went down was outright disrespectful on so many levels

      2. Maldini and ibra were both there last season, and objectively that season was a failure. Finished 5th. With less of a team albeit. But you can tell we have been on a decline since the Scudetto year.

        1st half VS Napoli was the best football I’ve seen Milan play, so we are capable of it. If it isn’t happening anymore or if the players aren’t in it, then it’s a motivational/psychological issue. That’s on Pioli.

  30. I’m waiting for Pioli to say that we dominated the match, 😂. The management should be blamed as well. They should have cleaned the whole house in the summer and brought a new coach too. We only made the Champions League because of Juventus. Pioli has never been a top coach. He was very lucky with the scudetto. Milan did him a favour and that’s the only medal he has all through his coaching career. Simone Inzaghi is way better than him if we are being honest. Congratulations to Inter on their second star.

  31. I have not been able to watch Milan games due to being a new father. Time was hard to come by…
    This is the first game I watch this season thinking at least I would begin watching Milan this season with a win.. because surely we will beat Udinese, 17th team who hasn’t won a match yet while Pioli’s 433 was very effective against small/mid teams.. and good fkn gods…

    I Predicted Pioli wont last after 10th matchday this season lol It’s coming true. What on earth is Pioli teaching these new guys? I refuse to believe they are this bad. A 442 that suddenly turns into a 217 with backpass festival against a 17th pos team? What was Pioli afraid of really?

    And fielding Jovic and Krunic.. .two players who cant control their passes AT all… at the same time while Okafor and Adli was rotting in bench? This is unreal.

    Pioli needs to leave. His has hit his Ceiling. Now he is about to crash into the floor. Enough of these performances. Pioli singlehandedly turned our biggest strength that is the Left flank into a liability with his 433 with ‘inverted wingers’ that got us wrecked against Inter by 5 and Psg by 3.

    I am speechless…
    .. don’t think we played this bad even in Banter era. This is what we have been reduced to.
    Hopefully Ibra’s return helps the team a bit if he decides for it after this disasterclass of Pioli.

    Forza Milan.

  32. I was venting throughout the summer transfer window, that despite the lack of depth last season Pioli is still terrible tactically and in terms of team management. There was no clear tactics today, the players don’t even understand their roles. Also, after the loss to Juve, I said that defeat was Pioli’s fault and I refused to blame any of the Milan players, and this loss today is just similar as I will not fault any player. This is evident that Pioli’s out of his depth, he has no clue how to make substitution or generally manage the team. Not only did we lost, we were terrible as a team, no motivation or determination passed down to the players from the coach. I might just stopped watching until he is sack and if he is still the coach come Tuesday, I hope we get hammered by PSG..so that he would resigned. I have seen bad performances by Milan but this takes the cake, we looked ordinary like a serie b team.

  33. We fielded a mediocre team and expected a superior team ….Pioli looking ahead to CL, worry about tomorrow………..tomorrow. Looking forward to Tuesday thumping by PSG. You take care of today’s business today. You would be surprised how all the fatigue seems to fade away after a win, we could not even muster a draw…..embarrassing.

  35. 1. Leao needs to practice to shoot in every ttaining or he just need to send a pass never shoot with those wasted leg
    2. Davide need to be replaced. Hes good at defending but so slow that always been a liability to face a fast striker
    3. Pioli need to realize that adli is an amf not a dmf.. smh.. thats why we really need a real dmf not a *pioli fan boy
    4. Pioli needs to take a tactic lesson he is sucked with that. And by losing points he will lose the trust on him
    5. We just realise how good is puli this season when hes not around
    6. I think jovic time with us is over. Looks like his mind is somewhere elae. Just play okafor as backup striker

    1. The master solution to many of our problems is to be found in your screen name, but it would take an act of the footballing gods to make this happen, at least until June.

      We can parse the various signings (and non-signings) over the Summer, but a club like Milan having the striker issues we do is completely unacceptable. With Giroud being 37, we should have bought a replacement for Giroud AND a second striker of quality.

      If we can’t find one good young striker and maybe an experienced striker available on a free, what are our scouts doing?

  36. So sick of Leao being bigged up by every commentator. He is a joke, wastes so many opportunities to develop play by trying to do something clever and losing the ball. He is not difficult to defend against. He is absolutely overrated and one of the laziest players ever to wear the shirt. Looks disinterested most of the time. Conte would make him cry !

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