Gian Piero Gasperini has worked miracles with this Atalanta squad, and AC Milan are sat watching from a mid-table position.
This season has been one to forget every other weekend for Milan, and as we approach the end of the season, there is a peace to be found with a year that has been sub-par in almost every moment barring a few.
It begun with hopes of a Scudetto challenge, but it quickly became a case of fighting for the Champions League, then Europa League and then Europe generally. Now, after the defeat to the Nerazzurri, it seems the Coppa Italia is the only way.
On the other hand, Atalanta have had a season which the Rossoneri could have only dreamt of, fighting for the Scudetto for almost the full season, before recently dropping off.
However, there are no qualms to be had, and Gasperini even hinted at the Diavolo when discussing any Scudetto regrets post-game to DAZN, via Milan News.
The winner…
“A very beautiful and decisive goal, the result of the inclusion of the outside and midfielder. In the first half we hardly managed it, this was a beautiful choral action.”
Who makes you leave Atalanta?
“For me it is an incredible season, tonight’s win gives us the chance to reach the Champions League again, which is an extraordinary goal, fundamental for Bergamo.”
With another season in the Champions League could you stay?
“Tonight’s is already a wonderful night, the championship is becoming really difficult. The Bologna win could have been dangerous, having won at the San Siro gives an incredible turnaround. We have to get to the top after a fantastic season, it would be nice to crown it with this result.”
Bellanova arm?
“Apart from the numerical difficulties we had in defence, Kossounou is coming back from an injury and came back very well tonight. As did Toloi, who has black and blue skin but had a few aches and pains, but they were extraordinary when they came on.
“Losing Kolasinac was a very heavy thing for us, because apart from being very strong he plays a great role on the pitch. Having to play on the wing against Leao and Theo, this 37-year-old kid together with Bellanova could defend them but also attack them and they did it very well for a time, then we had to make the changes but it went well anyway.”
Is there a bit of regret?
“No kidding, how can you have regret with 64 points. It’s true that we are 7 points behind the leading pair and this is due to the direct clashes we lost, but from a technical point of view to think that Atalanta could play for the Scudetto is a bit exaggerated. Just look at the teams behind what strength they are.”
Honestly you can’t say player for player.
That this Milan is any better than Atalanta.
Gasperini could have achieved the impossible this season in the league. Despite the numerous serious injuries they have had.
With all the dropped points by everyone this season. This scudetto was there for the taking.
We do have the best squad in serie a but we don’t have couch that’s our problem we need better couch then we can achieve something pioli used to won with weak squad
Chukwueze, Emerson, Musah, Jovic, Abraham, Fofana, Jimenez are hardly top team players. At least not now.
And the coach is not good enough.
And the players we have depended on before like Theo and Leao are having a hard season but still manage to bring points to us with Pulisic and Reijnders.
I do believe a good coach can change the whole structure of how we play football and engage our star players better.
I will only take Milan management serious if they sign either Gasperini or Conte, otherwise I will forget about next season too just like I did this season when they failed to hire a good coach like Conte or De-Zerbi
The difference between champions, contenders and the closest runner ups is depth with consistency.
None of our best players, even the best misfire periodically for short periords, have consistent replacement options when our primary ones falter.
We lack profiles in each role that are consistently able to deliver. Leao is great, Puli, Theo and Tijani too. 4 out of 10 players won’t cut it. Fofana in a restricted role, where he doesn’t have to cover a lot of ground on both ends can be good. We need 2 midfielders, a starter and sub. One to open up aforementioned players in our midfield reliably as defensive bedrocks, with good distribution, decent attacking skills, not incredible. Who can also attack to give us the unpredictability to where if our opposition commits to one or 2 of them, they are punished by the last one.
We are lacking the strikers, consistent ones, who can be a constant threat that delivers goals when our wings and midfield are marked or zoned out, who can overload there too.
This squad was not added too from the scudetto. It was reconfigured, and susbtracted from. The missing pieces are still not here. No Ibra, no Giroud yet.
No Kessie, No Tonali but Tijani is as good, or better offensively, not quite an upgrade in a collective, alone. We have a near Bennacer in Fofana (Ismael he was a good 3rd midfielder, not the main driving force, he lacks the toughness, aggressive assertiveness and physical attributes, Wesley beats him out there not quite in the distribution or creative department) . Mind you, those were 3 starters in the middle.
The attack, no one consistently delivers as well as Giroud and Ibra individually or collectively.
This team is not as talented or deep. We were barely the best that year too. Inter dropped the ball to us.
Still no sub for Theo, still no good ebough starting RB or sub.
The team has regressed monumentally under Redbird. No questions asked.
When you retool, you don’t do so by taking away as many core players unless you upgrade on them. Your duty as a management is to maintain the fundamental, irreplaceable pieces, the roles they occupy, skill, mental and experience wise.
They spent more to reshuffle with lesser components as it would have costed to maintain the proper assets we already possessed then add to the ones we were missing. We had a reliable collective. We needed 3 to 4 more players while keeping the squad intact. We purchased plenty more than that, who failed to deliver.
Inability to identify sporting cycles and team building structure cost them.
Maldini is the GOAT at reading the game, teams, players on and off the field collectively and individually. A genius, that translates to management when the others play their roles in the office. Give him the damn scouting reports, money and people to do the clerical hooplah. He will take the rest on himself. These morons thought mediocre office rats and a scout who never accomplished anything in Football, could outdo, outwit or do without him. Imagine that. The best general who understands all the moving parts of a team, all formations, reads people in split seconds at the highest level of the human capacity, could be collectively replaced.
They made those arrogant foolish mistakes in their management and with the players on the field.
You never win a war with pawns, horses, or any other players sitting on a king’s throne. Gerry thought he was good enough to be king. So did his stooges. Live and learn jerks. You are not as great as you thought you were.