Penalties have become a real issue for AC Milan this season, especially given that they seem to be conceding one per game at the moment.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) acknowledges that there are often caveats to every single spot kick given, but the fact that Milan have so far conceded 11 this season suggests they have a real problem in their own box.
The one from the other evening, controversially given by Orsato to Atalanta (and converted by Koopmeiners) after the review on the monitor for light contact between Giroud and Holm, cost two points.
This, it is added to the list of other decisive penalties that the Rossoneri have given away this season, such as the one with which Orsolini and Bologna grabbed a 2-2 draw in the 92nd minute and the one thanks to which Pereyra and Udinese won at San Siro last November.
There are penalties outside of Serie A that negatively affected Milan’s path. Koopmeiners eliminated the Rossoneri from the Coppa Italia with one, while Reus paved the way for Borussia Dortmund in the 3-1 at San Siro in the Champions League.
With at least 14 more games to play, the number of penalties conceded by Milan already exceed those of previous seasons: in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 the balance at the end of the season ended with seven spot kicks for the opponents.
It is a competition of blame, distributed between defenders (Calabria responsible against Borussia and Roma, Theo in the derby, and then Jimenez, Terracciano, Thiaw and Kjaer), midfielders (Adli against Udinese) and forwards (Leao’s handball against Frosinone and Jovic in Rennes before Giroud’s against Atalanta on Sunday).
The trouble is that the trend has grown dramatically in 2024: eight out of 11 penalties have occurred from January to today, and the last three goals conceded have only come from the penalty spot, between Rennes and Atalanta.
Stefano Pioli commented on the issue after Sunday’s game: “Unfortunately we are taking penalties from all sides, this year there are too many.
“Maybe sometimes we made mistakes in some individual situations and were naive, in other cases there was something exaggerated in the referee’s assessments. And then we attack a lot, but we don’t get many. We have to be smart.”
In short, the topic will be addressed at Milanello. Beyond the referee’s assessments, the threshold of attention will have to rise to reverse the trend.
As for penalties won, the numbers in the league are even: seven penalties called against and the same number in favour. The fact is that while the Rossoneri sometimes miss spot kicks, it doesn’t happen to their opponents.
In fact, Mike Maignan has been beaten by every single penalty he has faced this season. For Mike this is unprecedented: from 2017-18 (his first season as a starter at Lille) to today, he has never experienced impotence on penalties.
His best season was his last, when he saved two out of four penalties including one against Kvaratskhelia in the Champions League quarter-finals. That was April 18th, since then Maignan has lost his magic.
I’d be tempted to use Sportiello in the Europa League..
It would be an admission that Mike isn’t a top goalkeeper. I wouldn’t do it. Just sell him for max value in the summer since he’s not worth the 10m per season he is asking and use the money for a striker and Di Gregorio.
And the sad thing is that IF MM16 didn’t jump out of the way every time, he would have saved at least 3 of them. So… Even the stats are saying: DO. NOT. ANTICIPATE.
What I see happening this summer:
Theo is sold (large sum bid that Milan just cant say no to)
Leao is sold (large sum bid that Milan just cant say no to)
Giroud stays
Jovic leaves
Kjaer leaves
Bennacer is sold
Maignan is sold (does not sign an extension due to high demands and milan cash in before a Donnaruma scenario repeats)
Milan managment make 1 big money signing, signs then 5 other players of (“promising” or “young”) for either cheap or free
The other 3 big signing Milan wanted to happen do not happen due to incompetence of management and are stolen by Juve, Inter or abroad.
We find ouselves starting 2024/2025 season with a whole new but downgraded left flank. We fill defensive holes and stiker holes but the quality will not be that of what we lost.
Your name isn’t a joke I see.
This will literally never happen.
I recall someone asking who id prefer us sell in the summer and it was Mike. Also recall someone asking if I’d prefer a shot stopper like Donnarumma over footwork like Mike or Courtois/Alisson and I’d say always prefer a shot stopper. Goalies PRIMARY role is to stop shots. Footwork is a luxury or a nice-to-have. You don’t really need it per se, only at a functional level. That phase in football came and went in a flash and I’m glad it did because managers are realizing the original function of a GK.
The penalties conceded and the silly mistakes that lead to other goals conceded are a sign of bad coaching. Which says a lot about Pioli.
A well coached side are not error prune.
SPORTLIO should be use in the next EUPA match, Maignan should be sold