Journalist Paolo Condo has criticised Milan for their failure to put nerves aside and take care of business against Cagliari at San Siro last night.
Milan knew they had the opportunity to clinch a top four spot against a side who had secured safety shortly before the game thanks to Benevento dropping points against Crotone, but they were unable to score despite having netted 12 times in the previous three games.
The best chances in a laboured performance probably fell to the away side as Leonardo Pavoletti saw a back post header saved well by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who then produced an even better save to deny Diego Godin’s towering header from a corner.
The draw means that Milan know they must beat Atalanta on the final day of the season to guarantee a return to the Champions League, but if Juve and better their result then another season in the Europa League awaits.
Condo spoke in his newspaper column for La Repubblica this morning, with his comments relayed by PianetaMilan.
“In a tie-break the match point is also wasted on his serve, as happened to Milan, unable to take advantage of the great opportunity against Cagliari. In the next round, the last one, they will have another,” he said.
“It may be that his difficulty frees the Rossoneri from the little arm that literally strangled them yesterday. No trace of the beautiful team that had scored ten goals in four days against the two from Turin, but a psychological paralysis as we have rarely seen.”
“Easy to say that if there is a night in which Zlatan Ibrahimović’s charisma would have served, it was this one. His replacements failed the test, walking when they didn’t have the ball and always looking for someone else to entrust with the responsibility of the shot. Ruinous in the more than clogged spaces in front of Alessio Cragno. Milan did not build a single goal.
“The discomfort was seen above all in the amount of wrong passes, with the ball directed towards teammates surrounded by opponents without ever looking for those who, consequently, were free. In the first half the team of Stefano Pioli didn’t know what to do. A little because of the emotion of the last mile, a little because of the surprise of finding himself in front of a Cagliari determined to be respected.”
