Some signs regarding the mood in the AC Milan squad at the moment may have come from the events of the last few days, according to one journalist.
Pietro Mazzara has written his usual weekly column for MilanNews which has some reflections the 2-2 draw against Napoli but above all looks the comments from Davide Calabria and Olivier Giroud which followed the PSG game and last night’s. The piece has the headline ‘Calabria and Giroud: the courage to tell things as they are’.
“Olivier Giroud’s words after Napoli-Milan sound like an important alarm, with the French striker admitting that the team had no idea what to do. There is no trick and there is no deception, as there was none in the words of Davide Calabria post Paris Saint-Germain,” he said.
“It is no coincidence that he and Giroud are among the few to say what they think, bypassing any type of firefighter filter. There is no rift between team and coach, this must be clarified, even if Giroud and Leao’s reactions to the changes could have led to other thoughts.
“The air that circulates around the team is that put on display by the players themselves. There is nervousness and disappointment, there is the awareness that more than one thing is not working on the pitch and the results after the break are evident.
“Let’s be clear: against Napoli there was two points thrown in the waste bin, the result of an important, but not decisive, first half. Because if Reijnders hadn’t crumbled 7 metres from goal, perhaps we would be talking about something else. And let’s not blame Calabria for the chance at the end, which was certainly important.
“The Dutchman is experiencing a phase of decline in terms of performance and only those who watch the matches with mozzarella in their eyes don’t notice it.
“But the two points were also wasted due to Pioli’s choices, who when Napoli ran out of energy, removed Leao and Giroud, who didn’t take it well at all, to bring in Okafor – back in group training during the week – and Jovic who continues to be a mysterious object in terms of his contribution on the pitch.
“Wrong reading, because Leao and Giroud in matches like these must only go out if they raise their hand.”
Milan’s injury situation seems to have gone from bad to worse as they had to take three players off during the game last night. The first to come off was Pierre Kalulu who pulled up after a tackle appearing to be in discomfort in the thigh region.
Then, at half-time it became apparent that Christian Pulisic had been withdrawn, and Luka Romero took his spot with Samuel Chukwueze out due to a muscle issue. Pellegrino then had to go off with an ankle problem, and Mazzara expressed the frustration all fans are feeling.
“Even from the weekend in Naples, Milan emerged with four injuries: the first to Kjaer, who only emerged on Sunday afternoon. The second is that of Kalulu, then Pulisic’s contracture and Pellegrino’s trouble at the end.
“At Milanello this issue is an exposed and sensitive nerve, but the problem has returned to persist and the stops have returned to a frequency that makes the antennas stand up, even though some of them did not occur at Milanello. The question is always the same: why is this situation here and not elsewhere?”
Proverbs 11:14
Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.
So in essence, we need someone to lead us who is smart and can properly address the issue. Otherwise, keep struggling.