AC Milan suffered yet another big blow to their season last night against Lazio as they were beaten 4-0 in the capital to make it five games without a win.
As Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) report this morning, Milan are in free fall and the crisis is getting deeper and deeper. For Stefano Pioli’s team it was a January to forget: first came elimination from the Coppa Italia, then the defeat in the Supercoppa against Inter and now Napoli are 12 points ahead.
At this moment it’s better not to think about the Scudetto, because the truth is that the Rossoneri would do well to even finish in the Champions League places with just one point separating second through to fifth.
Last year’s Milan has vanished as per the paper, with zero ideas, zero team spirit and many wrong choices on display. In the past, this group has always shown that they know how to react to difficulties, which they are no longer able to do now.
The collapse that the Diavolo are having is as vertical as it is inexplicable, and it forces Paolo Maldini, Ricky Massara and above all Stefano Pioli to quickly understand what is no longer working, otherwise the season risks taking a very dangerous turn.
Pioli tactics and lack of adaptation, forcing Diaz, and that joke of a GK Tata. Shameful transfers and bringing Wranicx for 12 but not Enzo for the same similar fee? Either they buy players coach don’t ask for or the coach doesn’t know to integrate new players in the system. Adli cant be worse the Diaz, some old grandma is better then Tata, average players (few exceptions) and average coach. No founds for transvers, poor selection of cheap players (31 player and no adequate solution is shameful), missing Dibala, Belloti for free, Wranicx cost is in the range of Enzo (when Benfica bought him), insisting on Sanchez with no back up plan. letting important players leave with no adequate replacement and this is the result of all this.
The team is extremely slow in moving the ball forward. Moreover, most players (e.g. Tomori, Tata, Giroud, Brahim, De Ketelaere, Rebic, Origi, Dest) are below the expectations of a team aspiring to remain in the race for the scudetto! Summer mercato was a complete flop! Most passes are inaccurate and there is no gel between the players. Hopefully that this dry season will be over soon.
The passing is well below the levels of Serie C clubs for sure. It’s really an enigma how they can be so poor at passing. And it only gets worse day by day.
There are a few issues.
1) Pioli doesn’t know how to adapt when things go wrong. If he finds something that works he will ride that till the wheels come off. That’s why he only stays in jobs 2.5-3 seasons before he gets the sack. And more often than not things come crashing down fairly quickly once things start to go south.
2) Pioli with the style he is playing with lots of energy 1v1 defending. While it is a young team/squad it feels like he has run the legs off the players whove been playing under him for 2 year and more. Its just the lack of energy we’ve had as a team and the late goals we’ve been conceding shows me the team has fatigue in it.
3) We need some muscle in midfield. Tonali and Benny would both be better if they had the protection behind them. Now this can be as a 3 man midfield or as a pivot but Benny and Tonali are forward thinking players they need a defensive player to play alongside them.
Tonali would be better off on the bench. He doesn’t do anything useful anymore. And Bennacer’s passing is atrocious. Especially his set pieces. OMG, they’re beyond horrible.
This shud be the lineup, tell me of you agree or not
Lazetic/CDK/Giroud/Rebic(2 strikers)
Leao/Dest. Diaz/Adli Messias/salad
Tonali/Vranzk Bennacer/Lord Krunic
Theo.Kalulu(left) Tomori( better on right) calabria
Vasquez
Theo/pobega
Kalulu/ kjaer
Tomori/ Thaw
Calabria/Florenzi (injured)
Magnan(injured)/ Vasquez