Journalist Franco Ordine believes that Paolo Maldini’s interview after the game against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in midweek only served to clarify certain things.
It has been a difficult start to 2023 for Milan as they have won just one of six games and are currently on a run of five without a win, including defeats to Torino and Inter in the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa plus draws against Roma and Lecce, and most recently a hammering from Lazio.
The defeat in the capital on Tuesday not only probably hands the title to Napoli who now have a 12-point lead atop the table, but it leaves the top four race wide open with Lazio climbing into third and Milan now sitting just one point above Roma in fifth.
Ordine spoke in his column for MilanNews and he dedicated this week’s to picking apart the comments that Maldini made after the Rossoneri had just been put to the sword by Maurizio Sarri’s men.
“He didn’t say a word after Lecce, he didn’t intervene after the beating in the Supercoppa d’Italia derby in Riyadh, at the Olimpico following the 0-4 draw with Lazio, he got off his white horse and finally spoke,” Ordine began.
“We need to line up all of Paolo Maldini’s answers to understand the present and future of Milan. On one subject I share and subscribe to all of his disappointment. In his place, when they asked him about trust in Stefano Pioli, I would have replied that ‘it is an inadmissible question’.
“The splendid work done in all these years by Pioli in tandem with Maldini and Massara on one side and Gazidis on the other cannot be thrown away and which have led to four simply extraordinary results: 1) recovery of the accounts devastated by the Fassone-Mirabelli management; 2) enrichment of the squad with young players on low salaries; 3) second place and Champions League qualification after seven years of serious absence; 4) A Scudetto and this year getting past the groups in the Champions League.”
“Second cue. ‘We are second alone in the standings and in any case within our parameters’. Having immediately exited the Coppa Italia, against Torino, in the round of 16, and having clearly lost the Riyadh derby, is not exactly a final balance that is Milan-worthy.
“Especially if you realise that the Scudetto has now gone (to Napoli) and that the Champions League, against Tottenham, puts a rival of equal value ahead of you and in any case coming from the Premier League which is superior in appeal and technical value to Serie A.
“On the contrary, it is good to immediately understand that, despite the penalty for Juve, the fight for the three vacant Champions League places has become a big risk as well as an opportunity.”
“The market. When asked about the market that has so far yielded zero, Maldini’s answer was the following: ‘Origi has a four-year contract, CDK five years, we have to wait for them’. Ok to wait for them but until when? And in any case, the crux, for the moment, is not so much Origi and CDK as the failure to replace those who left at the end of last season. And that is Kessiè and Romagnoli, after Donnarumma and Calhanoglu.
“Out of four they replaced only one. If I understand the comment about the renewal policy (‘if one doesn’t want to stay…’), I don’t understand the rest. It was necessary to go to the market having known in advance the choice of Kessiè’s agent and provide for it.
“Just as the mystery of the market remains inexplicable where the first target was Botman, then it became CDK, first a central defender who is strong aerially (he would have served like bread), then a trequartista already having Diaz and the mystery Adli at home. On these points, clarifications and adequate answers are requested.”
Ordine going in hard on a lot of people’s idol.
We are alone at 2nd place. With a loss over the weekend we wmight be 6th.
He lost 4 players on free , replaced only 1.
His 1st target in the summer was Botman a CB, and after he missed on him than his target became CDK a forward.
Zero planning
Un Scudetto, une qualification aux 8eme finale de C1, Des résultats positifs sans contenu convaincant
Ordine still salty from the Pioli interview? 😂😂😂😂. No one owes you anything Ordinary man 😂😂😂