Journalist Luca Serafini believes that AC Milan remain ‘fragile’ and that only restoring cohesion and balance to the side will help them achieve their objectives this season.
Milan went into the game at St. James’ Park knowing that they needed to win and hope for a favour from Borussia Dortmund who in turn had to beat Paris Saint-Germain. They did their bit by winning 2-1 thanks to a second half comeback, but Dortmund had to settle for a draw and thus the Rossoneri finished third.
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The result is that Stefano Pioli’s side have been ‘relegated’ to the Europa League, something that they have not done since third place in the UCL group stages resulted in dropping into that competition, which started being the case in 1999-00.
It means that the dreams of repeating a run deep into the Champions League knockout stages are gone, while the Scudetto looks like a distant mirage too now given that Milan are nine points off Inter.
Serafini spoke in his weekly column for MilanNews and he reflected on the Rossoneri’s European journey to this point and the next stage in it which is of course the Europa League.
“With the win over Newcastle a little but of dust ended up under the carpet, but already in the moments of relief for having remained in Europe anyway, the news arrives regarding Chukwueze that at the final whistle he touches his flexor, returns to the changing rooms without going under the Curva and in short we start again (even if it’s nothing serious, for once…),” he began.
“Everyone is free to refer the elimination from the Champions League to the episodes that seem most significant to them: the errors in attack in the first two matches, Thiaw going off against Borussia, the penalty given to PSG at the end of the match with Newcastle (ignoring UEFA FairPlay has no impact), but personally I remain of the opinion that with a limited number of injuries things would have gone differently, up to now even in the league.
“The fact remains that in Bergamo and in England the team fielded was better than the opposing team, but against the Nerazzurri this never seemed to be the case and against the English (also reworked and in other recent troubles) for at least an hour the Rossoneri did struggles to put together two passes in a row and create an opportunity.
“Then it’s true, two goals arrived, two posts hit and a reaction dictated also and above all by the substitutions (speaking of a long bench…), but it is absolutely necessary to quickly find that fluidity of play, that enthusiasm, that organisation which had put Milan at the top of the table after eight league games suggesting that the market had really strengthened the team.
“Today Loftus-Cheek, Musah and Reijnders – awarded MVP by UEFA at St. James’s Park, I must have missed something – have lowered the attacking supplies and protection to a reinvented defensive unit with Theo central and Florenzi on the left.
“This last detail is not insignificant: it makes the ship lean on one side despite Hernandez’s availability and Alessandro’s self-sacrifice, who makes the wrong choice and play more often than when he is in his position (and is systematically among the best).
“Milan remain tremendously fragile: as I wrote a week ago, there is a lack of recognised leadership in the middle of the pitch. Maignan, Tomori and Giroud (partly Florenzi himself) shout, spur, encourage, but it is there in the centre that serves as Bennacer, who with play, before whipping, gives order and personality to a team that tends to fall apart at the first breath of wind.
“It’s on the pitch, in the match, at Milanello that the turning point must take place. It will not be Ibra or the January transfer market, however important it is for helping the squad, that will determine the change of direction.
“Zlatan arrives accompanied by a detailed, extensive statement that clearly defines his high responsibilities. His returns as a player first and then as a manager – knowing his character, his ambitions – certify that a high profile project is underway as I thought with the presence of Paolo Maldini.
“Now it must be translated into the facts which are to rediscover competitiveness in Italy and Europe, in addition to the new stadium: in EL, history, duty and the fans dictate that we get to the end. Up to Dublin. And please also keep the farcical Coppa Italia in your sights this year: it becomes a bit of a more serious affair only from the semi-final onwards, so getting there must be a goal.
“It is not with money, with the market, that you win, even if they help a lot. It’s with a project that pursues a goal. Chelsea have been spending tons of pounds for three seasons: they are stuttering in the Premier League, they are out of Europe and 12th in the league, they change more coaches than socks.
“Let’s not talk about United: sixth in the league, badly thrown out of Europe. Without the tribute of the penalty to the penultimate of the group, the millionaire PSG would in turn be out of the Champions League where they have been making bad impressions for years.
“Little Girona are top of La Liga. Milan itself, second in 2021, champion in 2022, semi-finalist of the Champions League in 2023, has strict budget parameters and who knows where it would be if it incurred debt after debt or transgressed the FairPlay stakes… Ideas and competence count more than money , the logic.
“The environment needs to have cohesion, serenity, order. It must rediscover confidence, continuity, ferocity. It’s not utopia: he had everything in September and October, he lost the keys after the first break. Ibra will help without a magic wand, but with pride, authority and charisma. It’s a resource, not a problem nor a threat.
“I disagree, for once, with a backward analysis of the friends of the ‘I Casciavit’ group: it is not true and it is not right to say today that the Champions League semi-finals last season were a fortuitous event: Milan played the last two group matches and the ties with Tottenham and Napoli in a superb manner, among other things without conceding a goal other than the irrelevant one from Osimhen in the last second of the sixth match.
“A match can be lucky, a goal, an episode, but not an entire journey. Let others believe that the Scudetto was the result of Radu’s mistake in Bologna: on this side we know very well, however, that fate in sport follows karma and energy, they are a consequence of how you are, what you do and how much you are worth.
“For all these things the Rossoneri deserved to get to where they got to 8 months ago, they deserve to go to EL now. But let’s not get confused. In the meantime, the Milan Football and Cricket Club turns 124 years old: happy birthday to the old Rossoneri heart, shaped by the soul and not by a faithless cut.”
“It is not with money, with the market, that you win, even if they help a lot. It’s with a project that pursues a goal…Ideas and competence count more than money , the logic.”
I think Serafini needs to be braver. He need to say this during the summer not when the outcome now correlates with his words. If he said this back then, it holds more weight like those of us who were saying exactly how this season was going to pan out.
However in general I do agree with his sentiments
“Milan itself, second in 2021, champion in 2022, semi-finalist of the Champions League in 2023, has strict budget parameters” key phrase here.
People keep talking about Milan’s strict budget parameters like Milan had success in the EPL with strict budget surrounded by clubs whose budgets are enormous.
All of the clubs in serie A are on strict budget, especially since what happened in 2020.
Why do you think that Juventus fell from the sky back on earth?
Milan, inter and Napoli didn’t win titles over the last couple of years because they caught up to Juventus, but because Juventus dropped down to their level, and below. They still have a couple of players that make high salaries, but otherwise, they haven’t been spending, and the times they did spend was because they sold players to buy players.
Inter, Napoli, are the same.
Inter have sold at least one of their best players each season since Icardi and mostly replaced them with free agents.
But, Milan sells one player and right away is labeled a selling club while inter is praised for not selling Barella, where in reality inter did want to sell Barella, but Barella refused to go. Newcastle’s 1st choice was Barella, not Tonali. Inter even brought Barella’s replacement in Frattesi.
Napoli , I think, has a lower budget, and their players make less than Milan’s. Their 2 best players were bought for 10 mil, and 40 mil + bunch of youth players in a shady transfer, besides that they don’t spend much.
Roma keeps signing free agents and bums on loan.
Lazio never spends.
Atalanta reinvest money they get from sales.
But the talk is only about Milan strict budget, even though over the last 3,4 years Milan is probably the biggest spender in the league.
Yeah abut Ac Milan on the contrary, deprive their self from Serie A talent, just beacause of the growth decree, the others mostly InterMilan keep snatching the serie gems, this is why they are the favorite in the Scudetto race, Our Beloved Club is the only one make use of the Fucking Moneyball Way
Inter snatching serie A gems?
GK, Sommer, 6 million. After they sold Onana for 50, who was signed as a Free agent.
Defense:
De Vrij free agent.
Acerbi 4 m
Darmian 3 m
Di Marco youth product
Bastoni 30 mil
Dumfries 14 m
Pavard 30 m
Midfield:
Hakan free agent
Mikhitariyan free agent
Barella 44 mil
Cuadrado Free agent
Asllani 15 mil
Augusto loan
Frattesi loan
Klaasen free agent.
Forwards:
Lautaro 25 mil
Thuram free agent
Alexis Sanches free agent
Arnautovic loan.
Their starting line up is built around 3 players they spent money on in Lautaro, Bastoni and Barella, while the rest are free agents or players bought for less than 10 million.
Where is the praise for inter and their success under strict budget?
Bastoni and Tomori were bought for the same money.
Theo and pavard bought for about the same money.
Lautaro cost them half of what Milan has payed for Leao.
I agree with your general idea, Serie A is weak. But the comparison with Inter or Juventus or Roma is absolutely misleading. They don’t have the salary cap we have. It’s obviously a huge boost to recruit top free agents and veteran players.
Also, when top clubs like Inter sell a player, they usually already have a plan in mind or the replacement in the team. When we sold Tonali, we had one starter remaining, the injured Bennacer. Then, the management improvised, as we could see with Loftus-Cheek or Kamada.
Your story about Barella and Newcastle also requires some evidences. La Gazza reported that Inter said no because they didn’t need to sell. Again, a big difference with how our management proceeds.
“14/06/23 – L’Inter lo considera incedibile. Non c’è come lo scorso anno la necessità di chiudere il mercato con un attivo di 80 milioni, ma sarà sufficiente qualcosa di meno. Zhang non ha la necessità di cedere il pezzo pregiato del suo centrocampo che, a sua volta, sogna un top club se dovesse abbandonare Milano.”
No salary cap is also a huge boost to extend your players. I mean, the anti-M&M crew likes to remind everybody that Dollarumma, Calhanoglu, Kessié and Romagnoli left for free, but it was mostly because we couldn’t offer them a contract worth their sporting value on the current market.
Serafini is correct. We don’t have a leader in the defensive midfield, behind the ball.
Pioli wants to stand behind Theo and flatter him, but while Theo is a great professional, he’s not a leader.
Can Bennacer stay healthy?? He seems to be the only candidate.
Serafini, so much nonsense. My favourite one is the “Little Girona”, owned by the miniscule City Football Group. I’m sure Girona would scout all those players locally, for a few €. What a bunch of nonsense.