After a disastrous UCL exit, Milan were hoping to bounce back with a win against Torino. However, they got yet another disappointing outcome and top four remains at serious risk, with five things to highlight.
Torino took the lead after just a few minutes as Mike Maignan booted the ball at Malick Thiaw and into the back of the net. Milan did have control after that goal, but had to wait until the 74th minute for the equaliser. Two minutes later, however, it was time for another lapse of concentration.
The home side took a quick free-kick and Milan were caught off guard, conceding the winner. The Rossoneri are now six points behind fourth place and it could be increased to eight tonight, as Juve will face Cagliari. Below are five things we learned…
1. Pavlovic only one showing grinta
The Serb continues to be one, if not the only, positive in Milan’s squad. He’s been the only consistent performer in the last couple of months, proving crucial in both phases of the game as he put in a lot of effort up front toward the end of the game against Torino (and nearly scored!).
Unfortunately for him, he was let down by his teammates but Pavlovic has really proven his worth after a rough start under Paulo Fonseca. He has arguably been Milan’s best player in the last two months.
The management will hopefully see this and build around him. Surely, the expectations have to be that every player on the pitch should have his desire to win – unlike what we are currently seeing with some players.
2. Maignan costly again
After the howler in the Netherlands, Maignan was Milan’s weak point once again as he was responsible for Thiaw’s own-goal.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman has had plenty of bad games since the start of the season. It has cost the Rossoneri a lot both domestically and in the Champions League, which is all a bit of a shock given how good he was when he first arrived at the club.
The recent downtrend is indeed worrying and better performances will be needed for Milan to fight for a top-four finish. If he can’t make it happen, then he might be another name to keep a close eye on for the summer.
3. Trio struggle in attack
On top of the defenders lacking the attention needed, the forwards were not exactly up to par for most of the game with Rafael Leao, Santiago Gimenez and Christian Pulisic struggling. Especially the former struggled to involve themselves in the game apart from a few situations.
The American was a tad better, sending in some good crosses, but then failed to convert the penalty that would have been just what Milan needed. He faded a bit after that and based on recent weeks, he too has dropped a bit in form.
It’s unfortunate that both flanks were that inefficient, given that Gimenez does seem to make good runs, but the service has been limited to say the least. Conceicao might look at other options for the flanks if things continue in the same fashion.
4. Sottil does well off the bench
The winger came on with energy and unlike Leao, he was successful with his dribbles and picked up an assist of sorts on Reijnder’s goal. He also had a couple more decent moments, including a cross to Pavlovic towards the end which nearly resulted in an equaliser.
With Leao struggling to make an impact, it won’t be entirely out of the question for Conceicao to drop the Portuguese winger and give a chance to Sottil who seems up for the challenge from start.
5. Players must do better
It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Milan fans since Conceicao arrived a couple of months ago.
The manager brought a lot of energy with him and Milan achieved two impressive comebacks in the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus and Inter to win the trophy. However, things haven’t exactly continued on that successful path, with the Rossoneri struggling to eliminate mistakes.
In the last couple of weeks, they managed to lose against Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord and then drew against the Dutch side at home to get knocked out of the UCL. Three easy games on paper that were not seized.
To Conceicao’s credit, Milan are playing better than under Fonseca as there is more intensity and more chances created. Then again, even with more chances, the attackers are failing to bury easy chances which is out of the coach’s control.
Furthermore, in all three European games, Milan effectively killed themselves as they had to play with ten men against Zagreb and the reverse fixture vs Feyenoord, whilst in Rotterdam Maignan decided the give the Dutch side a gift with a howler of a performance.
The discipline has been off in other games too and you have to feel for Conceicao, since a lot of the dropped points and wasted opportunities are due to his players fumbling in the most bizarre ways.
Needless to say, Conceicao also has to take responsibility but when your opponents score goals mainly because you make unforced, ridiculous errors and not because of their quality, then you have to consider that the Milan squad is just not good enough.
1. This Milan is a mid-table team
2. Milan are heavy favourites to win the Conference League next season
3. The summer rebuild should start from the management. Competent people with experience in high levels are needed
4. A big sum should be spent on a quality midfielder who can set the rhythm of the game. One can expext to spend 50+ mln on such a player
5. A coach who is very good at man management is needed
Totally agree.
2. I’m not even sure we will make it to the Conference League next season. We’re currently 7th with that famous “in hand” game and we have yet to play against Atalanta, Fiorentina, Napoli, Bologna and Lazio.
In the last 5 Serie A games, Milan have won 10 points, Lazio 8, Fiorentina 6. So Milan can put them behind eventually. But Juve seem to be in good shape lately -12 points in the last 5 Serie A games- so getting to the 4th UCL spot for this Milan is like a mountain to climb.
On the other hand, the spots for the other European competitions are easily within reach.
is that supposed to be good? Sadly, the way we play, we could easily lose all those games. But then again, we are Milan. We will beat the crap out of napoli and move on to lose Monza and Lecce. lol . By definition, that makes us mid table.
We need a dodged ball winner
It’s shocking to see some so-called fans being worse than the Redmeat group that owns Milan. Imagine someone calling your own club a mid-table team right in front of you, and some fake fans actually agreeing with the insult. It’s really sad for Milan.
I tell you brother. Some fans are not worth to be here
we are mid table. We win a couple, lose a couple etc. We all think we are better than this. I do think, just like mbappe and madrid, these guys need time to gel. At the same time, we are fans, we arent leaving. (at least i’m not). Enjoyed the highs of that UCL win with Kaka, and the many years of a starting 11 featuring Honda, Bacca, Zapata, Kujcka, Muntari, Emmanuelson etc. I dont like where we are, but i am not going anywhere.
Pavlovic, early in the season, was trying to do too much instead of just doing what his assignment was. Earlier he would chase/press the ball carrier and once that player passes the ball to another player Pavlovic would then chase the 2nd player instead of staying with the 1st player and trusting his teammates to do their jobs.
He is also much more calm and patient with his tackling.
Thiaw has also improved this season, in his marking and in the build up from the back. His passes are on point. But, Thiaw, just like everyone else, needs to stop whining at the ref after a call and pay attention to the ball. What happened on the 2nd goal is unacceptable.
Both of them are just 23 years old and hopefully can continue to improve.
What I’ve learned from these past games is that our players did some soul searching and became very altruistic and charitable. They decided not every thing is about Miland and that we should gift to the others.
Maignan especially, being our leader took the initiative and gifted some goals and wins to the other teams.
Leão decided he should pass to everyone regardless of the color of their shirts and might as well shoot to the fans and gift them some balls.
Hopefully us, the fans won’t mind their generous decisions.
The Ball’s Perspective…
Okay okay, we’ve had the commentators, the journalists, the players, the fans all give their perspective on last night’s sh*t show… But what about the ball’s perspective?
Yeh, that’s right. ME. THE BALL. You know, the one everyone pays good money to see get smacked into the back of those two big nets either end of the pitch..
I’m the one who’s there. In the mud. In the thick of it. And being a diehard Milan fan I’m also emotionally invested. So listen up if you wanna hear a few home truths about what I experienced at the feet of some of these players…
Maignan. Before the game I called a friend of mine – a ball who was used in the Feyenoord game – and he told me, “Hey, watch out for Mike. Being handled by him felt like he had no gloves on and I was covered in liver sausage.” To be honest, it wasn’t his hand control but his foot control that left me scratching my head last night. Like when he came charging at me like a French Canadian moose, smacked me against Malik Thiaw and sent me arcing backward over everyone’s heads into an empty net.
Pavlovic. I loved the passion I felt from this guy. And toward the end if you’d put a blindfold on me I’d have sworn I was being kicked about the field by Tammy Abraham.
Theo. I’ve been taken on many exhilarating, bursting runs from deep by Theo Hernandez. Unfortunately the last time was in 2023 under Stefano Pioli.
Thiaw. He couldn’t do anything when I ricocheted off him for the own goal so no complaints here. I got passed around more decisively by this guy than the midfielders.
Jimenez. After a few kicks from this kid why do I feel like heading to a firing range and letting off a Beretta 92 at a picture of Massimo Moratti? That’s not necessarily a bad thing but I think he might need anger management classes.
Musah. Whenever I was being kicked around by him I had to look up to check that there were other players still on the pitch. I’m going left, I’m going right, I’m whirling around like a Sufi dancer… Jesus Christ, sometimes I’m heading for my own goal, and I’m thinking, Why won’t he just make a vertical pass in the right direction?!
Felix. Ooh, being touched by the guy feels good. Real good. Reminded me of stories my dad used to tell about how being kicked by Rui Costa was more like being caressed by Monica Bellucci in a bubble bath. Pity that’s all it was on the night. Some nice touches, flicks and caresses… Yes I quivered with delight every time but where was the end product?
Pulisic. He put me down on the spot, took a few steps back… the ref blew the whistle… and I’m thinking, No, Christian, no! You’re telegraphing where you’re going to – oh Jeez… Next thing I know I’m nestled in the chest of a big Serbian bear and that’s it – game over…
Leao. I’m all for being slowly rolled backward by an attacker when we’re 3-0 up, but while losing 0-1 leaves a bitter taste in my – oops, I’ve run out of time! Gotta go get restitched. Wish me luck -these things can go either way…
What are you 🚬?
He already told you. The ball
Cute concept. Thanks for the smile.
I don’t think it will happen at Milan next season, and I’m not saying it should…..but at some point Cesc Fabregas is gonna get a way bigger job than Como and it’s gonna be a great choice for somebody.
Como has a clearly defined system and style of play. And it’s not a negative one. Cesc is much younger and having been a big player himself in big teams with other big players I don’t think managing those personalities is an issue for him.
Cesc is a gonna be a successful coach. One to keep an eye on.
Said this earlier in the season. The level.of technical ability of Como relative to where they are at in the table is nothing short of brilliant in terms of what Fabregas has done. Clear identity and style of play (very Spanish style with technical passing). They’re punching way above their weight
Will he be the first Spanish coach who achieve success at Serie A? I doubt it. Fabregas has time to adapt to Serie A as a player and a coach plus his team expectations is low. This kind of environment can’t be replicated at Milan. It’s hard to win any kind of trophy at Como, although if we consider what he achieved there he can be called a success.
1. Milan needs local/italian players
2. Need a proper tactician, Seria a is tactical and so need a coach who play’s tactically.
3. Fonseca is better than Conceicao
4. Current Milan does not gel with Portuguese
5. Holding MF will solve 70% of the issues
Why dont you drop to Serie C and you have an all Italian Milan, and dont forget to take your horse to the game.
What are you talking about, Milan that wins champions league or Serie C? Let me remind you, most of our stars were foreigners. In Premier League the best in the world, most of the players are foreigners
I am sick of hearing Italian Italian
No, it is based on Merit and it is called Meritocracy, I am sure likes of you are the ines throughing bananas in the pitch
Enjoy the ride then, none can save Milan
As much as I want to have Italian Milan, the Italian player are not good enough to compete at the highest stage. Those who do are very expensive like Donnaruma and Bastoni. The youth player is supported by Atalanta.
How exactly are Milan playing better under Conceicao than under Fonseca? What a clueless thing to say. The team looks terrible every week. Never looked this bad under Fonseca. Even the wins under Cocnceicao the team has looked awful and needed to make miraculous late game comebacks. I can think of maybe 1 good complete performance the team has had in 14 matches under Conceicao. The style of play consists of grabbing and diving. It’s embarrassing. Maybe those tactics or lack there of fly in the Portuguese league but not here.
Not to mention he managed to ruin all of our best offensive players. Yeah, it’s been real impressive.
Compare the results under both.
Lol, you mean facts? Haha not with K
The results comparison between Fonseca and Conceicao is not flattering.
Fonseca – 24 games
12 wins
6 draws
6 losses
GF 43
GA 28
+15 goals
1.75 points per game
Conceicao – 15 games
8 wins
3 draws
4 losses
GF 22
GA 17
+ 5 goals
1.8 points per game.
I believe Conceicao deserves credit for having no pre-season and having played these 15 games back to back with 2 games every week. So no chance to have adequate training time.
Fonseca was also given a hobbled preseason where all the key players were on international duty/rest until the eve of round 1. Many players he worked with in pre-season were sent away on loan or sold at the 11th hour. And key incoming players were generally not signed until the well after round 1. E.g. Fofana.
I was not a big supporter of Fonseca but was willing to give him a chance. The timing of his dismissal in the end was dictated by saving money via the clause on sacking within the first 6 months. If you look exclusively at his last 15 games in charge. HIs record becomes:
W=9,D=4,L=2,GF=27,GA=15, GD=12
To be honest.
I’m actually thinking Fonseca was doing a better job. Once you get past the initial burst of motivation that Conceicao gave the players.
Both are clowns, winter signings are under Conceicao don’t forget that..🤪
That’s if you count cup wins as 3 points. But just the league alone, it’s I think around 1.7 Conceicao to 1.5 Fonseca. He still comes out on top in any case
Are you counting UCL?
On that front Fonseca is well in front.
6 games.
4W, 0D, 2L
So 2.0 ppg
having faced all the Pot 1 & 2 teams.
Conceicao has 4 games against teams that all started in Pots 3 & 4 (Feyenoord were pot 3 origin). For a result of:
1W, 1D, 2L
And out.
So 1 point per game!
I’m not arguing that Fonseca was great.
But it is arguable that we have regressed further under Conceicao. And perhaps if we had just stuck with Fonseca he was starting to turn things around.
The club rushed the decision to sack Fonseca so that they could save money on the 6 month exit clause. They had prepared a plan to sack him regardless of the result in that 1:1 Roma game.
Yes correct cup wins but only UCL. But for UCL it’s 3 points for Sarge out of the 2 games. Feyenoord is just a two legged tie and points wouldn’t apply there. So yes correct in that sense. Also Super Copa wouldn’t count as well
👍
They were better when both Leão and Felix were subsituted.
Leao & felix should be dropped from the starting 11. Pavlovic defends well & pushes the team forward really well, he’d be fire in a back 3 with Theo at Lwb & a LW upfront. 343/334 Hybrid
Sottil Gimenez Pulisic
Theo/JMN – TiJ – Fofana – Musah/walker
Pavlovic – Gabbia-Thiaw/walker
The attack is just not clicking. I feel like some of it is Felix, who needs the ball at his feet a lot and is rather wasteful, though he did have the one nice strike. I see a little bit of chemistry starting to develop between Gimenez and Pulisic. But they need to get it together if the season is not going to be a total flop. Who gets sold if they don’t make Champions League?
“With Leao struggling to make an impact, it won’t be entirely out of the question for Conceicao to drop the Portuguese winger and give a chance to Sottil who seems up for the challenge from start.”
No no no, let’s not go through this again. Leao is by far more dangerous than Sottil can ever be. We’ve had many wingers try to upend Leao’s spot and none ever work out (see Okafor for example). Sottil did what he was brought to do, come off the bench and try to change games. If on occasion an attacker needs a rest (Leao doesn’t fyi) then surely he can help.
Everyone has a bad day, Leao and Puli our two most dangerous attackers didn’t have a good day overall and it showed. That doesn’t mean u need to automatically drop them
We have a chance with Kvara, but since Leao just come off a good season, we don’t even consider bidding for him.
“Leao is by far more dangerous than Sottil can ever be. ”
Yet Leao did nothing and Sottil got the assist. How about that for a fact?
Umm Leao won the penalty 🤷♂️ we missing this from memory or…?
Won the penalty. LOL. It took him a huge amount of talent and hard work, right? 😀 😀 😀
IT WAS A FKNG HANDBALL FFS 😀 😀 😀
Continue to play 4231 and Milan will soon visit abyss. This formation is not suitable for Milan. Leao walks 50% of the time, Theo is absent from defending 50% of the time as he likes to push forward to score. Milan is always half a man down. Other teams have found many ways to crack Milan 4213.
Switch to 442
I am about to write on this. I don’t know why our coaches are deceiving themselves. When we are playing againg lower teams ,442 is the way to go. With Fofana, Rejinder Pulsic and Theo in d middle. Tammy and Jimenez as strikers. Bench Leao and Felix. When we have scored like two goals or more, you can bring in Leao. When we are playing attacking teams or stronger opponents, We can play 4231,with Leao on his usual position.
I hope SempreMilan weites an article about the video SkySports just put in their youtube comparing Maignans goalkeeping numbers in the last 3 seasons vs Milenkovic Savics numbers in the same period. Maignan has regressed vs Milekovic has significantly improved. Would be noce to share an analysis on that
Something key here. Sometimes, your luck is out. And it can seem like you’re trying to rationalise something. I didn’t see a lack of effort, I saw an unfortunate set of mistakes and a lack of finishing.
The game ended with an xG of something like Torino 0.36 v Milan 2.45
We made chances. They didn’t. The had the lead through an error and a moment of missing concentration, but even their second goal required a lot of things to go their way, there was a single trajectory through which they could score, it was a long shot chance with less than a 5% chance of scoring.
I’m not happy with the team at the moment, but we weren’t turned over against Torino and it wasn’t that we didn’t try. But they scored from nothing and we didn’t score from plenty more opportunities. I’d suggest that’s as likely confidence as anything else, but blaming effort is harsh when these players haven’t had four days off in a row since December.