A special game on the cards [Newsletter]

Jan 24, 2024

AC Milan are seemingly gaining some momentum in the league, having not lost since the start of December, and the question is if the Rossoneri have overcome the main struggles. Saturday’s game against Bologna, which is a special one for many reasons, will probably give us a pretty good answer to that question.

Stefano Pioli and his men are six games unbeaten in the league, winning five of these, and have now truly cemented themselves in third place. Thiago Motta and his Bologna are up next, visiting San Siro on Saturday, and it’s a special game for many reasons. So let’s go through them one by one, with the Rossoneri hoping to put some pressure on Juventus and Inter.

First of all, the Rossoblu had a cracking first half of the season considering the player material. At 32 points, they are just two points behind the Champions League spots and the game against Milan will be very important for them. They have already experienced success at San Siro this season, it should be highlighted, first drawing Inter 2-2 in the league and then knocking them out of the Coppa Italia.

Motta certainly deserves praise for what he has done with this team, above all elevating young talents such as Riccardo Calafiori, Lewis Ferguson and Joshua Zirkzee. He has done so well, in fact, that Milan are seriously considering him as the man to replace Pioli in the summer. Saturday’s clash will be yet another opportunity for the 41-year-old to impress the Rossoneri, in other words.

And while we are on the subject of shining in front of the eyes of the Milan management, we must not forget Joshua Zirkzee. The striker has also been heavily linked with the Rossoneri as of late and while they are already convinced of his qualities, a goal on Saturday would only fuel the interest. On the other hand, it would most likely also fuel the competition.

Finally, we cannot forget that Pioli still has a point to prove. Milan may have gone six games unbeaten, winning the last four, but the only way for the manager to impress is by achieving consistency. The Rossoneri won seven out of eight games at the start of the season, but we all know what happened after and the players now find themselves at a similar crossroads.

In short, the game is bound to be a good one on many levels, although fans are right to be slightly worried about the San Siro pitch. It didn’t look great last time out, but it has at least had one week off thanks to Inter’s Supercoppa Italiana adventure in Saudi Arabia. We can only hope that this is enough.

News bulletin

➤ It was another disappointing afternoon for AC Milan’s Primavera side on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by Lombardy neighbours Atalanta, meaning they are now six points off top spot.

➤ The Milan Women beat Como 3-2 on Monday to record only their third league win of the season, while there has been some transfer news of late which we covered.

➤ On Tuesday the Milan board swiftly approved plans to purchase the land needed to build a new stadium for the Rossoneri at San Donato. Now, the belief is that key steps forward should happen in the next few weeks.

➤ Sky threw a couple more names into the mix on Tuesday night as Milan's search for reinforcements continues. The first is Maxence Lacroix who is a centre-back for Wolfsburg, while the second is Federico Redondo of Argentinos Juniors, and yes he is the son of Fernando.

➤ Do Milan finally have that famous 'strength in depth' they have been after for so long? The numbers - as relayed in our recent feature - show that the new signings and subs are making a big impact.

➤ The management must make some tough decisions regarding players on expiring contracts. The latest suggests that Simon Kjaer and Alessandro Florenzi will be let go (the latter has a deal until 2025), while only one of Olivier Giroud and Luka Jovic will stay beyond June.