Don't push it [Newsletter]

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Sep 11, 2024

With just one week left until the Champions League opener at San Siro, AC Milan against Liverpool, there are still over 20k (!) tickets unsold for the game and while that figure will improve, this is a huge failure by the management. In a time when the fan patience was already wearing thin, and with increasing costs in daily life as well, the Rossoneri pushed it too far.

The ticket pricing has been a hot topic among Milan fans in the last two years or so. Champions League games have always been capitalised on, so there is nothing new here, but Milan’s inability to read the room this time out is very disappointing. After three games and just one point to show for it, the management still decided that it was reasonable to go with a 120-30% increase depending on the section.

Indeed, comparing the ticket prices with the game against Venezia, a ticket in Secondo Rosso costs €59 for the latter and €139 for the Liverpool clash. Furthermore, a family of three must spend a whopping €372 for tickets in the dedicated family section (€124 each). There is more to life than just football and spending that much for one game shouldn’t be the case, but it is because of Milan’s greed.

As said, they pushed it and they pushed it too far, as proved by the fact that over 20k tickets remain on sale for the game. It’s clear that a strong performance as well as a win against Venezia could get many fans to go online and buy tickets for the game after all, but the management must be called out either way. We have never been fans of the high prices and will continue to fight for what’s right.

Shifting focus to the game at the weekend, a strong performance and above all a win is indeed needed to turn a corner. As a result of the international break, there is quite a lot of uncertainty regarding the starting XI as some players might not return in optimal condition, let alone Ismael Bennacer who is set to be ruled out for the upcoming three months due to a calf injury.

However, the feeling is that someone like Tijjani Reijnders will have to play regardless of getting a lot of action with the Dutch international team in recent days. He’s just too important especially now that the Algerian won’t be available. On a positive note, quite a few potential starters have been able to work at Milanello during the break, including Fikayo Tomori, Emerson Royal and Tammy Abraham.

Seeing just how tight the schedule is from the Venezia game and onwards, with Liverpool and Inter up after, it’s clear that Fonseca will have to make some rotation between these games. In short, we should perhaps expect surprises for the game against Venezia even if Milan must win at any cost. Matteo Gabbia could be a shout, yet to play a single minute this season.

News Bulletin

➤ Ismael Bennacer suffered an injury which could keep him out for up to three months, and this could present an opportunity for two Milan Futuro midfielders to impress, namely Silvano Vos and Kevin Zeroli.

➤ With the closing of the window comes some important financial data. We broke down everything from the squad cost to the wage bill, and also analysed in a longer article what the summer tells us regarding the ambition of the ownership.

➤ Some key updates are expected regarding the stadium project in the coming days. Milan and Inter will meet the Council to further discuss the San Siro renovation plan, while the Rossoneri have not completely closed the door to a joint project.

➤ Renewals are a topic that will dominate the headlines post-mercato. There are some concerns regarding Theo Hernandez's situation after a turbulent start to the season, as well as regarding the captain Davide Calabria, but things are much more positive in Mike Maignan's case.

➤ Some interesting background information has emerged after the summer window closed. Firstly, Milan would have made a last-minute move for Carney Chukwuemeka of Chelsea had Bennacer been sold, while secondly Samuele Ricci of Torino was a target and is someone Geoffrey Moncada still greatly admires.

➤ It has been a hectic week for features, starting with a Tammy Abraham analysis, continuing with a look into Milan's underlying numbers so far, followed by a Devil's Advocate on Ibrahimovic's creation myth and a deep-dive into the midfield jigsaw which remains incomplete.