History rhymes [Newsletter]
It ended up being yet another frustrating Champions League night for the fans yesterday, as AC Milan (just like against Newcastle) missed several good opportunities to break the deadlock. Stefano Pioli’s men now find themselves with two points in the group and PSG up next.
The famous saying “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes” couldn’t have been more appropriate for Milan at the moment. Several good chances were missed in the 0-0 draw against Newcastle, and several good chances were missed in the 0-0 draw against Dortmund. It goes without saying that this is incredibly frustrating.
Milan struggled a bit in the first half against the German side but came out with the right energy in the second half, creating a couple of really good chances. However, they just couldn’t find the back of the net despite the creativity of Rafael Leao, who has become more of an assist-man these days.
Yacine Adli came off the bench to replace Tommaso Pobega - who shockingly (stunningly, anyway) had a passing success of just 48% - and the Frenchman impressed again. He helped push up the Milan team and naturally looked very comfortable in possession, getting past the initial press quite easily.
At the end of the day, though, Pioli and his men have just two points to show for two good performances (at least in defence and midfield) against two good teams. Paris Saint-Germain are up next, first away and then at home, and their loss to Newcastle has at least helped make the group a bit more compact.
On the other hand, it’s now even more important for the French side to win against Milan. We all knew that this group would be tight from the start and the results so far have certainly proven that, now it’s up to the Rossoneri to show what they are capable of on the big stage.
The international break comes at a good time as the players need some rest, plus the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rade Krunic will get time to recover. One game remains before they can relax, though, and that is against Genoa on Saturday evening. Serie A didn’t do Milan any favours with the scheduling, that’s for sure.
News bulletin
➤ Milan’s Primavera side dropped points for the first time of the season, held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina after a very controversial penalty equaliser for the latter. Fortunately, they bounced back with a strong 2-1 win against Dortmund in the UEFA Youth League, topping the table with six points after two games.
➤ Milan Women claimed three crucial points against Napoli after their loss against Roma in the opener. However, manager Maurizio Ganz has some work to do as the Rossonere looked very poor throughout and only got the win thanks to a 95th-minute strike.
➤ Primavera duo Davide Bartesaghi and Filippo Scotti both signed contract renewals with AC Milan until 2026, following their success as of late. Francesco Camarda is expected to be the next player to put pen to paper, but he needs to turn 16 first (in March) before the Rossoneri can make it official.
➤ In terms of mercato rumours, Milan have enquired about the 20-year-old Sparta Praha defender Martin Vitik. The Rossoneri are also working on the renewal of Mike Maignan, whose contract will expire in 2026. The idea is to double his salary, which would get him close to €6m per year.
➤ Giorgio Furlani admitted that Milan are ‘ready’ to welcome Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to the club, awaiting a decision from the Swede. He also confirmed that the Rossoneri intend to inaugurate the new stadium in San Donato five years from now, having now presented the project to the city council.
In case you missed it
Make sure to check out the latest podcast episode, and our latest bonus podcast in which the lads discuss the Primaver’s flying start to the season. We have also published quite a few bonus articles lately, including a report on the Milan loanees. Are you interested in a paid subscription? Read all about it here.