No Bonus for Furlani [Newsletter]

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Jan 30, 2025

Disappointment would be one way to describe yesterday’s events. Complete agony would be another. While it’s nothing new for this season, unfortunately, most would agree that the mood hasn’t been this low for a very long time - perhaps even years. It’s a culmination of a roller coaster which, aside from a few climbs to make things interesting, has made life miserable for the AC Milan fans.

It’s always fascinating how quickly things can change in the world of football, filled with sliding doors moments which especially Italian journalists like to harp on. Yesterday was one of those nights for Milan, as the weight of having everything in their own hands got too heavy. They dropped the ball, or in this case a huge bag of cash as CEO Giorgio Furlani watched on with horror.

The Rossoneri went from having a 73.6% likelihood, based on 10,000 simulations, of clinching nearly €24m in prize money to coming home with a mere €7.6m. Ouch, that must have hurt for the management. And the fans? Well, paradoxically most of the reactions have been joyous as the management (finally) was told ‘you get what you pay for’ in a way they understand.

Returning to the sporting side of things, though, there is no doubt that yesterday’s game was a complete fiasco. Anything but a top-eight finish would have been regarded as a failure, of course, but it should be pointed out that even just a draw would have significantly improved the situation. Instead of Feyenoord or Juventus, they could have had Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge.

On the other hand, yesterday’s game taught us that Milan don’t have what it takes to consistently compete at this level. The opponent in the play-off tie, as such, becomes secondary since there are no longer any certain or basic wins for the Rossoneri. This also extends to the league, as we saw against Parma at the weekend, and we have to see this as the bigger lesson here.

I say we, but really I mean the management as the fans have been pointing out the flaws of this squad since the start of the season. It has been played down time after time by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the rest of his colleagues in interviews, but the reality is damning. If last season didn’t make it clear, it’s now obvious that personnel changes are needed on the mercato front.

Just to stay on Ibrahimovic for a minute, he insisted during his pre-match interview that the outcome of the game wouldn’t impact potential signings this month. I mean, how can you even say that with a straight face? Anyone with half a brain would understand that €16m is a significant figure, especially with Milan desperately trying to offload players to fund the mercato.

By the way, Oliver’s latest audio bulletin - published on Tuesday evening - is incredibly fitting right now…

News Bulletin

➤ Milan Futuro’s winless run in the league continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Rimini in round 24, but they really should have got all three points having missed a penalty. For the first time there is talk of Daniele Bonera being at risk, with the next game apparently decisive.

➤ Despite trailing twice, AC Milan Women managed to fight back against Roma and eventually clinched all three points in a 3-2 win over the weekend. However, they exited the Coppa Italia at the quarter-final stage on Tuesday after a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Fiorentina.

➤ Milan Primavera led at the halfway stage away from home against Cremonese on Sunday, but they were ultimately forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. In truth, it was a result that feels a bit unjust for Federico Guidi’s side, who were superior to their opponents for long stretches of the match.

➤ The latest transfer news includes Milan seeking assurances before launching their latest bid for Santiago Gimenez, Noah Okafor being offered to Spurs, Real Sociedad coming in for Samuel Chukwueze, Kevin Schade being a target for the summer and Theo Hernandez’s renewal now frozen.

➤ There is no point hiding it, the mood from the comeback win over Parma has evaporated already. Pulisic confessed he is unsure why the first-half performances are so bad, Maignan admitted morale is low and Reijnders even stated Conceicao didn’t speak to the team after the game, or didn't want to reveal what he said anyway.

➤ Our long reads over the past week include an in-depth player profile on new signing Kyle Walker, plus tactical analysis pieces on the wins over Girona in the Champions League and Parma in the league.