It wasn’t a spectacular performance against Empoli on Sunday afternoon, but AC Milan managed to get the job done despite being without some of their key players. Christian Pulisic was clutch (yet again) as he scored the only goal of the game and thus helped the Rossoneri build some momentum. Now on three consecutive wins, and with second place reclaimed, there is optimism.
Without speaking too much about the performance against Empoli, it’s fair to say that the Rossoneri did a good job considering the circumstances. Rafael Leao was suspended and Olivier Giroud needed some rest, giving Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic the chance. The Monza disaster was not repeated, but rather Milan played some nice attacking football at times.
It’s perhaps symbolic, however, that Pulisic ended up being the hero as he was the only remaining starter in the front three. It was the American’s third match-winning goal of the season, not counting second goals which also helped seal some wins, and that is indeed very impressive. 10 goals and 7 assists later, it’s clear that the €20m spent in the summer was well worth it.
In any case, with order now semi-restored and some momentum to capitalise on, Milan have an interesting period ahead. The first hurdle is obviously the Europa League, seeing as the Rossoneri must seal their spot in the quarters. Should they succeed in doing so, then we could be in for a very interesting two-legged tie, with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool in the mix.
Leapfrogging Juventus was certainly a nice bonus from the win against Empoli and having reclaimed second place, Milan must do everything to protect it. The difference is prize money is nominal, about €3m, but the Rossoneri would also seal a spot in the Supercoppa Italiana which has prize money of €24m. Of course, we also shouldn’t forget the sporting aspect of it all.
The season obviously hasn’t panned out the way we would have hoped, especially since Inter might celebrate the Scudetto (or secure it) in the derby in April. However, with the Europa League still in play, Milan will need to perform at a high level domestically to arrive in good form for what could be some very tough clashes. So there is absolutely no reason to give up at this point.
Considering that everyone except Tommaso Pobega is back from injury now, Stefano Pioli also has no excuses when it comes to the performances on the pitch. Seeing as a parting of ways is highly likely in the summer, this is the manager’s chance to prove his value to potential suitors. Again, it doesn’t look like slowing down is on the horizon for Milan.
News bulletin
➤ Milan Primavera suffered another defeat over the weekend, losing 1-0 to Hellas Verona and extending the run to five games without a win in the league. However, attention might have been on Wednesday's UEFA Youth League quarter-final against Real Madrid at the PUMA House of Football.
➤ There has been a storm brewing regarding the future of Francesco Camarda, who turned 16 recently and thus can sign a professional contract. Milan are reportedly not worried, but teams from around Europe - plus even Juventus and Inter in Italy - are keen on trying to poach him.
➤ The Coppa Italia dream was crushed at the semi-final stage for the AC Milan Women, as they lost 5-2 in the return leg against Roma, going down 7-2 on aggregate. The Rossonere never had much hope of a fightback, finding themselves 3-0 down after 65 minutes in the capital.
➤ The big story from the last 24 hours is the raid by the financial authorities that took place at Casa Milan on Tuesday. Rather than trying to condense a complex case into a bullet point, we encourage you to read Felix Raimondo’s brilliant breakdown of why this investigation is highly flawed.
➤ In terms of transfer links, the main two stories have been regarding centre-backs. Firstly, a report stated that Milan are plotting a move for Atletico Madrid's Mario Hermoso whose deal expires in June, while in Spain it was claimed that a Valencia defender is in the sights of the management.
➤ There have been a couple of good interviews in the past week, starting with Pierre Kalulu who opened up about his long journey back to a full recovery, while Jan-Carlo Simic also gave one about his rise to scoring his first senior goal against Monza.
Inter securing the scudetto by beating us in the derby and thus getting a second star before we do is a nightmare I'd prefer to not become a reality