Do we say it or do we not say it? Better not to say it, especially in a league like this where every match seems more and more “decisive” than the others. And then, on the other hand, everything still needs to be redone.
But after this Verona-Milan (1-3), in which the Rossoneri passed from the city of Juliet like a north wind, we can begin to say something more precise, even if not definitive.
Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli, with his young Milan, the least expected team equipped for the title, is not only now four points from the Scudetto but has also entered fully into Rossoneri history. From now on, in fact, no one will be able to say that Verona is “fatal” to Milan.
The new Milan
It was in the times of Nereo Rocco and Arrigo Sacchi, two unforgettable pillars, but children of another time, of another century, which cannot always be brought up to talk about the present. “Do not let your past determine your destiny” said an old sage (Confucius) that Pioli must have followed with profit since Milan, in the last two years, have managed to subvert easy predictions in a difficult period of his corporate life. Beating Verona, a team in great shape that has already tripped Napoli, was not easy. And it was not especially so after the ease with which Inter got rid of Empoli, a 4-2 comeback but with a determination and peremptoryness that do not grant discounts.
An old-fashioned Inter
An old-fashioned Inter, a little crazy, but also irresistible, with that Lautaro who has scored 11 goals in the last 11 games. It wasn’t easy. For the psychological pressure, for the young age of the AC Milan fans. And then because it is when the going gets tough that you have to prove that you have what it takes. And Milan, in a very hot environment (even if with 16 thousand fans in tow), succeeded with the maturity of the great team that does not disunite when, in the first half, it goes down by a goal (Faraoni). At that blow, which in other times, including recent ones, could have been “fatal”, Milan replied by continuing to grind their game.
And here emerged the two players currently most representative of this young group: Rafael Leao, increasingly unstoppable in his descents; and Sandro Tonali, deployed by Pioli in the most advanced position, who celebrated his 22 birthday in Verona. This powerful conjunction (Leao-Tonali) smashed Tudor’s team, already cornered from the start. The cold shower of the Veronese goal did not change the script much. Both the draw (at the end of the first half) and the doubling immediately after the second half resulted from Leao’s piercing descents, which Tonali himself scored twice on the net.
Another goal, also from Tonali, was canceled for offside in the first half. The 3-1 arrived thanks to a perfect diagonal from Florenzi only rounded off the victory. Now Milan must be on guard. Even if he has put the two-point advantage over Inter back in his pocket, which is actually a +3 considering the head-to-head clashes, the Devil has two non-trivial obstacles in front of him.