There is only one team on the pitch and it has the black and white shirt.
– After the classic “novelty effect” of the new formation, which brought some positive results to the Rossoneri, in particular by giving some more certainty to the defensive phase, it took a short time before the atavistic problems of the season of Pioli’s team returned to reveal themselves in a rather evident way. The duo midfield, with Tonali and above all Bennacer in far from optimal conditions, suffers terribly from numerical inferiority compared to their opponents and, if we add to this important absences such as those of Theo Hernandez and Giroud (the only prolific striker), in addition given Leao’s enormous effort to play in the new position, it is natural to wonder if it is not the case to add a man in the middle, perhaps returning to the back four;
– Tomorrow the press will open with “God Ibra who scores at 41 and bla bla bla…”, but here we are not interested in celebrating nothing: the truth is that the Swede’s performance is like an ex-footballer, forced to kick a penalty twice (it’s fair to repeat it, by regulation) to bring home a goal, furthermore thwarted by a defense that defining “inattentive” is an understatement. In particular, it is the two “Ts”, Thiaw and Tomori, who often find themselves out of position and outflanked by Udinese’s offensive men, such as on the occasion of the second goal when Success literally does what he wants in the penalty area and finds Beto free to anticipate everyone in the center and bag up;
– Isaac Success’s performance is the answer to the criticisms of those who focus only on the lack of goals that distinguishes the season. Certainly the number of goals is the first parameter with which a striker is evaluated, sometimes erroneously, but the repertoire fielded tonight by the Juventus player makes it clear why his coach does not often give up his presence in the Juventus attack, even to the detriment of a certain Mr. Thauvin. Technique and speed, combined with great application, make him a thorn in the side of the Milan rearguard, with Udogie behind him completing the work with his rapid descents;
– In the match between a team that hasn’t won at home since last September and one that has been waiting for the three external points since October, the winner is the first, Udinese, who do it with great merit against a Milan that by now only has the Scudetto sewn on the chest of the Italian champion team. The involution of Pioli’s team, in contrast to the qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, is now too evident even to be considered incomprehensible. The problems are there, very clear and it is not clear why the coach insists on always betting on the same players, who are now tired, unmotivated and rather nervous;
– Given that there are two teams on the pitch, however, it is fair to underline once again the excellent performance of Sottil’s team, whose ranking does not fully reflect the values of the squad: a mix of qualities between young players and more experienced players, well fielded by a coach on the launch pad after about ten years of apprenticeship in the lower leagues, but above all already connoisseur of the environment, having played there for four years as a footballer at the turn of the millennium. If the club resists the temptation to raise cash next summer, the Udinese project could definitely take off.
The article Scattered considerations after Udinese-Milan (3-1) comes from Sportellate.it.