Davy & Chin Talk A.C Milan Weekly
Davy & Chin Talk A.C Milan Weekly
Davy & Chin Examine AC Milan's Identity Crisis and Tactical Inconsistencies and Preview AC Milan Vs Red Star In The UCL
From Davy's unlucky return from vacation to a bitter defeat against Atalanta, we passionately dissect Milan's challenges in rediscovering their identity and regaining control of their wheel in the Scudetto race.
Under the management of coach Fonseca, Milan's tactical inconsistencies and player positioning woes have become a focal point of concern. We candidly contrast his tenure with former coach Pioli, spotlighting the controversial use of players like Mussa and how it stifles creativity on the right wing. As we ponder Milan's Champions League prospects and financial futures, the conversation turns to whether adopting a more aggressive approach to coaching changes—perhaps taking a page from Chelsea's playbook—might just be the shake-up Milan needs.
Midfield mastery, defensive solidity, and attacking clarity—or the lack thereof—take center stage as we analyze Milan's current strategies. We emphasize the need for a strong midfield presence, and strategic possession, drawing comparisons with renowned players and illustrating how effective control can minimize defensive pressures. We share insights on the team's defensive improvements while questioning leadership decisions, particularly in attack. As we wrap up, potential coaching changes are on the horizon, with Maurizio Sarri possibly stepping in if things don't improve by January. The Serie A title race is heating up, and we explore Milan's role amidst fierce competition, especially against rising contenders like Atalanta and Napoli.
The Rossoneri Renaissance is complete.
Speaker 2:After 11 years. Once again, milan are the champions of Italy. It's they who wear the crown for the 2021-22 season. Hello everyone, this is DaVinci, talk, Milan, and we are back again. Gene, we took time off and came back to the same topic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's so funny guys. Welcome back Dave. Dave took a vacation and then he came back, and he came back exactly when Milan started losing, so he can complain, oh yeah right. Yeah, so all of a sudden. So Milan drops a game and Dave texts me we need to do a podcast. I'm like, of course, All the time we were winning and, you know, making it far in the Champions League, he did not text me. He did not text me. Now you want a podcast? Go ahead. Rant about Fonseca.
Speaker 2:Well, I think, every Milan fan at this point, because if you guys engineer the change and this is change then I think this is a new look for us. To be honest, you know what I'm saying. So, anyways, we're having this podcast two days after we lost to Atalanta in Bergamo and, in all honesty, that game I really cannot even define how it is. Maybe I'm glad Chen is here, probably we'll be able to give me some answers, you know what I'm saying. So because, honestly speaking, at this point I don't know what to expect from this team. Like, I was really jeered up, like a couple of days ago before the Atalanta game and I remember Leo was telling me that guy, don't get too hyped because this team might disappoint you. Sorry, why were?
Speaker 1:you hyped. What is what about this Milan team like? I feel like you know it's you. You, dave, you are the person that has a problem with Milan, and I'll tell you why. I don't know. I don't understand. You have this expectation that I, for one, I don't have. When we play certain games, you ask me what's the prediction, and I say Milan is going to lose.
Speaker 2:We are Milan. Milan is not just a team. Milan is not just a team. Milan is a team with identity. Milan is a team that carries a lot of weight. So is Manchester United. No, we're not in the same level with Manchester United those days. We are past that era. Now, what are you saying? This is AC Milan.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying just because you have history does not mean that right now it means anything, though. No, the point I'm trying to get across is we're dropping this.
Speaker 2:Is it right here? It's like we have an like you know an arrow going up and we just started dropping all of a sudden. Like this isn't has been a disaster for us in general. Like and in all honesty, this is not. This is not who we are as Milan. So I have every reason to have high expectation for this team, because that's who we are. Like the last three, four, four or five years, is that not what you guys were advocating for Then? What happened all of a sudden now, why is this a normal thing for us? This is not a normal thing for us. This is Milan. We cannot be seventh on the league table. There's no excuse for it. You know what I'm saying. This is just the reality here.
Speaker 2:Last season, we had one of the most difficult seasons. Last season, right, we came second and our football wasn't bad either. We have identity. There's a reason why you have players taking huge responsibilities in this team. Players like Giroud, for example, last season, even though that was his final season and he had a horrible season. He knows his responsibilities. Like this team had a soul before, like there's something binding them together, like it seems like everything just got loose. Then we're all over the whole place. We don't have identity anymore, like this is just. I don't know how you feel about this, but I just feel like this guy just got everything wrong for us. You know, honestly, like I know you said, you zeroed your mind about Fonseca after the Fiorentina game, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So after the Fiorentina game, I just concluded that that's the kind of season we're going to have, right, and it's not just about Fonseca, but just so that we give context. Right, like Milan, they haven't been in that bad of a form because, like, looking at the results, the last they just lost to Atlanta, but before then they basically went about seven games without losing, right. So in all honesty, it's like it's not the end of the world. But at the same time too, when you watch even the games they were winning and the games they were drawing, there wasn't anything about those games that stood out or anything that showed progress. Yeah. So, as a result, it can be fair for someone like yourself to basically be skeptical about the progression of the team.
Speaker 1:After the Fiorentina game, it just showed exactly. That was a microcosm of what Fonseca is all about. You have no control over the team. Anybody can do whatever they like and there was no discipline, right. So for me, if Fonseca is to be milan's coach going forward, we should just expect that this is the kind of team you're going to get. I said it last year about purely that the team has enough talent, but the coaching was their problem. The team still has a lot of talent. Their coaching is still their problem, and this is not a this is not a oh, let's go back and get purely back kind of thing. It's like milan still hasn't found a good enough coach that can take this team to the heights and the level that they need, and that's a big issue. Like fonseca is not that guy?
Speaker 2:like it's, that's it, but he isn't. I'm very worried. I'm like, I'm very, very worried, like, with the way situations are now, to be honest, like I don't even know what to expect anymore from us, but we cannot afford not to be playing in the champion's league. To start with, like you know, this season is a drop like, it's a new low for us again, like, and I'm scared because if we end up finishing this season out of champion's league position and it's quite obvious that I don't see, I don't see us making anything spectacular in Europe this season, to be honest, probably the best we could get is probably the Italian Cup and, to be honest, that's a big problem for us next season because it's going to kill us financially. And with the news circling around right now I haven't heard that Jerry Cannelli might be dropping out of, you know, might be leaving this project. Well, I don't know how real it is, but again, that's something to also worry about. But anyways, chin, let's just go to the nitty gritty here of this guy's squad and the way this guy plays for Nseka. To be honest, chin, since we started this season, right, I've been saying something over and over again that we switch off on games and that thing affects us a lot.
Speaker 2:Now let's talk about the tactics that's been used lately. You know, you and I, we had this conversation last season about why Puyol was using Moussa as a right winger or as a right back. Fonseca is typically doing the same thing, the same thing, the same issue that we complained about purely last season. It's the same thing that this guy is also doing now, pretty much using Moussa in the wrong position in order to just protect his right wing. Right, I'm right back, sorry, and to me I feel like that is really killing the creativity that we usually have from the right wing. It won't, it won't, man.
Speaker 2:I don't even know how to explain this, because when I was watching the atlanta game, all I could see was atlanta just running us over right from the right wing down to the middle, like Edison. I'm like are you kidding me? This is Edison. What was the last time we played Atalanta? Atalanta had the guts like this, as bad as we were. I mean, we see they're not even close. That's what I'm saying. This scene is just over. It's all over the whole place.
Speaker 1:Chin, to be honest so you're right about your Moussa take right, because when I saw the starting lineup, I was like so this guy has concluded that because Milan went to Real Madrid and won that game with this lineup, the same thing, with Moussa playing on the right-hand side, shooting, shooting. What's his name? Emerson Real? Every time we play a dangerous winger, he's going to do the same thing every time, right, and it's just unfortunate, to be honest, because you're to your point. This, for second, is purely 2.0, in the sense that he's not that good of a coach and for some reason, you know, like I don't know how, they ended up deciding that he's the right guy for the job. But at this point I I'm going to support what leo has always said this is not about the players, it's not about the coach, it's about management, because management makes all these decisions around who gets to coach the team, and they let Pioli sit there for a while and then they fired Pioli and then they brought him for a second. It's all management. So, at the end of the day, let's use Chelsea, for example, chelsea decided. End of the day, like, let's use chelsea, for example, chelsea decided.
Speaker 1:In the last two, three years, you fired a lot of coaches just to get to the person that they feel is they are comfortable with. That's the kind of stuff that you might have to do with milan, for instance. We're going to have for the next one year and then next, sometime in the middle of next year, we and I will be having the same discussion on this podcast about how milan are inconsistent. Milan are this, milan, are that Milan? You know they're two-nothing games. He's using the wrong player in the wrong position because the guy isn't the right guy for the job.
Speaker 1:So at the end of the day, I don't know what else to tell you, man, because no matter what you see, you're the guy that tomorrow, now they will go play Madrid and beat Madrid and you start telling me how this one, that one, but the truth is they are not. I told you the one who played Madrid. I told you that Milan didn't change anything, they just played. It's just that Madrid did not do Madrid things. So that's why it looked like they did something great. They did not, because this is the same Milan team. Nothing has really changed all year. It's the exact same thing.
Speaker 1:The only time I can a little spectacular was against Inter Milan, but now, the more you look at that Inter Milan performance, you might start asking yourself was it about Milan, or was it even about Inter? You know what I mean. But because, think about it it's 15 league games in, about how many games in the Champions League, five games in the Champions League, and? And even in the Champions League they look like they are doing well. But when you actually dissect each game, you realize that, like we lost to all the teams that we should have lost, the exception of Real Madrid and then the other teams we should have beaten, it looked like Milan struggled with some of them. Like, even though we beat those teams, we were too open and too.
Speaker 1:At the end of the day, this is the new Milan. So, until Fonseca leaves the team, this is what you're going to get. No matter who comes in, you can actually go and sign Prime, ronaldo, prime, messi, prime, whatever, whatever Even Rodri comes back from injury and put him on that team. The team will not look that much different because the coaching philosophy is inconsistent. He makes decisions that no one understands. Players as far as I'm concerned, I can't even tell you, like you and I can sit and say what's it, what's its information going to be like tomorrow. I can't tell you that, or in terms of who gets to play what. Instructions are nothing. At least with purely I can try to understand that he was trying to do some stuff what I liked about him, but at least he was trying to be consistent. He will play. He will play kronichi the day he dies.
Speaker 1:At least I want to understand right, but with this guy I don't know what he's trying to accomplish, I don't okay.
Speaker 2:So see like, look at where we are on the league table at the moment. Like I know, it's just 14 games right, and we're already kissing the league title in early December, which I think is to me.
Speaker 1:It's just it's but, dave, this is no different than last year, just so you know.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, Chin, no, no, it's not like Bro. We came second last year Are you kidding me.
Speaker 1:We came second, 20 points behind the eventual winner.
Speaker 2:Should I be naming the players that we have to let go this?
Speaker 1:season, Okay with you and the league right.
Speaker 2:This is the best court we have so far in a long time.
Speaker 1:And this guy's not utilizing it. You have to understand something with the league. Everyone assumes the league is played by multiple people. It's a competition among a group of teams. So let's put it this way. You look at Milan. Milan are struggling, but then a lot of teams are doing quite well. That's why it looks like Milan is really, really struggling. Napoli has bounced back, atalanta is killing it, inter Milan is still beating Inter Milan. Lazio, for some reason, is doing well. Like a lot of teams are stepping up this year. It has nothing just to do with Milan, because Milan could have been doing the same thing they are doing now and maybe still be second last year because Napoli was bad last year this was the same thing last year.
Speaker 2:This was the same thing I was saying last year as well. I said you see, like a lot of teams struggled last season, which is the reason why Inter stood out. No, inter had an amazing season. This season is different. My own feeling is just that hear me out, chin. So are we just going to wait and see how this season turns out, or you think Fonseca is running out of time and he might not probably finish the season with Milan? What do you think?
Speaker 1:I honestly believe that the Milan management, for some reason they kind of have faith in Fonseca. Now, the one thing I can tell you is that, from my own personal opinion, I think Fonseca might be more of a cup coach than Pioli was. It's so interesting to see when I mean cup coach, because somehow you have a point, Because basically, like, look how they demolished Sassolo in the Coppa Italia, If that was Pioli we would basically struggle to beat those guys, even though they are a second division team.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the point is like, somehow I feel bad for Pioli, dude.
Speaker 2:All those days of Tatarosan remember.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm and Berardi, so, but the point is like, at the end of the day, right Fonseca came out and he said, well, coppa Italia is important to Milan, and so on and so forth, they might end up just winning a trophy, and then management went to keep him for another year. It reminds me a little bit about what's his name the Manchester United former coach, eric Ten Hag, where he's not very good in the league, and then somehow he wins one of the FA Cups, or Carling Cup, whatever one, they call it Caribou Cup, and then they keep him, and then keep him again and keep him, but the team is not moving forward, they're not progressing.
Speaker 2:I have a question for you. Go ahead. Benassi is back and I'm so happy because this is the year. You know, we've been having this debate for quite a while now, you and I, right, regarding how how Fofana plays. I know, I know you're not a big fan of Fofana, right, and I can reason. I can see what you're trying to. You know, make me understand about him oh, you're, you're seeing it now. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're not honest.
Speaker 1:But which one, sorry? Which one exactly are you seeing now?
Speaker 2:Let me be sure that we're the same person, the the his, his ability to be able to initiate attack from the deep mid and making those long range passes. That that Isma Benassi does. You know how Benassi keeps the midfield very tidy, how he controls the midfield. He pulls everyone around, he controls the rhythm of the midfield and I think Ofana doesn't have that sort of skill. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me tell you what you're trying to say. So you know Rodri right? Everyone is talking about man City. The thing with Rodri versus Kovacic or versus Gondogan or anybody else, is that because Rodri is that kind of midfielder that just keeps the ball flowing and allows everybody else around him to get their tempo right, he controls the tempo of the team, and that's Benacer for you. He controls the tempo of Milan, like Nasser there, like if Nasser was playing with Reinders, he would look like a different player, because all of a sudden Reinders can now do the give and go and he would just look much better. But with Fofana it seems like I don't know what's something about Fofana, when it comes to that style of football, is not his thing.
Speaker 2:And this is my case here with Fonseca, because the way he plays right, I'm like if you're having Fofana in that midfield, you don't need more of Moussa to be coming to help Martin Royale and in return, mess up our own attack, because I don't see Moussa doing anything spectacular in the right wing, the way you see players like Chukwuzi doing, or maybe Okafor or Pulisic. You know what I mean and to me he needs to find a way to fix that. And if you feel like Emerson Roya is not really fitting into what you want defensively, find another option. Terrasciano is there.
Speaker 1:I don't mind who's your option, your boy, calabria, I mean.
Speaker 2:Calabria. Of course Calabria, our captain, needs to get back in that team because, again, it's not just the play that he brings. He brings some other things into the team, some other values, for example, the leadership value that Calabria brings to that team. Like we're not disciplined from the right, and those days he only used to have issues with Calabria in the right wing. He knows how to play players like Kroenic because they're stationary. You just put them there. Their job is to protect the defense, right, and I feel like you don't need to go and be putting Musa in the right wing to be doing that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:Anyways, chin. So the problem Milan has and I've been saying it all year is that Milan as a team, they don't play a controlled style of football, so they are not controlled. And what I mean by control? When you think about control, you think about the fact that it's almost like you're forcing your opponent to do stuff rather than you reacting. And the problem with the midfielders no matter who you put there, including Younes, moussa and whatever, we do not have control In soccer.
Speaker 1:How do you control the play? Like, how do you control football? The pace of football is controlled by possession, how you possess and then how, where you decide to take chances. Right, what I mean take chances is gamble in terms of where do you? Yeah, you on the left-hand side, and then knowing fully well that, based on how the ball got there, your positional awareness is strong enough that, as soon as he loses the ball, you can start pressing right away to reduce the chances against your team. But Milan loses the ball in every part of the field. It doesn't matter where. We can lose the ball in the middle, we can lose the ball on the side, we can lose the ball, give the boy away, which basically makes it look very chaotic.
Speaker 1:And if a midfielder like Fofana, the unfortunate thing is that because you're not a pivot right and I said this the last time about having a pivot Even the previous Milan teams, any team, any most good teams, if you notice they always have that pivot, that guy that is a reference point as a deep lane midfielder for everybody else and that guy's job is to kind of allow the whole string of everything to move. The problem with Milan is we have, we don't have that and the other players there's nobody that you can actually take in the team that say this person is your reference point for how you're going to move play. Reinders is good with carrying the ball, but he isn't like your tiki-taka. Let me touch the ball, give it back to you, let me hold possession. I used to remember when Krunic used to play that position. Man, yeah, but Krunic was that guy.
Speaker 1:But you know what is funny about Krunic being that guy? That job right is twofold. One is you helping the team in terms of keeping possession. The other one is in terms of you winning the ball back if everything else fails. Now let me use Rodri, because Rodri is a perfect example, or even Sergio Busquets, because Sergio Busquets is exceedingly good at keeping possession, his chances of playing defense becomes very, very low because he's not going to.
Speaker 1:When you have the possession of the ball, 75% of the time, the other guys have 25. When are they going to attack you? They are going to attack you only when you decide to lose the ball, which is literally one out of every uh, four, four minutes of the play, of play right, let's say on average, which is very, very rare, because they're not just going to attack you right away. And when they do guess what they do busquets and roger they do the technical foul, because if they ever find themselves out of position, they just foul you and then get yellow cards or just pretend like they didn't even mean to foul you.
Speaker 1:Now, the unfortunate thing is that Krunic, in his Rinda role, his job was mostly I'll focus on just helping the team avoid those counter-attacks, but he wasn't really good at moving the ball around. What Milan needs is perfect. I keep saying this we need a Benacer, and a healthy Benacer, because he's comfortable helping the team move the ball around. He's also and this to be honest, let me put it this way we need a Benacer before his Inter Milan injury, right Before that injury.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:Because he can. He's mobile enough to keep moving that ball around. He's also mobile enough to be disciplined enough, rather, to be in position to break up plays right, and that's what we don't have right now, and we can't. Actually, this team cannot be that team that this guy is hoping for if you do not have that much control.
Speaker 2:And we don't have control. How about if Brennerse plays along with Fofana and then Tijani Reinders plays ahead of them?
Speaker 1:Well, with Pulisic being injured, I think he might try that. If I'm him, what I might end up doing, if you ask me, is play more like a Like. Okay, let me put it this way Milano should be playing more like a 4-3-3. And I say 4-3-3 in the sense that you basically play three-man midfield and three-man attack, right, Two wingers and your what's it called? Your forward, which is Morata, and then you play what's his name? One pivot, and then this guy, Fofana, is actually good in terms of energy-wise running up and down, and then Reinders, on the other hand, can also do that job. Right, he can, but the only difference is that Randa is a little bit more influential in terms of his attacking flair, right.
Speaker 1:So when I say 4-3-3, what does it remind you of when Pioli was prime Pioli, when we had Kessie? That was exactly what we were playing. No, yeah, when we lose the ball, right, you always have, because, at the end of the day, like I just feel like Milan needs that reference point and we don't have it, and it just makes the team look no matter who we play. It's the way they attack Milan. I don't know if you haven't noticed. We are too open. It's almost like they're just letting everybody pass through If nobody wants to. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:It's like oh my God and, I think, my biggest concern. To be honest, again I'm going to talk about it again I think it's Theo Hernandez, because I miss those days. I know how creative Theo could be and on his day I know what he could bring to the team in terms of contribution going forward. But again, the way we're playing, I don't even think it really suits Theo as an attacking left back, because I know Theo with his crosses and how players like Olivier Giroud, who usually meet them right on air, and again we have strikers like Morata, who are good on air, and also Tammy Abraham as well, get these guys to the box, give Theo, you know, plays to be able to make those dangerous crosses. But you know honestly, no, we don't make this kind of move.
Speaker 2:And those are the period that sometimes I'm like we don't make this kind of move and those are the periods that sometimes I'm like I don't even know what we're trying to do. Are we trying to keep the ball or control possession? I don't even know. And then we keep giving the ball away, then we switch off, play in this moment again and in turn get in trouble. That happens against Atlanta. I'm just hoping the gap between us and Napoli, which is still 12 points at the moment. Right, I believe like, at least if we go in a very good run of form, we might be able to close the gap, but we're losing time and that's my biggest worry.
Speaker 2:One thing I really want to commend this guy about is, I think, the way he's able to fix our defense in terms of our center back. I'm beginning to see a new generation of our center back, which is between Malik Teo and Gabia, even though there's still a lot of work to do, but at least I can really give him that I think Malik Teo has really got himself back up again.
Speaker 1:So you are okay with tomorrow resting, eh, look.
Speaker 2:You're okay with.
Speaker 1:Tomori, wow, wow, I thought he had been playing too much.
Speaker 2:I want what's best for the team. I thought Tomori had been playing.
Speaker 1:I'm proud of you, you know, for once in your life, I'm really proud of you, dave.
Speaker 2:This show is gross.
Speaker 1:You know this show's gross, you know this show's gross you know why? You actually admit something for once in your life? I am, you know what. I think we should just end the podcast because I'm not done.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow let me finish by this now. All I feel like, if you want me to give my opinion about Tomori I think as much as a big fan of Tomori as I am right I feel like this season I expected him to step up and, you know, take some leadership responsibilities in making sure, like at least the defense, like what we need to do in terms of our center backs to close the gap, and make sure, like at least the defense, like what we need to do in terms of our center backs to close the gap, and make sure, like, at least we're keeping clean sheet and it's just him doing his best and putting in a lot of, you know, shifts, right, I feel like he just lost his way. I'm not sure if it's because of Timmy Abraham, but I don't know, but I can see him trying to get back and I know like I can see him trying to get back and I know like, if you ask me, I think Tomori is still our best defender.
Speaker 1:In all honesty, I think I should think so. Tomori is your most gifted defender. It does not mean he's your best. Just because someone is their most talented in terms of everything God has given them, it does not mean they are using their talent to the best of their ability. You know, I'm telling you now, like Milan is open, but they are more open when Tomori is there.
Speaker 1:Because you know what the problem is with Tomori he's still stuck in his old ways where he believes that he has cover from his midfield, so he just takes gambles that are not necessary. Malik Thia does not gamble. Malik Thia does not gamble, right. So, as a result, he basically is not exposing himself. Maybe experiences from Turam doing him bad things, like touching him lifelessly, that you know don't put yourself in vulnerable situations, because you notice he's not in those 1v1 situations a lot, right, he's basically trying to avoid those things, but Tomori somehow still believes that he can go take chances. For some reason, I don't know why he believes he can push that high or, you know, push out of position. Even Pavlovich does the same thing Tomori does. And then every time, he'll be tracking I told you this in the beginning Tracking back, dragging people falling like an ostrich, or like a zebra, you know what?
Speaker 2:There's something that really bothers me about this Fonseca guy. I won't lie to you, because even last season, right, when we had problems with attack right and Drew was not available, you see how Pewele was able to, you know, give this guy a lot of responsibility. What's his name? Jovic, and you know the guy had like double-digit losses. Which, to me, still brings my conversation back to that reference point. Like attack needs a reference point. Like an attack needs a reference point. If we don't have a reference point in an attack and we're attacking, who are we attacking? Like, who takes the final responsibility to score goals? It's the striker.
Speaker 2:To me, if Marta is dropping way too deep and he's not available to do that, then that's a problem. I think I'm seeing him now a little bit more in the box these days, which is fine, but I still feel like there has to be much more responsibilities, like you know, for our strikers to be more active in the box, giving players like Theo Hernandez, rafael Leal, even then Pulisic as well, from the right to be able to locate the reference point. And then that's why you see strikers scoring 15, 20, 30 goals a season, because they're the reference point. You know what I mean and I don't think Fonseca is doing well enough on that. Now the big news is Pulisic is injured. Pulisic is injured and that's a big blow for Milan.
Speaker 2:Because that's a big problem? Because even these days I don't see Pulisic play. Pulisic has been playing more in the central right, so the only option that he's got right now is probably he's going to go back to his old style, which is basically playing Tammy Abraham as a central striker and then playing Morata to play more deeper. But to me again, I feel like things are not looking well for Fonseca, to be honest. But anyways, we're playing Red Star this week in the Champions League. Shane, my question for you is what's your rating for Fonseca in the Champions League this season so far?
Speaker 1:Considering the fact that it's a new format, right, I think, mediocre average, because basically, like I said, we've lost all the games we should lose and we've won the games we should win. You asked me one time do you think we're going to make it to the next stage of Champions League? And I said yes. I said yes because when you consider the, when you consider the games that are left and the fact that all those teams are in the bottom half of that whole Champions League table, milan just needs to basically make it to top I think, top 20 or whatever, top 20 or whatever and then they will make it in. I was looking at the table earlier. If we win this next game, there's almost a guarantee that we're going to be in the Champions League next round. Right Now, ideally, what you want is you want to be able to get to the top eight so that you can you know you can avoid the playing games or whatever it's called, right? But that being said, milan is not considered one of the top teams in the Champions League. You and I know that part Like.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of teams there that can beat Milan any day, any time. Let's even start with Italy. A lot of teams in Italy can beat Milan any day, any time, let alone in Europe, right? So there's no fear factor. No-transcript. When you play Juventus, you can see control, even though they end up drawing all their games. But Milan doesn't play like that. Milan just plays so open. It's like you and I can form a team today, eh, and we'll go and play this Milan team and we'll get chances, but well, but well yeah, I understand what you mean and in all honesty, so that means anybody you play as long as they're professional footballers, they're going to create chances against you.
Speaker 1:How can you be a team that plays that way like? That's not a sign of a good team. A sign of a good football or sports team is that you limit opponent chances and then you create your own, a lot of chances for yourself. That's what the sign of a good team, man City, right now they're not a good team because everybody gets chances against them. Now that's how you know you're struggling and this Milan team all year has been exactly like this, starting from the beginning of the season. Remember when we played the Torino, it was like that. Those Torino ones almost killed us with chances and it hasn't stopped the game this year where I looked at the game and went, oh my God, wow, what control. It looked like. We controlled everything from beginning to end.
Speaker 2:It looks like anybody we played Aside the Real Madrid and Inter game, though.
Speaker 1:But the Real Madrid we didn't control. I keep telling you that part Madrid created so many chances, just that they didn't score, and some of them. You know what I mean when you say control, where they don't have chances. Inter Milan created chances. For Christ's sake, Did you forget they created, it's just that they didn't score their chances. The point I'm talking about Kontu is that, like when the opponent did not create that many chances, Milan DCA has considered so many chances.
Speaker 1:Mike Mian has saved us a lot. Think about it. A lot of saving, yeah, Even this past weekend against, when they played against Atalanta, it was the same thing. Mike Mian was saving and saving and he was like, okay, it's basically like most people just decide, don't worry, you get your chance. You and I knew when we were watching that game, Mian, I know deep down that Atalanta will, Milan is going to win the game, but it's not going to be like an easy win. It's going to be a win that they will give up chances, concede a few goals and then they will find a way to win and then they will qualify for the next round. They'll probably get kicked out of the next round or the round after that in the Champions.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I've been hearing some names circling around lately, right, one of them is Mauricio Sarri, and, if you look at it this way, if I will ever think about anybody else at this point to get the hands on this team, that I feel like at least we would do something a little bit better than what Fonseca is doing. I think Sarri is probably going to get the hands on this team. That I feel like at least we would do something a little bit better than what Fonseca is doing. I think Sarri is probably going to be the next option for me, to be honest, because, aside his experience in Europe right, I also feel like he's also a good coach in terms of being an Italian coach. He knows a lot about Italian football, way more than Fonseca think he does, and I think he has.
Speaker 2:Yes, I remember him being a Napoli coach way back then. He's done a good job and he's gone to Chelsea. He's done amazing as well. So to me, I think that'll probably be the next option. I'm hoping he doesn't get to that. I still feel like I'm still giving this guy a little bit of time in terms of trying to figure out some things that I feel like it's more evident, things that I feel like it's more evident and I feel like if he works on them he might be better. But again, I'll wait till January and see how things are for Milan in January. Then I'll give my own verdict about him. Anyways, chin, talking about other teams, right, who's your favourite now to win the Scudetto?
Speaker 1:Atalanta, because, basically the way Atalanta, because basically the way Atalanta has been winning. They basically be choking everybody else and then they just find a way to get the result and Lukman has been in form for almost a whole year right, like a whole full, in fact. A year and 18 months he's been in form. Cdk, milan's outcast, looks a bit unplayable. Returki looks incredible Like they have a lot of all the ingredients.
Speaker 2:And I'm surprised that they have this sort of squad depth too. Right, because I'm looking at Zanullo, who's still there, and they still have some players that are injured, like Skamaka is injured, so yeah, but I still feel like my surprise team of the season so far is still Lazio.
Speaker 1:To be honest, yeah, lazio is good, but again for me, between Atalanta and Napoli, I just believe that they will find a way to win the league. I'm hoping because Inter Milan, to be honest, are still there, but I'm hoping that those two people win. One of them would win the league, if not Milan, because we cannot have Inter Milan winning the league twice in a row.
Speaker 2:If you ask me, I think I'm probably going to go with this pick. To be honest, you think he's going to find a way to win this, because that guy, that guy, that guy is a buster, he knows how to oh so now you finally agree that Muzagi is a good pick, of course, I think the closest person that will have probably, of course, god.
Speaker 1:If Pioli was still there, nzaghi would be happy because he would keep winning the Milan derby.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you, if Pioli was still with this team that you guys are complaining about, it would have been better.
Speaker 1:But anyways, anyway, my point is that Atalanta and Napoli are my favourite by the end of, so we have three more games for the half of the season, right, and I think Atlanta will finish top of the first half of the season, and then let's hope. I don't know. I think Milan needs to do something. Either the coach has to do a radical change, or they have to find a new coach, or something like that. But I don't think they're finding a new coach, so we just have to hang in there and hope that we finish top four, top five, and then make it to Champions League.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Shin. It's been a pleasure talking to you about Milan again. Same here, Dave. Let's connect after the rest of the game this midweek and then we'll talk more about our plan for our next game in the Italian League. Thank you guys for listening. It's been a pleasure. Have a wonderful week. Forza Milano.
Speaker 1:Take care, Dave. Thank you very much. Forza Milano and ciao.
