Davy & Chin Talk A.C Milan Weekly
Davy & Chin Talk A.C Milan Weekly
Davy & Chin Takes a Hard Look at AC Milan's Painful Fall From Grace and Preview Coppa Italia Semifinal Vs Inter Milan
AC Milan's dramatic fall from Scudetto contenders to 9th place has left fans questioning the club's direction and management decisions. We analyze what went wrong and whether there's any hope left for this season.
• Milan's current crisis under Sergio Conceição, with four losses in their last six games
• Comparison between Fonseca and Conceição, with neither coach seemingly able to establish a consistent playing style
• The puzzling absence of Fikayo Tomori from the starting lineup despite his importance to Milan's defensive stability
• How management decisions, including firing Paolo Maldini, derailed a promising long-term project
• Milan's best hope now lies in winning the Coppa Italia against Inter to salvage European qualification
• The need for leadership on the pitch, as Milan players appear to lack fighting spirit and mentality
• Looking ahead to a potential rebuild around younger talents like Reijnders and Fofana
After the Coppa Italia semifinal against Inter, we'll be back to analyze whether Milan can pull off an upset and keep their season alive.
The Rossoneri Renaissance is complete 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 Davian Chin. Talk Milan, and we are back again Chin. It's been a minute, bro, how you been man and we are back again Chin.
Speaker 2:It's been a minute, bro, how you been man, I've been good, been busy, personal life busy. Dave, first of all, before we begin, a big congratulations to you and your family for the addition. I feel like since we started this podcast.
Speaker 2:We've had two children, two additional children we are growing with Milan. Yeah, I know All of them. I hope you don't torture them and make them Milan fans, because I feel like that would be life torture. But on a more serious note, congratulations to you and your lovely wife and it's always good to add more people to the family and welcome welcome to your lovely daughter and all the best to you guys. Hope mother and child are doing quite good.
Speaker 1:Yes, we are doing well. Thank you so much. Appreciate, man that's good.
Speaker 2:So, wait, you have three, so the next is four. Right, because, uh, you go, seven sitters. You have to fill those, those spots up no, milan is giving me enough stress?
Speaker 1:I don't think I have. Well, no, congratulations to you guys. Thank you. Thank you so much, man, and, yeah, thank you so much our listeners. Um, we apologize for not getting back, you know, for not being able to post our podcast last, um last few weeks. Um, just sometime, life gets in the way. I remember the last, our last podcast chain was after the employees um game. It's been that long, I'm telling you, man, then we're going to crash out of the Champions League. He crashed out. There's been so many things happening since then. But, yeah, returning from the international break after the dramatic win against Lecce two weeks ago, right, we came back from the international break to face Napoli. So we are doing this podcast on the eve of the Napoli game. Eh, chin, what do you think has changed since then?
Speaker 2:nothing has changed. I told you before the during our last podcast nothing has changed with Milan. I think I said this when they hired Sergio Conceição and everyone was getting excited about him winning the Super Cup, and I said to you I said he won that based on emotion. There was no footballing genius or anything he did to win those games right. So that's fine. At least he has a trophy on his side to help him gain some momentum. But the unfortunate thing is he came in and not a lot has changed. It feels like, in fact, milan might have been better off leaving Fonseca, if you ask me, because the results are as bad, if not worse, than what Fonseca has, and the football play is not really looking that much exciting, in my own opinion, right.
Speaker 1:Remember when Fonseca got fired and we were talking about it. We're not expecting him to, in my own opinion, right. Remember when Fonseca got fired and we were talking about it, like, like, we're not expecting him to get fired, just like that.
Speaker 2:Because it wasn't. Again I keep saying that, look, fonseca got fired. Milan were not that in bad form. The only game they lost in the previous score God knows 10 to normal games was against Atalanta, and that's a reasonable loss away at Atalanta. And that's a reasonable loss away at Atalanta. It was the one where I think Lukman scored late 87th minute. Right. So to me for you to get fired after that Roma game as if he did something horrible. To me it just implies that maybe there was a form of misdirection from the Milan management. And then, fast forward, you hire Conceicao. But, bro, since Conceicao took over Milan, the amount of losses, not Fonsecao, what is it? Conceicao rather.
Speaker 2:The amount of losses is just incredible, and it's not like he's actually trying to do anything that I can understand, because somehow maybe it's me, but Milan is not really consistently, at least with Fonsecao. You could imagine that he was being stubborn and his stubbornness was in a particular direction. With Conceição, I don't know what he's trying to accomplish with the team. Maybe you can tell me, but I'm not sure. I'm not seeing anything that he's trying to do. I said the same thing I know about Fonseca, but somehow it felt like Fonseca was trying to do something but no one understood what it was. Somehow I feel like with Conceição, fonseca was trying to do something but no one understood what it was. Somehow I feel like with Conceição, I don't know if he's trying to do something and I also don't understand what he's trying to do, which is the exact same thing I just said right, okay, so anyway, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1:Let's really talk about the lineup today, right Against Napoli, because at least, yeah, this game needs to be talked about. How convinced were you with the starting lineup to start with?
Speaker 2:How convinced. How would I be convinced? Dave? Milan has lost four of their last six games. How can I be convinced about anything? I don't know what to tell you. Whatever he did or does, it doesn't matter. So, convinced about lineup implies that I saw the lineup and I felt today we have a good game.
Speaker 2:Before the game started, someone texted me and said Napoli will spell Milan today, and I laughed and I basically agreed Because somehow that's the feeling I've had with this AC Milan team the last two, three months, right? Is that it doesn't matter, Anybody they play. It feels like they don't have that confidence, no matter who you put out there. It could have been Rafael Leal and the 2021 Milan squad that won the Scudetto, which, again, is not the best squad they wouldn't have done nothing today. And it has nothing to do with the starting lineup, because the starting lineup he put out there wasn't that far off from what he has been putting out the last few games, right? So, yeah, exception of maybe Rafael Leal not playing. But then Jao Felix came in again and yeah, regardless of what he does, it doesn't seem like his team has.
Speaker 1:For me, let me just quickly just make some quick points about this lineup. To start with, from the defense, chin, since that Empoli game that we won, you know that period, that Empoli game, when we did that podcast, we actually have this sort of good remarks about how the team is, you know, getting back now, you know, trying to put some level of consistency together. I remember then we were actually at seventh. You know, at that time, even despite the fact that Tomerigo recorded in that game, right like handled the game like very well, like we, we, you know we were able to see the game through and stuff. Right now, since that game, since that error, which to me I still feel like it's very debatable, like I said in that podcast, huh, I feel like concert south has sort of like shifted that defense line to me that I felt like was a very peaceful and powerful defense because against inter, you know I had I told about this defense against Inter that our center back our defense line, if it consists of Pavlovich, tomori, theo Hernandez and Kai Walker, like this is a very strong and peaceful and powerful defense that we can play high line easily and if we lose ball, you know, from those high distance, high end of the pitch right, high end of the pitch right, it won't be that affected because these players can quickly recover and stuff.
Speaker 1:Since that game, contessa has not been playing Tomori. He has stopped playing. Tomori is our quickest defender. Tomori is one of our most versatile defenders. He can play either as a right back or he can play from any position of the centre-back. Now, all I've been noticing is there's not been a level of consistency in terms of consistency selection in that centre-back. Today he will use Gabia and Chiao, tomorrow he will use Pavlovich and Gabia. Like, there's no level of consistency in that defence line and I feel to me that's a huge, huge problem, because the level that we're taking to like concede goals the last few games has been so embarrassing to me. It's been so embarrassing and so embarrassing to me. He's been so embarrassing and everybody can see that Tomori has been missing in that defense line and for him to be able to play on that high line. He cannot do that, tomori. Like, what's your thought, though? Like, maybe I'm just.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, but he puts in Bondu and maybe two very physical midfielders, hoping that you know he would be able to counter the loss of Tomori, right? The problem is that Milan doesn't have a little bit of a. They don't have any idea of what they are trying to accomplish. Even today, watching like you can see, napoli, when they lost the ball, they will go in their shape, right, you can see what they were trying to do and then when they hit you on counterattacks, it's almost like the ball goes to the wing. It comes back to Lukaku. Lukaku lays it off Like people are running off of Lukaku. You could see what they were trying to do. I don't know if you understand what I mean. Yeah, milan couldn't do that. Milan couldn't do that. A few times they tried to go to Tammy Abraham. He wasn't strong enough. So, to your point, I would have even benched him after that. I've told you for the last two years that Tomori hasn't been his true self, but you wouldn't listen because you like him so much. He hasn't been his best self.
Speaker 1:Even Tomori said it earlier this season that he has not been his best self. Shane, do you know that last season Tomori had four league goals? Last season, yeah, you can goals last season.
Speaker 2:Is that his job? Is it his job to score goals?
Speaker 1:I'm just saying that this is how important Tomori is to us.
Speaker 2:That's what you assume, but, dave, forget that the name is Tomori. Let me give you a scenario here. Imagine you're a defender and your defender is not named Tomori. Your defender is named Ade Baruri or whatever, like Lukavic, whatever Let me just name any name and you were highly rated or you were doing a good job under a previous coach.
Speaker 2:A new coach comes in and somehow the coach has a problem with you. Maybe they don't like something about you. The next coach comes in, gives you a chance right, new chance gives you the first few games, because that was the case. And then guess what? After a while it's like nah, not seeing that in you. So to me, okay, to me, it has nothing to do with the coaches now, it has something to do with you as a player. And then now, even top of that, with the fact that weird people like Chin have been saying that this guy has been out of form, his national team coach the previous one didn't think that he was the guy. Neither does the new one think he's the guy. So the point I'm trying to make is at some point, when would you stop blaming the coaches and start wondering?
Speaker 1:if everyone sees Chin Chin, chin Chin. That's not fair. What you're saying is not fair. No, it's not Chin, that's not fair.
Speaker 2:All I to say, the statement I'm trying to make, is that Tomori has not been informed for the last two years.
Speaker 1:Our entire centre-backs. Tell me which one of them has not made any sort of bad blunder this season, Right?
Speaker 2:down to to.
Speaker 1:Pablo to Gabia.
Speaker 2:I doubt. If it's about the blunders, right, it's also about, maybe, what the players can do and can't do.
Speaker 1:So maybe, guys, maybe it's so funny I like the commentator today, right, because I was watching from Fubu, right, and I like what that commentator said. The commentator said Milan's centre-back, his defence, is missing Tomori, he said because he's not just because of the way he plays. He said he's very special to that defence line and the reason is because of the fact that his intensity and the pace that Tomori brings to that centre-back, he like there's no way we can be playing high line without having Tomori in the team. That's just, that's what I'm going to say.
Speaker 2:Milan's centre-back is also Milan's defence is also missing, Theo Hernandez.
Speaker 1:To me, I To me. I don't think so Like talking about the NLF right this is what's happening?
Speaker 2:No, no, I'm only just telling you that everybody in Milan this season have just been poor, right? So the frank truth is that I think they all decided that this season is a wash. So they won the Coppa Italia, coppa, super Coppa, which is great. Now, for me, can we actually talk about? Let's forget about individuals. Let's talk about what the outlook is for Milan going forward. I know you once said that you were hoping they would finish third. That was when they were building momentum that they can pass people and finish third. Now Milan will be lucky if they finish top six or top seven in the league, right? So, that being said, we know we're not going to make it to Milan. Is that one is gone? You want to bet Because there's eight games left or so and you're not going to make it to the Champions League? First of all, they're not consistent enough.
Speaker 1:That's confirmed already, because after this weekend, after they lost to Napoli this weekend, I just feel I just I zeroed them completely.
Speaker 2:Okay, so there you go. I don't see any. I don't see how that's semi-finals to go, if I'm not mistaken, or is it quarter-finals, we didn't tell you, against Inter.
Speaker 1:Milan Chin Chin. To me, honestly speaking, if Milan wins the Coppa Italia, it's going to be a miracle, because I don't think Milan really has that sort of. I don't think we're in that space mentally to be able to even go and say, hey, we're going to beat Inter. These guys are in good form. I watched them today against Genesee. They're really, really in good form and they know how to get things done when they want to. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:It's the same thing that everyone thought before they played the Super Copa in the Middle East. Right, let me go back to what I was going to say. Let's say, by the grace of some miracle, right, milan pulls off an upset against Inter Milan and pass Inter Milan, and then they go and they can play Empoli or Bologna, which is doable, and they win the Super Cup and Coppa Italia. That would have been two trophies in this horrendous season for Milan, which, to me, is not the worst right Now. The more realistic outlook, based on what you're saying, is that, yes, they are going to lose to inter milan, inter milan win the league and they win the cup italia, which would be horrible for milan because they will miss the champions league and miss everything, because what I was going to tell you, dave, is that, all things being equal, right, the league already, milan through this league, through this league a way before they even got to sergio concesal.
Speaker 2:The focus is now to try to win a couple of trophies to feel good. We still have good foundational players. I've said it before that there are some players that, if you ask me, I would have sold and used their money to reinvest, because at this point, they might not actually be giving you that much value compared to what you get out of them. And then a younger player, but that's beside the point. And then, like someone said a few weeks ago, then, like someone said a few weeks ago, get rid of the Theo Hernandez of this squad so that you can actually rebuild, which is true.
Speaker 2:Build the team around guys like Tijani, reinders and a few other younger players I don't mind the Bondo kid, he looks like a good player, right, like a few people and try and revamp the team and try and see if you can actually catch Inter Milan on the downturn which I would suspect they will have next year. Napoli is going to be a one-season wonder, because that's usually what is called a contest style, and then maybe Milan can actually be on the up-and-up next season. This season is gone, we're not playing Champions League. It's not like you know what I mean. Nothing is going to happen. So we just build around some of the older guys and advertisement for them and then get rid of them.
Speaker 1:My question is Consensual wins the Italian Cup, Would you give him one more season? I will.
Speaker 2:Okay, you know why I will. Yes, so this is the reason. There are two things to think about. If Milan were to fire Consensual today, sergio Consensual, who would they go hire? What do you mean?
Speaker 1:Okay, who's the coach that you'd like for them?
Speaker 2:You mean, like if they fire him before the end of the season or you defy him at the end of the season, before the end of the season, at the end of the season, because a lot of coaches that you think might not be available by the end of the season. Who are you thinking about?
Speaker 1:Just you're not serious Milan is already in talks with Allegri, so you want Allegri back no, I don't want him, okay.
Speaker 2:So then who would you want? Because then they just fired Thiago Mota. Do you think Thiago Mota would be good for them?
Speaker 1:to be honest, I was actually going to talk about Thiago Mota, right, but again I feel like like his weaknesses really showed what are his weaknesses? His ability to actually adapt to like some sort of like he can't play Milan style. Let me just be real, that's just it Milan does not have a style.
Speaker 1:Milan has a style of play. Bro. What's his style? Because I don't see it. Look, your players in your team, your regulars, your top players in your team, are what forms a style the way you play. That's just the way it is. Like this isn't here. I feel like the Zerbi is actually going to be the only person that I feel like is the perfect match for this. Milan, right? And I think they're also in talks with him, actually with his agent, as I'm talking to you.
Speaker 2:So, Milan, are going to fire Sergio Conceição.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying they're going to fire him, but I'm just saying that his contract runs to the end of the season. He signed a short-term contract.
Speaker 2:Oh, really, he only has a half-a-season contract. Yeah, he's a half-a-season, yeah, okay. Well, if so, they can walk away. That's good for them. That's very smart of them Because, like, honestly speaking, he looks like a very energetic guy and very entertaining to watch on the sideline, but reality is that somehow he doesn't get through to the players. What I don't understand is how Nzaghi can be doing that stuff in Inter Milan, like year in, year out. Like I can't forgive you. You know, there are certain things I forgive people for. I'm very easygoing, I like to forgive. I can't think you know. Like, which coach are you talking about?
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, you want to bring up Yuli's conversation, right no it's just that I just don't know how you think that Inzaghi is on the same level with a lot of coaches in.
Speaker 1:Europe. You know what's so funny about some of you Milan fans? It's the fact that you see how everything collapsed right in front of you just within the space of 12 months that this guy lost Okay sorry, okay, what are you talking about?
Speaker 2:So, milan?
Speaker 1:No, hold on, hold on. Let me finish. And you still like. You see how, like if Pioli was at Milan today. This is not who we are. We're not going to be in ninth position, we're going to be, like, contending for the league, but with all these things happening around, like I said again, I said it last season. I said this team is not yet there. To me, this team wasn't there. Like when you're building, you build with patches. That's how I like to build, like literally From one patch to the other. That's how you steady build a team. To me, all Milan needed to do this season was sign a very good striker, find a very good defense like Bondo perfect guy. They brought him at the beginning of the season to join the team and find a very good center back right or an attacking midfielder. This would have been good for us. And again, let this project run to the end of the season. Then we can see where we are. Where we are right now, we don't deserve to be. We don't deserve to be in that position.
Speaker 2:I think you deserve to be anywhere. You find yourself on the league table.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying, yeah, that's what football does, that right, exactly right. But this project has been like four to five years in the making. We shouldn't be in this stage right now. To be honest, that's what I'm just going to say, you know do you know what your problem is?
Speaker 2:You're trying okay, milan won the Milan. Milan won the what's it called the Scudetto. Right, yeah, at interesting time. Usually when you're grooming people, there's a time where they peak. Milan basically won the Scudetto right before they even peaked. They should be peaking now, but the unfortunate thing is it felt like Milan peaked three years ago or so, right, and that was under Pioli. So, as a result, everything from there was downhill Because basically, pioli was.
Speaker 2:It's funny how these things work. Pioli was actually responsible for his own downfall. You know why? Because he actually won the ultimate prize a year and a half into his tenure at milan and if he hadn't, people would still be hoping that one day he win the scudetto and no one would be complaining, with him finishing second and third. But because he won the league. Everybody, including myself and I'm sure, yourself, we're always comparing him, just like we're doing now. So that milan team that won the Scudetto, even though winning the Scudetto then might have been I'm not saying it's a whatever, it's a by chance win, but it might have been a combination of a bunch of teams taking a step back and then Milan, you know, hitting up at the right time, right last 12 games of the season Shane see, all this project you're looking for, the outcome you're looking for right now in the project phase.
Speaker 2:Right, you're saying at this point, milan shouldn't be here in this year in this project that they had? First of all, the owner of the project got fired, like two years ago or so, so that changed everything. Did you remember that Maldini got fired? So whatever project you were thinking, did not? It stopped existing, so there's a new one that they came up with, the new one. You would have to restart it two years ago. And then, secondly, you were trying to build this project with players that have already reached the pinnacle of whatever they reached, and to them again, giving that. To me, if you ask me, milan is sort of a transition club People like Leao and Theo Hernandez and those guys after a year or two, and then when they've won the league for you one year, two years, you should be getting rid of them because people will come pay premium dollars for them.
Speaker 1:Chin Chin Chin. You see, this is your analysis and you're very biased, but anyways, how?
Speaker 2:am I biased?
Speaker 1:I'm only telling you the reality. Do you realize that Giroud is 38 years old and he's our main striker? Okay, what does that have to do with anything I just said? All throughout the last three to four years, Milan has been the only team that's been backing this Scudetto with Inter Toe to toe.
Speaker 2:What are you talking about? What do you mean?
Speaker 1:by. Just let me finish oh wow, all of this with mediocre players. The last season, which was this term, 23, 24 season, right when, like everything changed, madden got fired, yet and they decided to go to remodel the project again, basically, and you know, buying 10 players, 10 foreign players, thinking they'll come in and come to Italian League and come and just win the league. Like that, like it doesn't work. Like that, like you doing that, you're already setting up your coach for Philly already. This is what's happened. This is the same team, team that you people accused the former coach for not winning the league and he came second, got to the quarter final of Europa League.
Speaker 1:Like this project right now, to me, is in a phase where, how do I say, like they're trying to fast-track, when you're trying to fast-track a project, right, it doesn't work. Like that, football has changed completely To me, honestly speaking, this team, how do I say, like they're trying to fast track, when you're trying to fast track a project, right, it doesn't work. Like that, football has changed completely To me, honestly speaking, this team, with Theo Hernandez, with Rafael Lea, with Mike Minyan Gabia, like these are the main core players in this team that they should be building upon Malik Thiel, for example, all these guys. So to me, I don't think those old players, I don't think they're dead and gone, no, I just feel like the way this team is being managed is the problem. Okay, so again, what is Jao Felix doing in Milan?
Speaker 2:Well, again to your point. You've actually made my point familiar. Your point made my point. I said Milan is chasing the glory days. Right, the glory days was the last three years, three years ago, four years ago rather, when they won the Scudetto. Right, that was the glory years they are still chasing. Actually, it was three years ago. So the point I'm trying to get across to you is that, because of that, every single time they're trying to basically, like you, talk about jao felix. Why are you not complaining about the tamil abrahams of this world, or the car walkers of this world, or the lofty chicks of this world?
Speaker 2:Milan is trying to go compete for league, week in, week out. That's why they keep looking for all these players that they're in their mind, they can harness, to be able to compete with what Inter Milan does. But if you go back, maldini was building a model where he was signing players that were relatively unknown or have high potential, and they just needed a coach that can nurture them. Right, and the nurturing coach happened to be Pioli, and he nurtured them, nurtured the group, and the group won the league. And then, guess what? That was supposed to continue, because Maldini still had that same philosophy going forward.
Speaker 2:If Maldini was at Milan by now, I'm sure he would have sold a few of those guys you were mentioning that are pillars and brought in younger guys that, in his mind, would actually, because at the end of the day, you have to remember, milan is doing two things at the same time Coming back from financial obscurity and then, at the same time, coming back to relevance in Europe. It's hard to do. They don't have the money to spend. So part of getting that money will be spending selling players and being able to recoup some of that fund. But we're not doing that now. How long? When was the last time?
Speaker 1:you asked for a huge amount of money. Honestly, though, even if you ask me to like, I'm going to be real, I'm going to be real. Maldini also has a fault in this as well. Yeah, he does have a fault in this. I know people are going to give me a stick for this, but I'm just going to be real, yeah, because there's something like all through Madini's era, we know how our model was, which is basically just, you know, just try and see if this player is going to work.
Speaker 1:This player has potential. Let's see what we can get from him, and all those things, right, but the thing is, after the post-Kudeto, right, he made some decisions that I don't like. Like Origi, we are stuck with Origi. What is Origi still doing at Milan right now, even the CDK signing? Cdk is a very good player, but CDK doesn't fit Milan's playing style. He doesn't fit Milan's playing style. He doesn't. That's the reason why he struggled, and you see, when he go to Atalanta, atalanta plays differently and they're able to fit him in. Like, there's so many things Like how could you be building a team around a player like Brian Diaz, knowing that, when he's ripe enough, real Madrid is going to take him?
Speaker 2:And they did. Okay, but yeah, you're only calling out. So let me explain why are you blaming Maldini? The same pattern Maldini got CDK is how he got your Rafael, leal and Teo.
Speaker 1:Hernandez. Oh no, let me finish, let me finish. Let me finish, let me finish. Don't just change, just give me a few. Let me just finish my point here.
Speaker 1:With everything happening right, this is how we've been operating under Maldini. If I were Cardinale right, I would just you know what. What can we do to make it better? What kind of scout do we need to make this? No one should get fired. Maldini shouldn't get fired. Pioli shouldn't get fired. We just need much more funding to improve the project. That's all they needed to do. But unfortunately, everybody thinks oh, cardinale felt like Mardini had too many errors with the signings or the way he was bringing players in. He asked him bye. Give Pioli a chance, but give him players. Give the signing autonomy to guys that don't really know what the project's even look like. So if they want to restart something or what to even like, what next they should do regarding the project? When Pioli left, they didn't know. They didn't know what to do. But anyways, right now where the wetlands are, if you ask me, I don't think I should be expecting anything else from this team this season, even the Coppa Italia.
Speaker 2:I'm not even going to pick up on it. Let's see. Is it Coppa Italia? Is it two legs or just one?
Speaker 1:It's two legs, and we're playing in town, so for me to actually say this, it really sums up the kind of confidence that I have.
Speaker 2:I know it. Strange, because usually I'm the person that is saying this exactly, exactly, okay, so let me tell you the reason I'm saying it is simply because I believe that you know, the derbies are usually unpredictable. So, as a result, it doesn't matter how form milan is still going to play in tamil, as though they are in tamil, right. So milan could be in bad form and still find a way to do something against in tamil, and that's fine. So all I'm trying to say is that there's hope there, and you know like we could do it. Plus, inter. Milan is still in Europe and they still have a lot of games and they're still playing for the league, so it might be a little bit different for them.
Speaker 2:Milan arrested Rafael Leal today. Did you see that Inter would not have arrested their key players to play with the Nesi? They didn't, I'm sure. With that Coppa Italia in mind, milan is not going to finish fourth, so they know that. So the only way to Europe for Milan right now is through the Coppa Italia, and they are going to try their best to get something done Now. That being said, am I hoping for a significant result? No, I wouldn't be surprised if Milan trashes them. But at the same time, again, I have to have some semblance of hope and they may do it. And the coach? The coach seems to be a cup coach.
Speaker 1:Chin, let me bust a bubble. This is the last next five games. We're going to play Inter in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, and on Saturday we're going to play Fiorentina. We're going to come back to Udinese and play Atalanta. After Then we'll play Inter again.
Speaker 2:How excited are you for these fixtures? Yeah, but this is the point you're missing. So, for instance, what do you think Milan is going to play when they play Atalanta? Do you think they're going to play all their starting XI if they have a chance against Inter Milan? No, this is the point I'm making.
Speaker 2:It is more valuable for AC Milan to put all their egg in the Coppa Italia basket than trying to do anything in the league, because the league they're not going to finish top four in the league, right, they're not going to. So Milan are currently ninth place and they are basically four points behind Fiorentina. And to get to fifth, which is Juventus, they are eight points behind Juventus, eight points, and you have to make it up in eight games Not happening, because that means Milan has to win all their remaining eight games and then Juventus has to basically lose three out of their eight, or something like that, right? So that's not going to happen for Milan, first of all. So we know that part. They're not going to happen for Milan first of all. So we know that part. They're not going to jump past Lazio. They're not going to jump past Fiorentina and Roma to get to Juventus. Maybe best case is they jump past Fiorentina, maybe Lazio Even. That won't happen. So the league is gone, so they're not going to do anything with that.
Speaker 1:So if I'm the coach, I'm going to focus my quickly preview the Coppa Italia game coming up on Wednesday.
Speaker 2:So coming up Inter Milan, inter Milan, like even when Milan beat them, you can still tell that they are a very dangerous team and they seem to be more you know, more mentally and you know tactically and physically informed than Milan. Now, if you ask me today, I can tell you. That's why he played Jimenez. Jimenez came on instead of starting the game. He's trying to rest them for the Coppa Italia game. So, in terms of starting XI, I can see him playing Teo Hernandez, I see him playing Caloca, I see him playing Malik Chell that's why Pavlovich played. And then probably Tomori. I know everyone is complaining about Tomori. Maybe Tomori might play tomorrow. I know everyone is complaining about tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow he might play tomorrow. And then in midfield my theory is that he will play Moussa and Bondo, because Eli is a Bondo guy.
Speaker 2:Fofana frustrates me a lot because even the second grade Tamilian score, napoli's score, today he just rushed out. You know what I mean. They're on top of your box, almost. You rush out somehow like you charge the guy, like you're going to get the ball. You don't at that level. You don't charge to go win a possession. You know what I mean, especially in that location, like you're not pressing. I don't know how to explain it. You can't be pressing in your own ted, your own defensive ted. It doesn't work that way, unless your team decides that that is what they all want to do. But he, he just ran out of position which allowed that one too, and then, before you know it, the ball ended up with Lukaku Anyway. So I think Forfana, he might be between Forfana and Moussa, and then he's going to end up with Rafael Leal, pulisic, reinders and Jimenez.
Speaker 1:That's what I think he's not playing.
Speaker 2:Pavlovich. Did you see Pavlovich today? He was shaky, he couldn't control the ball, he couldn't kick the ball. I felt like he was under pressure all the time. So that's the problem. You won't see. You were complaining to the group that he wanted Pavlovich and Tomori, like it wasn't that Milan was great, but he too, he looked so shaky. Like simple passes, he couldn't actually stop the ball from moving. Simple passes, he couldn't actually stop the ball from moving. It's so annoying. So I think Malik Chia is going to play. It's going to be him and maybe Tomori, or him and Gabir. So Pavlovic is not playing the midweek game against Inter Milan. The hope is that Milan actually holds on and don't lose big, and then the final game. They can try and see what they can do to get across. What's the score prediction, though? I think it's going to be either a draw or a narrow win for Inter. I don't see. As long as Milan don't concede in the first 15-20 minutes of the game, they have a chance.
Speaker 1:I don't see anything coming out of this game. To be honest, you don't. No, I'm sorry. Well, they've been the pessimists, that's. I'm not just trying to be negative, bro, it's just the morale that I have with this team right now. It's not To be honest. If this was after the Empoli game, right, I would have that sort of confidence. That yes, but right now the morale is just too low and there's too many mistakes, too many things going on in that team to give me reason to believe that they will come and pull it off against Inter. I don't see that happening, inter. They will come and pull it off against Inter. I don't see that happening. Inter is in really good momentum. As I'm talking to you, inter have not lost 12 in 13 games away to AC Milan. So I'm not. I don't know how.
Speaker 2:I wonder who was responsible for those ones before.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, of course it was purely that I was responsible for the entire 12. You're not serious.
Speaker 2:Inter Milan might be the most informed team in the whole Europe, right? Their last loss was in February against Juventus. But other than that, they are killing it. But then they play Milan, and then they play Parma, and then they have to play Bayern. So the Coppa Italia is going to be fun Either way. I think it's going to be a fun game on Wednesday. So I look forward to it and hopefully milan can pull off a surprise, like they did in the supercopa and, you know, give the fans something to celebrate.
Speaker 2:But I actually like it's a little disappointing because, come looking back, if you look back to where we were last summer, right, how the preseason started, how milan, how we felt as a fan base, it felt like milan had. You know, you know, like you know what I mean. I can remember where I was when I was watching Milan versus man City last summer. I was at the birthday party with my daughter and I was so excited because the football they were playing was just so entertaining. You know what I mean. And then, only to fast forward now in this moment in time, if someone told me then, on that fateful summer day, that this is where Milan was going to be in February, march, april, come the end of the season, I would not have believed it. But we're here. Now we just have to deal with the consequences.
Speaker 2:And to me, I think, you know, it's kind of funny because when you look at the season, there are key moments that matter in the season. I still can't forget that first game of the season when we played at Torino, the way they carved Milan open. They just drained the entire. So my biggest frustration, if you ask me, is the fact that, you know, looking at last July, last June July during the preseason, looking at last June, july during the preseason, when Milan had the new coach, and we're playing teams like man City, barcelona, we're playing very good. You know, if someone would have told me that come April Miller would be ninth in the league and basically has almost nothing to play for this season, I would have basically bet my whole mortgage on it if I was a betting man. But it's so disappointing, yeah, it's so disappointing, because you know, like looking at that team in preseason and looking at where we are today, like the level of disappointment is just too much. Sometimes it's the anticipation that kills you or the expectation that kills you.
Speaker 2:And I go back to the first game of the season against Torino in that first league game. That game was not a great game for Milan. Torino tore Milan apart too easily, right, and the game didn't end well. But that just basically set the tone for the rest of the season and before you know it, they started having issues, and that's it. That's how your season ends, right? Sometimes your start, your start, can ruin or define your entire season. Sometimes and for Milan, that start did not help them because people lost faith in Fonseca so quickly he started having his issues and then that's how the season got derailed. Now, all that being said, all this can change in a twinkle of an eye if Milan can find a way to beat in Tamil Nadu in the next few games and then maybe try and win the you know Coppa Italia, and then we can have a fresh start next season and maybe play in the Europa League and see how that goes for us as well. Right, that's what I think anyway, but overall it's been a very disappointing season.
Speaker 1:So far, I completely agree with you. Honestly speaking, again, that sort of high expectation at the beginning of the season, right, when we were winning those games against, you know, real Madrid, manchester City, you know like all those games were like, kind of like set the expectations very high and, in all honesty, we, purely fans, at that point could begin to actually believe that, yes, this team will not crumble. But everything, just you know, happened all of a sudden Again to me, I just feel like every coach has their styles you know what I'm saying and every coach is not expected to immediately have an impact. I don't think that's how it is, but at least you know the level of progress in those difficulties are things that you know we will see as positives and stuff To me.
Speaker 1:Regarding Fonseca, I feel like Fonseca put his performances aside and his tactical level put them aside. I just feel like he failed because of the fact that he couldn't handle the dressing room properly. And to me, handle the dressing room properly. And to me, to me, that was a big problem Because these players are still recovering from a whole lot of things. Some of them are not even ESL 2. Because, again, they've not been up to two seasons. Right. I feel like the way the project has been approached, you know it's not the best, it's not the best at all, because, if you, if, Because, if you were to ask me, I would have loved everything to just remain as it is. And then we finish the season and decide what's next for us.
Speaker 2:To be honest With Fonseca or with Contessa, which one With Fonseca of course? Yeah, like that's why I keep saying that you know what I'm saying. I was surprised because, again, I wasn't expecting his firing, but again it's okay. Like I think, the team decided that it was. It was a Hail Mary. It was a Hail Mary pass, right, because at that point they virtually looked at the trend and, according to the people that make the call, decided it wasn't going to change, and the team they didn't want to run the risk of they didn't want to run the risk of finishing ninth.
Speaker 1:Even the manner, the manner in which he was being sacked right was very weird. The guy didn't even know that he was being sacked. Bro, Like, this management is just full of crap. Honestly speaking, Three, four, five weeks ago, I was praising Zlatan Ibrahimovic on this podcast for his impact.
Speaker 1:I'm returning here now, like you know, trying to understand like, where are we like, literally as a club itself? I feel like the management needs to ask themselves this question Do we really deserve this club? If what this club has gone through in the last 15 to 16 years and you see the little hope that we had in the last four to five years do we really do it? Have we done enough to actually preserve at least or improve what Puglia has worked on in the last four to five years? They have done nothing.
Speaker 1:It's one thing, like I remember when Milan Sanka Walker and they were interviewing and it was like, oh, they found out that Walker was on the market and was too good to ignore. I'm like are you serious? Like then, why would you not go and spend that, spend 25 million dollars on on freaking emerson? Like, why? So what's going to happen to emerson now? Look at, look, look at marata, for example, saying, oh, coming to milan was his biggest mistake. Like we completely lost our identity as a team and we're just doing everything in the name of trying to win trophies. To me, I don't think this is how Milan is supposed to be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but this is what I was saying earlier. Anyway, I won't repeat it again. Milan won that trophy a few years ago. They are still chasing that. You know I said it before that that's exactly what is causing all these issues. You know, inter Milan, that that's exactly what is causing all these issues. You know, inter Milan. They allowed Inter Milan because Inter Milan didn't win right away after, because they won the league with Conte, and then Inzaghi came in right. If I'm not mistaken, it took him about three years or so, or two years three years almost before he won the one he won last year. Wasn't that his first one? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was his first league title and the rest were just cups here and there, right. And now look at Inter Milan. They feel stable, they feel very comfortable with the coach. Sometimes winning too early again sets a bad expectation, and the only one within 18 months of being Milan's coach, and, to be honest, that was downhill from there. What are you going to do?
Speaker 1:I don't think it was downhill from there, Chin.
Speaker 2:It wasn't downhill from there. You said earlier that Milan were competing.
Speaker 1:You're beginning to sound like you're beginning to chip your sentiments into this conversation. You're beginning to sound like what do you mean? Milan was downhill since after winning Scudetto. Are you talking about like from coaching perspective or from the way the team managed?
Speaker 2:Yeah, because we had the worst Scudetto defence. We lost the league by over 20-something points or so the next year, and then the last time when Inter Milan won it, we lost by 18 or 19 points. So how is that?
Speaker 1:competitive. So, bo, let me ask you one question. Inter Milan won by 18 or 19 points, like then. What about all the teams that you used to talk about that were behind Milan?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but this is the point now.
Speaker 1:This same team was assembled last season. So you expect the coach to just do miracle and just win the league with 10 non-Italian players.
Speaker 2:Well, but the same thing applies to the coaches. Now, are you expecting them to do miracle when, every few months, they are adding new sets of players to the puzzle? Inter Milan buys one or two players every summer. Milan buys a whole squad every summer, right, and then you expect that they are going to compete with that team.
Speaker 1:I don't agree with you about the downhill.
Speaker 2:Sorry, man, sorry, I said downhill because I don't know what you expect, though, because Milan has not been close to the Scudetto in the last three years. So what are we talking about? Because you're losing the league by 18, 20 points, like how is that called close? That's not close, because everybody else is bad. The only reason Milan looks so bad this year is because everybody else took a step forward and they, coincidentally, took a step back. I'm just being frank, because other years, maybe, the rest of the league was not catching up.
Speaker 1:You see this ninth position that we are. That's where you deserve to be, to be honest. Well, to be honest, fans like me deserve to be. I'm telling you, that's what you deserve to be and it's so good that all you. It's so funny. When I go online and see all you purely out bandwagon expressing your frustration right now I'm like, oh yeah, no, no, no, I'm not. I'm not really frustrated.
Speaker 2:I'm not frustrated. Purely deserve to be out. Purely deserve to be out of Milan doesn't mean that Milan does not deserve to get a better coach. Like I don't know why you think those two things are not there. They cannot coexist. Purely does not. He ran his course with Milan. Milan deserves an upgrade in coaching and that was what he needed. And you got the upgrade you deserve. No, we did not get an upgrade. Instead, we got purely 2.0 or a downgrade. I'll get an upgrade. Instead, we got purely 2.0 or a downgrade.
Speaker 1:Chin. This is it here. I'll say it again and again I'm not really. You see, people always misunderstand me that oh yeah, this guy is so fun of. Purely, purely. Yes, I'm a purely fan. But my argument now is not about the previous coach. My argument is about how this situation was being handled. Like, when we finished last season, they were supposed to evaluate this team as a whole and say, hey, where did we fall short? All these players that we brought in their past record and their current record? Like, how did they match? Like what can we do to improve this team? You know, I know, you're 18 points and so what? So are the other teams in?
Speaker 2:Italy, 18 points was competitive to me. So are the other teams. In italy, 18 points was a competitive to me so are the other teams in italy right yeah, the other teams, don't forget that don't forget that.
Speaker 1:That's in finish behind us. So before you now start calling that 18 point to me I just kind of feel like right now. I feel like, first of all, the project was in my prematurely abandoned. To be honest, when Maldini left Milan, the best thing Cardinale was supposed to have done is say hey, I understand your perspective regarding this bill. Let's evaluate this project as a whole and see where we're at and what can we do to improve it. Don't just cut everything and start bringing in. Look, it's so funny and I like what this is. It's so funny when I see all these Italian refs do right the way they deal with Milan. They don't treat Milan like an Italian team. They always play against us. I was even shocked that Pierre Hernandez actually got that penalty today because, to be honest, I wasn't expecting them to give it to him.
Speaker 2:And again, this is why. So you think they mistreat Milan because you don't have a lot of Italian players on it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because the entire team is like they are foreigners playing in Italy trying to win the league. Like, what do you expect?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can see your point, but at the same time too, like in Tamil Nadu, it wasn't like they were. They are stacked with a lot of Italians. Did you watch the game today, Chin?
Speaker 1:You saw what you saw that reckless acrobatic kick from McTiernan on Udinese's player.
Speaker 2:I think Rafael did the same thing a long time ago. Oh yeah, go to Rekha for the bicycle kick. Yeah, exactly, inter does have a lot of players.
Speaker 1:Do you know that McTiernan didn't even get a yellow card though?
Speaker 2:Well, you know how, you know Milan has. Milan is not really that very Italian, I guess, if you want to call it that. It's funny like if you watch the national team, there's absolutely zero Milan player in the national team. It's so weird, right? Because before it used to be between Milan and Juventus, basically that made up the Italian national team. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:And now it's like not a single one, not for an Italian coach.
Speaker 2:And then Inter Milan has like at least four, four of them at least. Basically four to five of them, if you add there. So there's Fretezi, there's Barella, there's, you know, di Marco. Oh no, there's no, like Acevi, yeah, yeah, good for them. Anyways, this is why they are doing well. Not because they have Italian players, if you ask me. It's because they have a good coach that understands what he wants from his players and he gets the best out of them. Whether they are Italian or Cameroonian or from any part of the world, it does not matter. Milan just feels chaotic, and I think the problem with Milan is that we are trying to be too Portuguese. Maybe that is such a thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because they wanted to die. I was actually trying to convert our jerseys to Portuguese colour. I was so upset I'm like are you kidding me, man? Like when do we go to like Portugal National Team the problem?
Speaker 2:with Milan remains, it's still. We need a coach that can come in and whip those boys into shape. And then we also need to get rid of some cancer. There are some players that become cancerous to the team, right? Because if your leaders of the team do not believe in what the coach is saying, it doesn't matter what you are going to say. Like you know, it doesn't matter, because Fonseca not Fonseca Conceição came in with the reputation of being a tough guy, but then he realized quickly that he can't be that tough of a guy with certain players, because then they are crybabies.
Speaker 2:When I said it before, when Fonseca was doing it and I said it, he said I was calling them out. So now he had to, you know, somewhat control himself not to turn out to be like Fonseca, right? I remember we were talking about how he complains privately to his people, right, family members and other people that he has Never coached such a weak-minded team. Meanwhile Fonseca comes out publicly and says it publicly, and then you're like well, they're not the same, and I'm like they're the same, they are the same. The only difference is that one says it privately, one says it privately, one says it publicly, but the point remains the same.
Speaker 2:The team is not mentally where they should be right, and sometimes you just need to disintegrate the team a little bit, destabilize the core players a little bit, change up the hierarchy of things, get certain mindset of guys there and get some out and you might actually get results that you need. Like if someone gave you what's it called. Like if someone gave you what's it called the mentality of even Hakan that used to play for Milan. Compared that to like a lot of the Milan players in terms of mindset, same with if you look at Barella. That's what's missing. The Milan players are comfortable losing. Now do you see anybody getting mad today when they are losing, conceding goals, like whatever? No, because to them it is normal, it's part of who they are. They just put their head down and go back and start playing rubbish again. But what you need and this is where Ibrahimovic on the pitch used to be different, because he's the kind of guy that would have given them, you know, a piece of his mind right and rally the guys up. But that's what you need. You need some of those people sometimes, but this Milan team there's no leadership. There is no leadership from the players on the field and you can see that Guys don't get pissed off, they don't get angry, they don't take pride in the and so to me it's a waste of emotion.
Speaker 2:If you ask me to be getting frustrated by the result, I've accepted it for what it is. My time is very limited on planet earth, so I have to pick and choose where I put my emotion, and I've decided that Milan is not top priority for my emotions right now. So, anyway, I still like again, I still wish them the best, but I'm not going to bang my head against the wall when they don't perform well, because at the end of the day, those guys the management and the coaching staff and the players all have to have. This is why the cover sort of always gets mad and say we're not going to support you anymore. It's because it's frustrating If the guys don't feel like they're alive, they don't feel like there's any sense of responsibility or ownership around the Milan players and the team, right, they all feel like mercenaries, like people they just hired Like.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean? People they just hired to show up and do a job and go home and get paid big bucks, right? So anyway, yeah, I don't know what else to tell you, dave, all I have to hope that we beat Inter Milan. That always feels good, regardless of the situation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, we'll see how this. We'll see how this. Anyways, chin, it's been a pleasure talking to you about Milan Same here, yeah, thank you very much, listeners. Thank you so much for your patience and thank you for the downloads we're not even posting. Thank you so much. We'll try and analyze the game and then hope for another encounter like this for it. Anyway, thank you so much. Thanks, dave.
Speaker 2:Ciao, thank you. Thank you everyone. Take care of yourself. Bye, yeah, you too Bye-bye.
