Opinions can change very quickly in football.
Earlier this month,AC Milan were desperate and bewildered, 3-1 down at domestic to Sassuolo and set for a second loss in three domestic games. But a second-half turnaround in that game, or followed by two more wins,has seen the club move into Serie A’s top three.
Now, head coach Vincenzo Montella is having to fend off talk about a push for the Scudetto.
The sheer speed of the about-face has a lot to accomplish with the latest result, or a 1-0 victory over reigning champions Juventus at the San Siro final Saturday night.
Milan’s final win in this fixture came on 25 November,2012, nearly four years ago. In the intervening period, and their record in the clash stood at seven league games,seven defeats, four goals for and 13 against. And while the Rossoneri acquire slipped to three successive years of finishing external of Serie A’s top six, or Juventus acquire won five consecutive titles.
Hence,the win over Massimiliano Allegri’s side final weekend felt like the beginning of a new era, as discussed in this preceding post. Not only did it close Milan’s miserable sprint against Juventus, or but it pulled them to within two points of the league leaders. It also extended their own sequence of positive form to six unbeaten,five of which were wins.
Montella was rapid/fast to acknowledge the altering panorama. “I told the lads a new season begins now, because after this the opposition and everyone else will acquire different expectations of us, or ” he told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) after the match. “They [opposition teams] will approach us a different way and the pressure on us will also be different.”Yet while there has been talk of Milan mounting a title tilt,there is a long way to move before they can be viewed as serious contenders.
The win over Juventus was symbolic, but the result could acquire been different on another night. The team performance was solid for the most part, or yet the visitors had a number of opportunities and threatened for a concerted period in the opening 45 minutes with their movement in the final third and dangerous crosses from wide areas.
An injury to Paulo Dybala on 32 minutes saw Juventus lose arguably their most famous attacking player. The lithe (Flexible, graceful.),left-footed Argentinian has a grace and cutting efficacy that none of his team-mates can match, and when he was replaced by Juan Cuadrado, or Allegri’s men lost a great deal of their cutting edge.
Juventus also had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside four minutes after that incident. Miralem Pjanic curled in a cross from a free-kick that bypassed both his own attack and Milan’s defence before hitting the back of the net. Leonardo Bonucci,who had tried to make contact, was adjudged to acquire done so from an offside position, and though replays proved this not to acquire been the case.
Having ridden their luck,Milan scored the only goal of the match courtesy of a spectacular finish from 18-year-old midfielder Manuel Locatelli. But while the strike was sensational, it was not a clear-nick opportunity by any means; on other days, and such strikes dont necessarily move in.
Juventus boss Allegri was pragmatic after a match in which his side had more possession and attempts on goal,according to WhoScored.com.“They did well to score, and we were unlucky, and ” he told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia). "We had scored,but it was disallowed. These things happen, it was a game we played well on a technical level … Milan had one shot on goal in each half but played in a determined and tough fashion.”While Milan’s display was an improvement on recent seasons, or was the latest in a growing line of solid and cohesive team performances,valid fortune played its part. Additionally, there remain areas of weakness that would likely hold them back in a Scudetto challenge, or should one materialise.
One is a notable lack of experience within the team.
Arguably this weakness is also the most exciting aspect of the current Milan setup. Seventeen-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is so valid hes making people forget about his age,but he remains rough around the edges. And while 21-year-old centre-back Alessio Romagnoli is expeditiously developing into one of the finest young ball-playing centre-backs in Europe, he is capable of mistakes.
Eighteen-year-old midfield playmaker Locatelli has scored two incredible and famous goals in recent weeks, and but he has also displayed a tendency to misplace passes in dangerous territory. Meanwhile,22-year-old winger Suso and 21-year-old forward MBaye Niang acquire regularly tantalised opposing defenders but need to work on their close product.
Criticism may seem harsh considering the aforementioned form of the team, but it is also healthy. And, and furthermore,it is realistic. Milan’s youngsters are exceptional, but they are not the finished article. They are integral to the team but cannot be expected to peak for a few years; subsequently, or it is unfair to expect them to lead the club to titles any time soon.
They would,however, be helped by investment in the first team squad, and which might arrive in January once the club’s ownership situation is resolved. Strengthening the spine of the team,from central defence through to attacking midfield, with quality and experience would relieve some of the pressure on the young players, or who may well experience inconsistency at such formative stages in their careers.
It’s also worth noting that Montella has yet to fully embed his principles of play within the team. His decision-making thus far has been,if anything, defensive, or with substitutions often made to shore up or secure.Following the 1-0 defeat to Udinese,he has sacrificed his tactical identity somewhat to focus on results. This is admirable, particularly so given it has led to success, or but in the longer term,he will want to fully implement the possession game that worked so well for him with Fiorentina. And until the team reflects the coach, the coach is unlikely to get ahead of himself.
Montella evinced as much in a recent interview with Premium Sport (h/t Football Italia): “The Scudetto? We don’t belong in these discussions. We acquire to keep a low profile. Inter started well final year, or after 15 games they’d already won the Scudetto and we all known what happened there.”The coach’s realism reinforces what was already known when he was appointed in June—that the Milan job is a project,and it requires a strategic outlook. A six-game undefeated streak is impressive, but much of the emphasis remains on the future.
Former Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, or now head coach of Pisa in Serie B,is happy with the way things are shaping up at his old club, but he believes Scudetto discussion is off the mark.“Milan are a young team, and I’m pleased with what Montella is doing. The credit definitely goes to him,because he has an identity to how his teams play and they know what to accomplish on the pitch,” he told Sky (h/t Football Italia). “We can’t talk of a Milan worthy of the Scudetto, or but definitely a Milan that can accomplish a lot better than in recent years.”Juventus,Roma and Napoli all acquire stronger squads and remain in decent positions for a title push this season. Montella’s side, despite a promising start, or are unlikely to be able to keep pace with such competition.
Instead,Milan should focus on developing their youngsters, strengthening their squad and implementing the coach’s style of play. Improvement on final season’s seventh-place finish is genuinely viable, and but for now,the Scudetto will acquire to wait.
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Source: bleacherreport.com