Milan, the attack fails: so dreaming becomes complicated

Paolo Maldini reiterated before the match that “dreaming costs nothing”, but dreaming in these conditions becomes complicated. The two to zero is not a definitive sentence, however it forces Milan to radically change their appearance next Tuesday if they want to have any chance of caressing the final. It was one of those times when the confrontation in the offensive phase was bleak. On the one hand a team that at one point found itself at the target shooting counter at the amusement park, on the other a team unable to target the goalkeeper. On the one hand, a team that gave the impression of being able to score at almost every action, on the other, a ruffled and contracted team.

Lightness

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Reflections that are especially valid for the first half, because in the second half Milan reacted by increasing the pressure and finding a way to peek into the Nerazzurri area. But, even changing gear and attitude, it wasn’t enough to find a goal that would have changed the balance of the second leg a lot. At the end of the first half the Devil hadn’t even made a shot on target. At the end of the game the count reaches three. “true”? One: Tonali’s post. The others were calls from Messias and Diaz. In practice, wood aside, Milan didn’t arrive up front. Why? A good explanation is the lightness of the trocar. Which first lost Leao and then Bennacer. In other words, the man he creates and the one who, in addition to creating, he also knows how to destroy other people’s forts. When the Algerian left the scene – very early: it was 18′ – the Rossoneri trocar showed up with Messias, Diaz and Saelemaekers. Three lightweights against physical and decidedly attentive opponents. And by the way, not exactly three bomber jackets. That’s Giroud, and here we come to the second reason: Oly isn’t a centre-forward, he’s excellent on the side but still remains the end of the action. Therefore, in the absence of an offensive phase, he remains a foreign body.

Inaccuracy

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In the 26 games played in 2023, the Diavolo only scored at least two goals seven times. And only one went further (the 4-0 in Naples). The rest was distilled with a dropper, both because there was a lot of imprecision up front, and because the refills never proved to be up to par. Behind Leao and Giroud in terms of scoring there is more or less a void, especially on the frontline. The department that remains the area where it will be more necessary to put a hand in the summer market – we need to raise quality on the right and a reliable 10 -, as well as looking for a good level young player to support Giroud in the center of the attack.