The department that had been the flagship of the championship is experiencing a long series of misadventures. And Pioli works to give him certainties back
The wall – at least, “that” wall – is no longer there. And it’s very complicated to try to imagine when it will be rebuilt. It was the scudetto wall, that defense made of reinforced concrete where at most a draft entered every now and then, capable of making up for moments when the attack struggled. Because, as we know, in the vast majority of cases the championship goes to the one who scores the fewest goals and not the one who scores the most. The two central bricks of the wall were Kalulu and Tomori. One taken away for pennies from Lyon, where he had never played a professional match; the other taken from Chelsea, where he never set foot on the pitch. In the space of a few months Pierre and Fik became a zip that few managed to pull down.
roller coaster
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This is (also) why it is quite impressive to observe the assorted hardships in which the Rossoneri defensive system finds itself. After all, only a year and a half has passed since the championship, but back there we often dance. Lost synchronies, tactical blunders, individual amnesia. The first alarm bells went straight to the two of them. In turn, the performance began to go on a roller coaster: moments of great difficulty alternating with convincing performances like in the past, which unnecessarily deceived because then the next time the errors returned. And so two players who represented almost unshakeable certainties became more “human”, exposed to question marks.
decline
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And the department colleagues? The good news was brought by Thiaw who, like Kalulu and Tomori, has forged ahead and has grown very quickly. So much so that he earned the starting position at the beginning of this season. The downside is that from a boy who has just turned 22, and with rather limited previous experience in the Bundesliga, you cannot expect perfection. The bad news, however, was different. And that is the evident physical decline of Kjaer, who from a column has become a reservist with an ailment always around the corner. He who was a guarantee is now no longer in a position to be one, net of his extreme professionalism and attachment to the Devil obviously. The last example is the most illuminating: Simon did not leave for Naples due to a last-minute muscle strain, and when Kalulu left the scene at Maradona, Pioli was forced to make Pellegrino’s debut. Immature and not ready for use – in tactical terms – by the coach’s own admission. The result was evident on the first goal from Campania.
prayers
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In reality, the defensive phase has been creaking in an ominous way since this summer. There were matches in which there was the feeling that the opponents could score more or less every time they appeared near Maignan. In some cases they were the so-called calculated risks of the coach, as in the matches in which both full-backs worked as additional midfielders, leaving the flanks unprotected. In other cases there was just confusion. In still others – and here we are at the most serious aspect – attention and ferocity were lacking. PSG’s second goal, which comes from a corner (therefore with the Rossoneri defense theoretically lined up), is a chilling postcard: the French go into a hole with three men in the area against the nine (plus Maignan) Rossoneri. When the blues start the action from the flag, you can even see Tomori still tying his shoes. Now, however, the most pressing problem is the infirmary. Kalulu out for at least four months, Pellegrino for about one and a half, Kjaer doing what he can. Even Caldara, theoretically out of the sporting project, could have found space in similar conditions: but he too is a long-term patient. In the meantime, Pioli is praying that Thiaw and Tomori never even get a cold and is waiting for January: it will be necessary to put a patch on it with the transfer market.
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