Same place, same time (give or take fifteen minutes): Milan returns to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, four days after the Coppa defeat.
The objective is also the same: to play for the remaining chances of European qualification, possible only with a victory.
For this, everything else must be different: attitude, play, and result. To be replicated in the final match at San Siro against already-relegated Monza: the most fearsome opponent will be at home—namely, the angry fans in the stands.
In the meantime, here comes the second trip of the week to the Capital: after all the disappointment shown over the Coppa Italia beating, Conceição has chosen the path of silence. A route he has already taken several times this season, when matches are close together and there’s little to add in terms of official statements. But it’s enough to observe him to understand his bitterness: the coach had hoped for, and above all believed in, a different performance against Bologna. Tonight is the appeal, to be won in order to avoid a definitive sentence to a season without Europe.
After the criticism for the match and the social media photos showing him visibly out of shape, it is revealed that Theo was also the victim of a knock to the thigh: a muscular discomfort that will prevent him from taking part in the second trip to Rome.
The problem for Conceição is that, at the same time, Walker also had to stop, due to the flu. Jimenez cannot be in two places at once: if he plays on the left, a return of Musah on the right is possible. If he stays on the right, Theo’s replacement would instead be Terracciano or Sottil. In attack, Leao (not at his best) and Pulisic, even if neither was of much help in Wednesday’s final: Chukwueze, on the bench lately by technical choice despite being in explosive form, is now missed as he deals with pubalgia and is therefore unavailable.
The game system will be the same as in recent weeks, which had given the illusion of the team’s regained stability: the results had been encouraging and had allowed for a partial climb in the standings, along with the idea of confirming the club structure and the coach in case of a strong finish in Serie A and the Coppa Italia as a second seasonal title. As we know, things went differently.
The attacking ballot this time rewards Santi Gimenez: he hasn’t started in the league for over two months, since Milan-Como in mid-March. He scored the last three goals in three matches as a substitute: a lucky chip against Venezia and a brace sought and scored in the league clash with Bologna. The match in which Florenzi, from the sidelines, yelled at him: “Go Santi, score and redeem the season,” before being playfully hit by his coach. The truth is that the redemption goals were supposed to come last Wednesday, while today the time will definitively run out: a goal that relaunches Milan into the European zone is Santi’s real mission.
Among other things, he was signed in January when the club was driven by Champions League enthusiasm: the former Feyenoord player, along with Felix and Walker, was supposed to help Milan climb back to top-tier European football. Gimenez was among the first to give up and only recently has he resumed the climb. The risk is that it’s too late—unless a Rossoneri victory, with Santi called to make an impact, postpones the verdict to the final matchday. His contribution so far counts 6 goals in 18 matches, 9 of which as a starter and substituted 8 times. Jovic, in a reversed role, is the striker ready for the relay. Missing at the stadium, however, will be the push of the Milan fans, who will boycott in protest.
Only a victory would keep European hopes alive, with everything that follows: transfer market, keeping the big players, revenues, international competition. With or without Europe, everything inevitably changes.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
