Anyone who knows him says he is the perfect mental coach for himself. On the other hand, Santiago Gimenez’s intelligence also stands out in reflections like these: “Now I’m starting again from zero. I am the same Santiago, but with more hunger, desire, and passion.”
In short, a reset. Words from a couple of weeks ago that stand out because Santi, in the same sentence, placed both the awareness of having to start again more or less from the starting blocks, and that of having to succeed. The first part is not trivial: many of his colleagues tend to hide, to drown sporting disappointments in clichés and reasoning that bring the collective into play. Not him.
He knows he arrived at Milanello with important numbers, he knows Milan paid an important fee for him, and so he chooses to look responsibility straight in the face. Responsibilities that start right away, even though his athletic form is not exactly optimal: Santiago was the last to arrive at Milanello, together with Modric. He returned to base camp with a title, since his Mexico had won the CONCACAF Nations League (North and Central America).
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An imposing figure...
In the final stage, Santiago Gimenez did not leave his mark on the scoresheet, but lifting a trophy always brings positivity. And now Milan needs him immediately, even if he still doesn’t have ninety minutes in his legs. Leao’s injury, in fact, shortens an attack for Allegri that was already thin. If Rafa had been fit, it is likely that the Rossoneri coach would have once again fielded the Portuguese and Pulisic up front. But in this situation, Santiago will have to answer immediately with a “present.”
For him, in reality, it is an excellent opportunity to send some clear messages in terms of hierarchy. On the horizon, in fact, looms the imposing figure of Victor Boniface: when the Nigerian is fit, he can be a dangerous competitor on a personal level. Let’s say then that Santiago Gimenez could take advantage of the matches against Cremonese and Lecce to earn himself an advantage over his future teammate in Allegri’s eyes.
Characteristics:
Up to now the Mexican has scored against Leeds, while against Bari in the Coppa Italia he saw a goal disallowed (offside) and recorded the assist for the 2–0 scored by Pulisic, the outcome of a very clean and well-worked action. With Boniface’s arrival, the situation is fairly clear: the two of them would be the center-forwards, and it is not expected that they will both be on the pitch from the start. Nothing prevents them from playing together, in fact, tactically and in terms of characteristics, they can coexist, but it will be a solution during the match to unlock or recover a game. In short, he must start strong to keep competition at bay and become the Dutch Santiago again. So that he can smile when, at the end of the match, he downloads, as usual, onto his tablet all his data, trying to understand where he did well and where less. The reset, Santi has done: now it remains only to understand if it worked.
San Siro sold out for Milan - Cremonese: 75.000 Rossoneri for Allegri's return:
After the 71,000 at the Coppa Italia clash against Bari, the Rossoneri faithful have once again turned out in numbers for tomorrow evening’s Serie A opener at 20:45 against Cremonese. For Allegri’s return to the bench, San Siro records its first sell-out of the season, with 75,000 tickets sold (including the 35,000 season-ticket holders who decided to renew their passes for Milan’s home games).
Meanwhile, the protest of the Curva Sud Milano, the organized group of Rossoneri fans, continues. According to the ANSA outlet, around 40 fans, by decision of the competent authorities, were not allowed to renew their season tickets in the second blue tier, the hottest section of Milan’s support. The club, however, has allowed them the possibility of subscribing in other sections. At the press conference on the eve of Milan - Cremonese, Allegri was asked for his view on the relationship with the fans, which needs to be partially mended after last season's results: "It is up to us to be good at dragging them along, with technical performances but above all with teamwork, claiming victories inch by inch. Then yes, the stadium will give us a hand."
