Milan has the newly promoted team syndrome. Beaten at home by Cremonese on the first day, they nearly fell again last night against Pisa.
They saved a 2-2 draw in the 93rd minute with a precise shot from Athekame, disastrous up to that point as a substitute, then the savior, showing again what football is, a lottery where you move from blunder to glory in seconds. Five points dropped against two teams from Serie B may weigh heavily on Milan’s title hopes.
They remain top of the table, waiting for Napoli and Inter, two points behind, to face each other today, and for Roma, also two points back, to play tomorrow in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo. Speaking of Sassuolo, the third promoted side, they will visit San Siro on December 14.
Yesterday’s 2-2 draw was the result of a mental and physical slowdown after the early lead in the seventh minute. After Leao’s goal, Milan relaxed, thinking the job was done. Only Luka Modric, with his experience, kept playing at full intensity, aware of how dangerous that attitude was. The draw was also affected by key absences, especially Rabiot and Pulisic, two major players. With them, the outcome might have been different.
Marking Modric with a trequartista has become standard practice. Last Sunday, Fiorentina’s coach Stefano Pioli had Fazzini glued to the Croatian star, and the young midfielder left the pitch dizzy, figuratively speaking. Yesterday, Gilardino used Tramoni as a shadow on Modric. The idea had a mildly offensive flavor, since Tramoni is capable of attacking and could win a ball to launch Meister or Nzola. But Modric is elusive, always on the move, covering the whole field, making tight marking nearly impossible.
The game started well for Milan.
Leao, again, broke the deadlock with a shot that looked like a cross or vice versa. From the left, he cut inside and fired a strike that confused keeper Semper, partly because Pavlovic moved across the line in an offside position. Here lies a point worth noting. Not long ago, that goal would have been disallowed because the offside player was judged active. The rules have since changed: if the distance from the goalkeeper exceeds two meters, the player is considered inactive. That distinction seems questionable, as being active should not depend on “spacing.” Adding more sub-clauses only increases confusion.
Milan failed to capitalize on their early momentum and missed the chance to score the second goal that would have ended Pisa’s hopes. There was a lack of sharpness in front of goal. A few weak long shots, nothing more. Leao drew many fouls, but he linked more often with Modric in midfield than with Gimenez in attack, which hurt the team’s rhythm. Just before halftime, Modric, who had already earned applause with a stunning outside-foot pass, intercepted the ball from Touré on the left, sprinted down the wing, cut inside, beat two or three defenders, but was dispossessed right before shooting. Those ten seconds had San Siro holding its breath. Had Modric scored, the Meazza might have collapsed, figuratively solving the stadium’s demolition issue, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
Milan came out for the second half with an air of complacency, as if the second goal was inevitable. Gilardino made two changes: Calabresi for Albiol and Cuadrado for Bonfanti. The entry of the Colombian, formerly of Juventus and Inter, changed the game. Cuadrado won a penalty after De Winter handled his shot and converted it powerfully. Being a natural showman, he angered San Siro with some theatrics after a challenge with Ricci, but that’s part of the “Cuadrado package.”
Leao wasted a clear 2-1 chance. Alone in the box, he shot hard but straight, Semper tipped it onto the crossbar. The classic “sliding door” moment for Leao, a player who always does 30 but rarely 31. A challenge by Calabresi on Leao in the box was waved off by referee Zufferli, though lighter contacts have earned penalties before. Nkunku then ruined a brilliant vertical pass between Modric and Leao.
In the final minutes, Milan looked dull and without aggression, while Pisa stayed alert, waiting for the right moment. It came four minutes from time. On a long ball from Akinsanmiro, Milan’s defense was caught wide open, the line looked like a black hole. Athekame kept everyone onside, Pavlovic failed to mark Nzola, who ran freely toward Maignan and scored for 2-1 Pisa. Silence fell over San Siro.
Then Allegri made a small tactical fix. Athekame was moved to the right, his natural position, and Saelemaekers switched to the left. From distance, Athekame hit a shot off the post and in, making it 2-2. In the final seconds, the Belgian slipped into the box but shot wide. Had he squared it to Leao or Fofana, it might have been 3-2, but that would have been too much. In the end, Milan salvaged a point.
