At one time, here too, Milan was a model to imitate: black replaced white alongside the red of Bournemouth’s kits in 1970, precisely taking inspiration from Milan’s red and black. But now any Premier League club looks closely at those in Serie A; the difference in purchasing power has levelled out history. In the latest transfer window, Italian clubs spent 1.074 billion, the Premier League four times as much. Milan, however, have shown no signs of stinginess, and the 74 million spent on Gonçalo Ramos became their record transfer fee: tonight, however, they will not be able to show the English such a valuable striker, because he has been forced to stay at home.
The problems
The Portuguese player felt discomfort at the end of the final training session at Milanello: fatigue in the soleus muscle of his left calf. “Nothing serious,” Ruben Amorim says cautiously. In any case, Ramos immediately underwent an ultrasound scan. Today, an MRI scan will be carried out: the area of discomfort is delicate, and there had been shivers of concern over fears of a muscle injury that would have ruled him out of Sunday's match in Udine, but also the derby on October 31. Normal muscle fatigue, on the other hand, could allow an immediate return, albeit with caution, given that between Udine and Inter there will also be the midweek match on Wednesday against Bologna. “He stopped as a precaution, he felt tightness in the muscle, but we are prepared for everything,” Amorim reiterated on television. The coach had already planned some rotations in the lineup, but now two are compulsory because Samuel Chukwueze was also not included in the group that landed in southern England. “I don't know, but it is certainly something different from Ramos,” the coach explained. The Nigerian winger did not even take part in the final training session because of a problem with his left hip, which he experienced after the match against Atalanta. His absence could also be a long one, in an area where Alexis Saelemaekers is already missing. His return could even come after the international break, as relayed via La Gazzetta dello Sport today.
The choices
After the hat-trick in Salzburg, it will once again be Alphadjo Cisse's turn at the centre of the attack. The young Italian international scores every 72 minutes and already has five goals in seven official matches. As with Milan, the English step up will also be higher for him, and, among other things, all his goals have been scored away from home. On Sunday against Atalanta, he was rested; last week in the Europa League, he showed the full range of a penalty-box striker, even though the true number nine in the lineup in Salzburg was Camarda. Tonight, with Hutchinson and Moreira on either side, Cisse will be more of a battering ram, probably also coming up against Antonio Silva, the Portuguese centre-back long pursued by Italian clubs too, including Milan. Cisse is also celebrating his birthday, aiming to ensure that his twentieth birthday is not the only excitement of the evening. Amorim believes in his room for improvement, saying that he sees him at only “50 per cent of his potential, and young players must not be put under pressure, they must be managed; he can play with both feet, he is strong, but there are still some things he does not do well. Let's give him time, he is growing. He must understand that in football everything changes quickly.”
The hierarchies
Milan have kissed 18 international trophies, in addition to 32 at home. Bournemouth have only one second-division title and one third-division title, and are making their first appearance in European competitions, but matches are no longer played according to the weight of the record books. The league table sees the newly acquired red-and-blacks on maximum points, three points ahead of the original red-and-blacks. Marco Rose has taken the place of Andoni Iraola, who moved to Liverpool but had long been on Milan's radar: from the school of Klopp and Rangnick, pressing and duels. Milan have arrived on the English Channel to restore their European dignity, but also to continue the search for a reliable version of themselves. They cannot always be Salzburg, but neither must they be the second half of the match against Atalanta. The mission is to always manage to stay in the game, without getting the timing wrong. Growth passes through this international obstacle, undoubtedly a higher one than the Austrian one.
