Journalist Francesco Letizia made the following comments on Sportitalia while discussing Milan’s defeat to Bournemouth:
“The whole thing started with a handball by De Winter, followed by Maignan’s madness, and after that there was practically no match left. Milan were down to ten men, trailing 2-0 in torrential rain, in a stadium that was incredibly lively but freezing for us, with Milan making too many changes, lacking certainties and showing a great deal of confusion, partly because of some rather strange decisions on the pitch. We expected Moreira to play on the left, but he played on the right. We expected someone else to play in one position, but he ended up playing as a second striker.
The third goal came in the second half, but what I think is even more striking is that Milan did not have a single shot on target, not one. We cannot remember a single one. Towards the end, a save by Torriani prevented it from becoming 4-0 and spared Milan the ultimate humiliation, although this was already humiliating.
“This is not the first time Milan have underestimated a match, particularly in the Europa League. There is an incredible tendency to underestimate the competition, going back as far as Milan-Benfica, and this was also evident in the line-up fielded. We had already said that the opposition were strong, and Milan were mentally disconnected. But when an incident such as the handball penalty leads to you conceding the opening goal, and then Maignan does something absurd...
“As Milan’s captain, you simply cannot do something like that: putting your hands in an opponent’s face when play has practically stopped, just as the ball has been played. In fact, perhaps the ball was not even in play, meaning that in that case there should not have been a penalty, but that is no excuse. You cannot behave like that for absolutely no reason.
“Besides, Bournemouth are a good team. It is true that they are 15th in the Premier League, but that is because they have also changed their manager. Last season, they were in the race for Champions League qualification until the final matchday. They have three very strong players out injured and play with enthusiasm. They are not used to an evening like this. It is a truly wonderful setting, and these lads deserve credit, both the team and the entire club.”
