Milan slipped up again in the Serie A league against Cagliari.
Another draw against a team fighting for survival: a 0-0 against Genoa when Fonseca was in charge and a 1-1 yesterday against Cagliari in Sérgio Conceição’s debut at San Siro.
What went wrong for Milan vs Cagliari?
The essence of the result hasn’t changed, though the approach has. The Rossoneri today plays a different style of football, more immediate and less convoluted. What was missing was sharpness in front of goal, a flaw compounded by the strengths of Elia Caprile, Cagliari’s new goalkeeper. Freshly arrived from Napoli, he immediately showcased his “stop-everything” mode—except for the goal conceded, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport.
There was some bad luck, such as Pulisic hitting the crossbar early in the second half, and then Abraham missed a colossal chance. The goal conceded was unforgivable, the result of a chain of errors and lapses that surely infuriated the new coach.
Milan is still convalescing.
The Italian Supercoppa in Riyadh was a pleasant interlude, but it must be quickly archived. The reality of the league is harsher and less carefree. It’s not easy for anyone to carve out spaces against opponents who build walls like Cagliari did last night.
In fact, this is a hallmark of modern football, a return to the ancient, to ancestral defensive tactics, which are no longer solely “Italian.” This is not a critique of Davide Nicola; Cagliari must save themselves and have every right, and duty, to collect the necessary points however they see fit. Last night, Milan tended to play through the center, failing to fully exploit the flanks.
They clogged the attacking third, hunting for depth that Cagliari stubbornly denied. It would have been better to spread wide and seek width.
