Ruben Amorim is experiencing loneliness after the Europa League collapse, Gerry Cardinale is not happy, and the team has been decimated by injuries on the eve of the trip to Udine: this is the picture of a Milan side that seems unable to turn things around following the disastrous trip to England against the far from irresistible Bournemouth, as relayed by ANSA (via Milan News).
Bournemouth - AC Milan match is one to be entirely forgotten, also marred by Maignan’s sending-off and the controversy that followed. Beyond individual responsibility, the defeat and Amorim’s mistakes remain as he searches for a balance and stability that seem difficult to find. The Rossoneri are dazed and lost amid unsuccessful experiments and formations that have yet to be settled. The owner remains close to the team even away from home, although worried and disappointed because his Milan should have shone and won in the Europa League as well.
For the time being, Amorim remains firmly in charge, but the trip across the Channel has sounded an alarm bell for him. The coach, who says he is aware of the difficulties and the need to gain time, is losing support, and there can be no more mistakes tomorrow in Udine. The Rossoneri are four points behind Inter and Lazio, while their opponents have collected just four points so far and are navigating troubled waters. There is an enormous gulf between the two teams, but uncertainty prevails and nothing seems guaranteed.
The mood around Milan is not positive, and Amorim must take stock of the injured players: no fewer than Adrien Rabiot, Diego Moreira and Mario Gila are missing. The three join the other players already unavailable: Saelemaekers, Terracciano, Gabbia and Chukwueze. Rabiot has suffered fatigue in his right calf, Moreira fatigue in his left hamstring, while Gila has inflammation caused by overloading in his left ankle. Therefore, none of them will be called up for tomorrow’s match at 20:45 at the Bluenergy Stadium. To deal with this semi-disaster, at the start of a week that includes as many as three matches, including next Saturday’s derby, Amorim is forced to call up five youngsters from Milan Futuro: Menon, Perera, Vos, Ossola and Cissé.
The line-up seems obligatory, with Maignan, Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic, Bartesaghi, Musah, Modric, Loftus-Cheek, Hutchinson, Ramos and Pulisic. There are high expectations of Modric, one of the few capable of steering the team out of its current difficulties, both on and off the pitch. They must win now, without thinking about the transfer market to come, where action will also be needed and attempts must be made to find remedies. However, points cannot be dropped in a fiercely competitive and difficult league, nor can the Europa League be underestimated, as it is a gateway to the great stage of European football. In this regard, Mourinho’s lesson remains: he lifted the Europa League trophy twice because, in the end, trophies matter, all of them.
