When Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani arrived in 2018, and we read everywhere “It will be romantic”, everyone thought about when that day would arrive against Milan, which is history only by zooming into the official stands. The pitch and Serie A have been saying for 3 years now that Monza-Milan is the most meaningful match of our championship, that evening which is a container of memories and anecdotes, which those who tell and live it do everything to put into it elements, more and more each time. This year, for example, the plus is the presence of Alessandro Nesta who wrote the most beautiful pages of his career with the Rossoneri with the generosity of sharing them with his AC Milan team, nights and victories so unique that they will remain unrepeatable for a while. Surely from the full, colorless but with a loud voice, a thought will be dedicated to him too and so it is even more difficult to imagine him as an opponent, but we try for the sake of the calendar.
“It’s always a pleasure”, comments the coach who doesn’t speak too many words, but prefers short thoughts that get straight to the point. He does the same when speaking about his team: “Against Venezia we took the wrong approach and we cannot afford it, the path we have taken speaks clearly. Against Milan we will have to have the same courage we had in Bergamo against Atalanta, enter with the right head and create the right atmosphere.” The signs of mid-week are all to be cherished and from which to start again: against Gasp new strengths found space, awareness increased despite the defeat which came after 3 consecutive useful results and we returned home with the healthy, sporting anger of those who he didn’t like a somewhat similar referee’s decision, which certainly had an impact on the result. How much and if Leao will have an impact on the other side this evening, however, is not known, but when Nesta comments before reading the indiscretions from Milanello, his thoughts go like this: “When he lights up, Milan lights up. His 100 We haven’t seen him yet, but he is a player who takes his breaks and is still capable of determining. Milan have many players like that, they are strong.” Strong, yes, but with weak points to focus on in search of the big shot despite the continuous defections from the infirmary: the one who recovers is Birindelli, at least for the bench. On the pitch, Pedro Pereira’s ownership on the right should not be in question, as his task will be to contain Okafor and not his compatriot mentioned above.
Still nothing to do for Petagna, Sensi, Gagliardini and Forson, who took over from Gewiss and is evidently still injured. In defense Izzo and Carboni return for the trio that was a certainty in the first part of the season, Bondo will be seen again in the middle after the disqualification round and the presence of Bianco at his side cannot be ruled out, with captain Pessina again advanced on the line of the attacking midfielders behind Djuric, irreplaceable. And among the elements of the evening, the name of Daniel Maldini, son of Paolo – whose presence at the stadium is not certain – cannot be missing – linked to Milan, against whom he has already scored against in the Spezia shirt, not only due to his past in Rossoneri nursery but for that surname which inevitably embraces the opposing team’s history. The return from the start is still shrouded in doubt due to the condition and fragility of his shoulder, which came out battered from a tackle in training in recent weeks. Not just an ex of the evening, but a profile that is no longer a surprise, but the certainty of a Monza that wants to treat itself to a historic evening to give a definitive turn to its season.
