Journalist
December 15, 2024 (changed at 10.53pm) – MILANO
“Marco, warm up.” San Siro thought about it all evening, watching Milan attack Genoa from a quarter to nine and never scored, never got the goal, never even bothered Leali. What a waste, having Marco Van Basten in the stands, the number 9 shirt free and not being able to send him onto the pitch, pretending to live in 1992. Milan-Genoa ended 0-0 and it’s sad, on the day of the 125th anniversary celebration: you know of yet another surrender. Milan rises to 23 points, -14 from Atalanta, -8 from fourth place and from Inter who will play tomorrow: heavy numbers. Fonseca, who thought he had a hundred problems but not the attack, must change his mind: sometimes there is a lack of certainties even up front. Abraham was terrible for one half, Morata was damned imprecise in the second, Chukwueze was bad for 75 minutes, Leao didn’t do much, the young Liberali also did badly as he played an hour, terrible Okafor came on at the end. Against an orderly, combative but modest Genoa, little more would have been enough and the curve sang it clearly: “You have pissed us off…”. Alright, you get it.
Bravo JIMENEZ
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The only good news of a devil’s evening is Alex Jimenez. It was known that he was good and fearless. It was less expected that he would play as man of the match. Alex played on the left and caused Genoa a lot of trouble: always ready to touch with the right and return, to play two-man with Leao, to centralize with the ball. Risky prediction for next week: for Verona, he is the favorite over Theo.
THE MATCH
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Milan started with the classic 4-2-3-1 and Liberali as an attacking midfielder. Genoa got behind and handed over the ball: you do it. Clear script, banalotto like in beach thrillers: Milan dribbles and whoever has an idea about the attacking midfielder uses it. Something, here and there, happened. After nine minutes, Reijnders restarted the ball, found Abraham and from there Emerson Royal shot. Same protagonists and faster pace in the 13th minute: loss by Bani on exit and good play by Reijnders for Abraham, who kicked badly with his right foot. Here is regret number 1. For number 2, turn to the usual Reijnders, who in the 22nd minute took a good free kick touched by Chukwueze: a shot directed towards goal but deflected over the crossbar. From now until the end of the first half, it was a long dribble in the cold with little emotion. At most, a Jimenez-Leao-Jimenez play closed by a terrible shot from Chukwueze. And Genoa? Well, a little. A shot from midfield by Frendrup and a play by Miretti in the Maignan area: Liberali touched him, Miretti fell and Guida did not whistle. This time Fonseca won’t complain about the referee.
VACUUM ATTACK
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At half-time Fonseca played Morata and didn’t take away Liberali but Abraham, the worst together with Chukwueze. Milan risked scoring immediately with a header from Emerson Royal, deflected by Leali’s reflexes, then was eclipsed. Possession yes, for brilliant ideas review. Half an hour from the end, Fonseca brought in Camarda for Liberali but only got something out of the other youngster, Jimenez, who put in a ball worthy of Cafu, not attacked by anyone. At that point the curve made the priorities clear to the two or three who hadn’t understood it – “come on guys, give us this goal” – but the guys disobeyed. Giant opportunities, two, with a common thread: a beautiful ball from Reijnders for Morata. However, in the 31st minute Alvaro jumped Badelj and kicked out, in the 34th minute he smashed the crossbar from less than ten metres, with the door open and Leali ready to go to the ground. A disaster. From there to the end, only cold and boos from the stands.
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A SAD BALOTELLI
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Genoa was… Genoa: the second worst attack in the championship. Vieira got behind him and is there: he defended himself well. Apart from a couple of errors by Bani, all precise. The point is that sometimes you have to start again, play the ball… and here Genoa has very little. Thorsby-Badelj-Frendrup is a working-class midfield, Zanoli and Miretti are sui generis wingers. Pinamonti thus lived the usual life of hardship – running a lot, little playable balls – and Vitinha entered late. As for Balotelli, he warmed up for half an hour, which in the cold of San Siro can also be nice. Vieira looked at him, looked at him again and never called him, not even in the 90th minute, when Genoa had a free kick from the edge of the box, one of those that Mario put on goal, in another life. The whole stadium thought the same thing: here, now he comes in and, like a kicker in American football, scores the 0-1. Nope: Norton-Cuffy has entered.
