When we played Genoa in October, aka the most insane stoppage time match ever, our first goalkeeper, Maignan, was sent off for a straight red card in the 98th minute, with no subs left, so Giroud donned the keeper jersey and gloves and quite literally saved the day. (If you'll recall, their goalkeeper was also sent off for a second yellow in the 103rd minute of a seven minute stoppage time that ended up being 15 minutes long.) This time, Gilardino's Genoa comes to the San Siro, and Maignan is out with a minor adductor muscle injury. And while the Curva Sud have questioned everyone's faith by a ..read more

After nearly five years, the Pioli Out crowd seem to have finally realized their dream. Having constantly criticized the manager and blamed him for everything from the weather, the kits, to the mercato purchases, player performances, as well as the things he was actually responsible for, it seems that everyone has accepted that Pioli will be leaving at the end of the season. I mean, when pressed, management denies it and pretends to be annoyed by the questions. But they have leaked plenty of information to their spokespeople favorite journalists about having had serious talks with at least one ..read more

The expectations for this match were low, given Milan's recent form and all the players and fans missing. So it's difficult to say whether or not a 0-0 draw vs. Juve met or exceeded those expectations. Certainly a clean sheet and a point against the team just below us on the table is better than losing or even drawing to a team much lower on the table. But with both managers under fire for underperforming squads, it was not exactly a match that was particularly entertaining. Sportiello had six saves, but Milan had zero shots on target at the other end. So in a strange way, Milan were saved by ..read more

Saturday evening, Milan travel to Turin to take on Juventus after what has arguably been the most difficult few weeks for Milan this season. After being knocked out of the Europa League by Roma last week, our Primavera losing the UEFA Youth League Final on Monday evening, then losing the Derby to Inter Monday night for them to secure what they believe is their 20th Scudetto, now we have to face Juventus. If you recall, last year, Juventus' points deduction was announced the same week we faced them in this fixture. You know, the points deduction and eventual UEFA ban that led to us getting a Ch ..read more

As expected, Milan lost another Derby 2-1 to the organized crime family known as Inter. And while the Curva Sud Milano always impresses with their coreografia, this one may have actually been their most clever one yet. Copying a famous Banksy piece noted for its commentary on the problems we never talk about, the Curva entitled this one "Nothing Changes." The commentary the Curva were making was Inter's claiming 20 Scudetti, after infamously awarding themselves a "paper Scudetto" in 2006, the same year this Banksy work first appeared. They used cardboard stars to represent the two stars Inter ..read more

Milan fans have been on an intense emotional ride this past week. On Thursday, Milan was knocked out of the Europa League by Roma in a match that can only be described as watching a trainwreck while your dentist gives you a root canal and your significant other breaks up with you. And carrying that trauma, also the dread of knowing the Derby was coming on Monday. But then, on Friday, our Primavera side knocked Porto U19 out of the UEFA Youth League Semifinal on penalties, becoming the first Italian team to ever qualify for the UEFA Youth League Final. Which is also coming on Monday. So, basica ..read more

Milan have never won the Europa League trophy, but we have won the Champions League seven times. I would like to blame that fact for our excruciating exit from the Quarterfinals at the hands of the fifth place Serie A team that is 14 points below us on the table, but I don't think that was our problem. After a match that was conditioned by poor referee calls last week left us 1-0 down last week, Milan's proverbial back was up against the wall. In these situations, Pioli usually does one of two things: prepare the perfect match and win, or break the panic button because he hits it so hard. His ..read more

While Sassuolo have been known to hurt Milan in the past, no one hurt Milan more than themselves in this match. Well, except for perhaps technology. VAR was supposedly instituted only to reverse "clear and obvious errors" by the head referee. At least until Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) was introduced. By using twelve different camera angles, ball sensors and AI technology, almost immediately, the VAR referees can have a visual that shows whether or not the player was offside. This match officially ended in a 3-3 draw with Sassuolo, but Chukwueze had not just one, but two goals ..read more

Just about two years ago, on a May evening in Emilia-Romagna, Milan defeated Sassuolo 3-0 to win their 19th Scudetto. Now Milan return to the Mapei Stadium in second place on the table, while Sassuolo languish second from the bottom. Many of the players from that squad have moved on, but a number of them are still here. And the infamous table-flipping, cigar-smoking leader of that Scudetto campaign now works for RedBird as an advisor. While Pioli will need to focus on winning this match to shore up the team's mentality before the Europa League Quarterfinals second leg on Thursday, I am sure th ..read more

Milan players are probably so grateful for Atalanta's shock 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield, because that has deflected much of the media attention away from Milan's 1-0 loss to Roma at the San Siro. Although they might want a little more attention paid to Clément Turpin and his team's abysmal job refereeing, specifically the error that led to the Roma goal, and the failure to call what looked like a handball against Roma late in the game that would have given Milan a penalty, for example. However, Milan's performance was not great, and that was as obvious as the referee errors. So, with the ..read more