Can Milan qualify for the Champions League? The Case For | Daniele Longo
What do AC Milan fans have to look forward to this season? Is it too much to hope for Champions League qualification?
Following a very strong start, our Daniele Longo (86_longo) takes us through the case for and the case against the Rossoneri making it into the Top 3.
THE CASE FOR
AC Milan are already third, one point behind AS Roma in second place, and four ahead of Lazio, in fourth.
The club has the right mentality: the vibe we’re getting at Milanello is that this team has ambitions, it wants to embark on a long adventure. The players believe in this Milan: it’s not a coincidence that Suso piped up with the Palermo game, claiming that last year’s team wouldn’t have won. He’s right. Milan have taken the lead eight times this season, and have taken home all 24 points available in the circumstances.
This team can suffer when things go badly without losing either its focus or its cohesion. Everyone- from the wingers to the midfielders - work for the same thing, and defend to the last bullet.
Milan have key men at every position. Though he made a big mistake against Leonardo Pavoletti recently, Alessio Romagnoli is proving that he is the right man for Milan’s central defence, and that he was worth the €25 million the Rossoneri invested in him last summer. The centre-back is one for the future, as is Giacomo Bonaventura, who has become used to the centre midfield role again, and is playing much more for the team, too. Suso is adding variety to his game on the wing, while Gigi Donnarumma would definitely have his age questioned if his passport was Nigerian.
The opposition has more quality, but far more question marks, too. Inter have already sacked their Coach, while Napoli have struggled of late. Milan may not have a Hamsik, a Mertens or an Icardi, but they more than make up for it by playing as a team. There’s cohesion, a common ground shared by the technical staff and the club.
Montella was, from this perspective, very clever in isolating his players from Milan’s summer tribulations, and gotten them to focus on themselves, on having the confidence to realize their potential.
