Inter lost after dominating apprently, but they habe sheriff and shaktar im their group

What is encouraging is that we grew into it.

Obviously we do have our limits and imo Liverpool are one of the best sides out there when on their game. Such a fluid team. To see this group not only holding on but also putting up a decent fight was a proud moment I have to admit. Especially when taking into account where we were just 2 years ago under Giampaolo.

I think following this game, we're going to do well against the others. This was the hardest tie for us. Going to Anfield, facing that crowd against a Liverpool side that's really starting to hit their stride again.

Now let's put this behind us. We have a huge game against Juve on the weekend, and that is what matters most.




Kessie, should take a look in the mirror. This is the type of game where you earn the 8m salary you're asking for. Not bullying mis-table Serie A sides. Him and Bennacer let the whole team down today. And I understand that it was very difficult for them. Liverpool's press was insane. But I expect more from them

It wasn't? Cos I personally thought it was. Result-wise no, but based on what went on on pitch we were disintegrated entirely.

Like I said in a previous post, Pioli has done wonders with the defensive phase of this team. The only reason we didn't concede 5 or 6 tonight was thanks to a great defensive work. But everything else, boy oh boy. It was like watching Liverpool vs Sunderland or something.

This game showed the vast, vast difference between us and the European powerhouses. Bro, we could not create sh*t! The mistakes our players made were childish. Not amateurish. Childish! If there's one thing our players need to understand after this game is that in the CL you cannot hold on to the ball while jogging like an 80-year-old. You need to think quickly and act quickly, because the pressure coming from the opposition is asphyxiating. We're such a little team from this aspect, really.

Calabria, Kessie, Bennacer, Theo, and Saelemaekers were simply horrific. Our midfield and our flanks were non-existent. I have no frigging clue how we scored those two goals but we just got lucky. Lucky that Salah didn't score the penalty as well.

I could go on and on about tonight but I would be typing an essay, so let's leave it at that.

Porto-A. Madrid ended in a draw

That's good that no other side is already 3 points ahead of us

Who do we have next? Porto or Atletico?

IMO Pioli botched this one. Milan started the game with in a wrong way. The mentality and effort simply lacked and we seemed completely unprepared for what was a typical Liverpool/Klopp game.

Secondly, his subs were horrible. Forget Maldini, perhaps he was ordered to do so (haha). But taking off Leao who was our only hope in terms of winning space and bringing the ball up front (hence helping the defense to breath) was a very stupid decision. Then moving in Giroud while Milan did not manage to get even 1 good cross in the first 60 minutes was another mistakes. Taking out Alexis and bringing the so far very unexciting Florenzi yet another.

All in all Pioli approached this game like it was a routine Serie A game against Bologna or Fiorentina. Well, he was lucky to get away with a good looking defeat because Milan was inferior, played badly and showed little to none determination or gameplan.

And yes, Bennacer and Kessie were horrible. I'm thinking that both suffer under acute "contractivitis" and we'll see more of Krunić and Tonali.

My main problem with kessie and benneacer were that they didn't improve at all as the game progressed. I mean look at Calabria I think he was very shaky at the start but at the end, we could see that how well he recovered

+1

I only disagree that Alexis was horrible.

Yes, I agree. Although he kept making mistakes, at least he started to have more initiative. Kessie and Bennacer were 0 throughout the whole match.

A. Madrid at san siro

The result is what will be remembered. And while yes, the performance was horrifying, especially those first 15 minutes, we just have to take this in stride. Flipping out over the CL is pointless when we all knew going into it that we're miles behind the likes of Liverpool, Bayern, etc Even Juve are miles behind them, let alone us.

You can't go crazy over performances like this. Not when we went into the CL with eyes wide open being in pot 4 and anticipating a potential match up against a team like Liverpool. Who btw are probably the worst opponents we could have been dealt aside from maybe Bayern and City. Last year we played Man U off the pitch with half our starting 11 missing. They finished the league in a better spot than Liverpool last season as well. So to me that says we can hold our own, but there are certain sides that are hard to live with and Liverpool are one of them.

Let's see how we do in the other ties before we throw in the towel.

And btw, we weren't lucky to score either goal. Both were well-worked goals, both of which more beautiful than any of the Liverpool goals which, for all their pressure and chances, all came from instances which we should have dealt with

So, your point is? Bro, that we're inferior to Liverpool is well-known to everyone and their grandma's. But we're AC Milan and we can't put a performance worthy of a relegation side. Don't think for a moment that Liverpool were having the game of their lives. This was a routine match for them, and yet they demolished us from any aspect except the final result.

And it's not about what's going to be remembered, it's about playing like a side that finished 2nd last year in the league and have a dignified performance. Yet we played like a relegation side. And that's what hurts the most.

I agree re Pioli. I do not understand why we tried to play our own game against Liverpool. Everyone before hand was expecting us to sit and counter. Why were we trying to play out of defence when red shirts were absolutely swarming us? Especially during those opening few minutes.

You can't play high against Liverpool and you can't dwell on the ball as we tend to do in the league. Not against a side that is specifically known for their press and quick play.

The subs for me were disappointing as well. I would have taken Leao off personally because he was a bit of a defensive liability on that wing. It was clear the mids were struggling, so I do not understand why he didn't at least put on Tonali with both Kessie and Benna to add another body in there and help them out.

The players were clearly shell shocked and that resulted in lot of mistakes. And I was as angry as you during the game. But in hind sight, yes, I do have to accept this. Why? Because the majority of the players in our starting 11 had never even played a game in the CL, and the ones who had were never key players for their sides. This was their first outing, the pressure was clearly effecting them, add to that Liverpool were good. And while it might not have been the game of their lives, they were still very good. And a very good Liverpool side will blow many a side out of the water, because they do have a style of play that is generally hard to deal with. Especially for a team like ours who is used to playing in Serie A. When we generally have a million years on the ball

And yes, we played like a relegation side at certain points. I was ready to switch off before we scored because I expected a drubbing tbh. BUT, and that's a huge one, these are the growing pains we will have to go through. I personally never held any illusions of how we'll do in this group. For me the most important thing again this season is making the CL. Because only by making CL football consistently, will we be able to compete with these teams

I disagree. We never played high for a moment because Liverpool simply didn't allow us to make 3 passes in a row, let alone play our game. They forced us to sit back and park the bus, and from then onwards it was a barrage of Liverpool attacks that we tried to fend off in the best way we possibly could.

The two goals were circumstantial. That's what I meant by lucky in my previous post. They were not the result of the game we were expressing or anything, simply because we didn't express jackshit.

Again, I'm disappointed by the way we approached this match and by the performances of nearly all our players. We could have and should have done better, but as Fillipo said we faced it like another average Serie A game. Huge mistake.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't put our maximum effort in the CL this year. It's not like we achieved CL football and then the competition can go to hell. It doesn't work like that.

Yes, making CL every year is vital and management knows it, but the team has the utmost obligation to put 110% in every CL game, especially in a group of hell like ours. Whether we make it or not is another matter, as long as the performance and effort are there. And tonight they simply weren't.