There's a phrase:

"Appeal to authority." A fallacy.

It means because someone in authority said it, it must be right...

It's also possible for Ibra to be wrong.

What I saw in that second half didn't look like a Milan team giving up, but it did look increasingly like one up against an Inter doing a good job of isolating our attack.

I agree Pioli was caught flat footed by the goals, but the team didn't down tools.

Great pep talk from Ibra, when he was probably the only one in the second half on our team who actually did stop working - as evidence by the fact his passing accuracy was the worst (aside Rebic who had a pretty poor game) on the pitch in the whole match.

I don't like it when the guy on the pitch with the worst passing then attacks his team mates for not passing!

Rare for me to be annoyed with the others like this when it's usually them telling me off for not backing the team well enough, but this one definitely bothers me.

Agreed the team capatulated in the second half, the first half though was the best performance I have seen of Milan in the past 4-5 years.

inter, currently 2nd in Serie A table, were always going to be tough; they have a very good squad and an international coach. So the result is justified in that regard.

Milan should build on that first half performance, the quality is there for all to see. It is just that the team is young and lacks experience in handling certain situations.

There is not much to be said here.

P.S. Re the Verona game I noticed Juventus lost to them so was it a bad result that 'this' Milan drew against Verona? Food for thought.

Well we're kind of split down the middle in this one.

Not sure how 3 world class goals are capitulation but anyway.

Wasn't just the goals Danny, the possession, the pressing, etc... It was like one Milan team took the field in the first half and a completely different Milan team took the field the second half.

inter's quality was far superior on paper and the same translated in the second half, granted they were caught off guard by an aggressive Milan in the first half.

Ok, let's have a look by numbers then:

We lost the ball 9 times first half, 20 times second half, fair enough, that backs your argument up.

But in terms of possession:

In our half in the second 45 we had 51 passes - they had 49 in theirs. Kind of even. But in their half it was 69 we had to theirs in ours being 51 they had.

By contrast the first 45?

They had 85 in their half we had 45 in ours. And in their half we had 127 where they had 38 in ours.

What happened was we lost some of our way as they gained momentum, but it's patently false to say we capitulated.

They improved much more than we deteriorated, that's a way of putting it.

But those goals were stunning and yet we still plugged at it.

I just think a lot of you are being very, very harsh and unfair.

Exactly

Danny, it's not about statistics. Just compare the 2 halves and it's clear to see that we blacked out as soon as Brosovic scored their first goal

1st half we were first to every ball, aggressive, pin-point passing, quick, got the attackers involved. 2nd half was the complete opposite. We started losing those 50/50s, made passing errors we weren't making in the 1st half. As soon as that first Inter goal went in you could see the difference in the team, it's like the air wan knocked out of them and they couldn't cope, and to ship the 2nd is such quick succession shows how fragile we are.

The quality of the goals does not matter. We let Inter get into those positions because we were backtracking as soon as the 2nd kicked off. Inter came out in the 2nd half to win it. And that's what they did by identifying where we were getting the upper hand. We were beating them in the center with Hakan forming a triangle with the midfield 2 and we were beating them on the wings with Samu and Conti + Theo and Rebic tag-teaming their wide players. Conte identified this and they out-played us in these areas in the 2nd half.

Pioli got the tactics right before the game, but in-game management was terrible on his end. He waited to long to make the changes. And the team came out with the wrong mentality in the second half. He knew Inter would come out guns blazing, he should have made sure we stayed compact to weather those first 15 to 20 minutes of the 2nd half.

It clearly isn't.

I'm completely done with this increasingly foolish debate.

Couldn't watch the game.

@Danny - I get what you're saying, but we conceded 4 goals in 45 minutes. Regardless of how it went down, that's pretty shameful and inexcusable.

@Han - Again with Pioli. Pioli this, Pioli that. IT'S THE FRIGGING PLAYERS THAT ARE TO BLAME! Let's forget Pioli for once. He laid down the tactics, worked marvels in the first half. I'm pretty sure he didn't tell the players to fall asleep in the second, though.

We're weak mentally, and this keeps going on for many, many years. At the first sign of trouble we give up and crumble apart. There's nothing more to say, really.

On the surface it is, but three of those goals were kind of unstoppable.

REBICCCCC!!

And constantly chopping and changing the squad is not the solution. Inter shelled out good money to first bring in Spaletti as a stepping stone and then Conte. Look at them now. Yes they've made some changes, but the team they had last season + 3 good additions have taken them to the top of the table.

I've been happy with what Pioli has done compared to the dog cr@p we saw under Giampaolo. But if we ever want to be a CL team again we must invest in a top tear coach.



Anyways, as for the game today. We played another great game. But why is it that every time we play well against Juve, I end up with a bitter taste in the mouth when the game ends?

Another game against Juve and I feel cheated. That first yellow to Theo was nonexistent, that already ruled him out of the 2nd leg. The 2nd yellow was deserved but that should have been his first. The penalty was debatable. Calabria's hands were down and he wasn't even looking at the ball. Add to that the yellow for Samu and we're going into the 2nd leg without 3 of our most important players (Samu, Ibra, Theo). It was a good showing but I don't see how we go to Turin and get a result with those guys missing plus the refs always giving the nod to Juve.

Aside from all that, we put in another good showing, we need to start getting the results to go along with the performances though. This game and the first 45 against Inter is some of the best stuff I've seen from us in a while. I think Pioli has really found the sweet spot with this 4-4-1-1 which changes to a 4-2-3-1 when we attack.

Unfortunately Pioli cost us this match by not hooking Theo. Sarri had the sense to hook Ramsey.

Inter got De Vrij, Godin, Lautaro, Lukaku, Barella, Sensi, Eriksen just to name some in the last couple of years. They didn't just invest in their coaches, but also in the players.

I completely agree that we're not going anywhere with Pioli, and he should only be an interim solution till the end of the season. But let's not blame every loss on him.



I thought we played a great game as well, considering the opponent. Until the second yellow, Juve were pretty much inexistent because we pressed them on every ball. I thought Bennacer and Kessie were especially impressive tonight.

Shame about the result. It was such a nonexistent penalty.



Hook? What does that mean?

Sorry, must be a British term! Means to take off.

In the theatre you see the old joke of an unwanted actor outstaying their welcome so you see the hooked walking stick come on from the side and pull him off by the neck.

Derives from that.

1-0

Good first half, sloppy second. Wasted some very good chances. Nevertheless, 3 points.

I just watched the second half. We were okay, we created some chances..but yes sloppy describes it perfectly.

So, the first half was good?

We really seem to have found our best formation here. What worries me is always the dependency of Ibra, and what happens after him. But, if we can keep going like this, that's good.

I see Rebic is doing good...

very good indeed judging from the press. I beleived paqueta also started last night. I just hope that we continue this momentum till end of season

He didn't.

I think taking off Theo atm is not much of an option for us. Pioli could not have predicted that he'd get the 2nd, not to mention that Juve would be helped out by the ref in the last few minutes


Be Vrij and Lautaro were there last year. Eriksen just signed for them. I was mostly talking about Sensi, Barella and Lukaku this summer. Last season we were just one point behind them, this season, they're fighting for the Scudetto. They've been making improvements every summer, no doubt. But really spending on Conte is what has made them take that leap from a team fighting for 4th to fighting for the Scudetto imo

Agreed about Kessie and Bennacer, they're really starting to click in that double pivot


Meh, I wouldn't call it sloppy, we were never going to maintain the high intensity we had in the first half. A drop off was expected. My issue is mostly with the wasted chances. Should have been 3-0


Excellent first half, quick, direct, created chances, pressed Torino very high up.

The Ibra dependency is worrying for sure. He's the focus for all our attacks, and all the aerial balls he wins help with our build up play so much.


He's been on fire, and not just with the goal scoring. I really wish we had given him a chance to play earlier in the season

How was that a handball FFS??

Why do we keep getting screwed?

For some reason UK decided to show rugby instead of this. So no clue how the first half went.

It was okay, not the same intensity we've been seeing in these last few games

That 2nd half was bad though, especially considering Fiorentina were down to 10.

Can't help but feel that we were once again screwed over though

Ibra's goal was valid imo, and that penalty was soft at best since Romagnoli seemed to have touched the ball on the tackle. On the whole though, we invited on the pressure in that second half and ths is what you get. We can't just switch off. Pioli's sub was also problematic. He should have brought on Paqueta to add numbers to the midfield when we were struggling at that point Salemaker was a pointless sub

That was surely not a penalty.

But we lost this one by ourselves, again caving in and waiting for the match to end after scoring.

Also, Romagnoli is a poor captain. I'm a bit tired and to angry right now to explain,...

I honestly do not know why they didn't swarm the ref so he would at least give it a 30 second glance on the VAR monitor. It was obvious that Romagnoli got the ball, it was a good tackle

Didn't watch the game but I saw those hot moments. Ibra's goal seemed valid, and that surely was not a penalty. Looks like Comisso's pathetic crying in the end paid off.

That being said, in 10 men vs such a poor Fiorentina. No excuses once again.

No doubt that we invited on the pressure

But even so, this game should have been a cut and dry 2-0. The ref totally f'd us over imo

Ibra's goal was completely valid, his hand was down and to his side, he didn't move it to change the trajectory of the ball

And that penalty was simply invented out of thin air, the fact that he didn't check on the monitor makes it even more obvious

The frequency that we keep getting screwed over with is f@cking irritating. After all the effort this team has put into trying to recover this season we get poor decisions against us that are directly effecting game outcomes.

Alright, side from this game, in what other occasion did we get screwed over?

When we appointed Pioli.

Just the other week against Juve for example...


Anyways, match tomorrow is postponed. Which imo is a ridiculous decision, this Corona thing won't get resolved in a week or two, what are they going to do? Postpone the rest of the season indefinitely?

And then they're saying our game against Juve in the Coppa will be played in front of fans, which is dumb af. If these games are going to be postponed then postpone everything. I don't think the virus picks and chooses which games are better to infect people at. I'm sure it does not have a Serie A bias

Yes, it is ridiculous indeed. Just have them played at closed doors. Lega Calcio is a disgrace.

Think disgrace is a bit strong. They're in the midst of a public health crisis. No chances can be taken with the unhealthy and elderly.

A disgrace in the sense that they have no clue what they're doing. First they postpone some games, then they decide to have some others be played behind closed gates. Then they change their minds 24 hours before the games but only just for a few. I mean, it's a fucking mess. You either postpone all games or have them all played behind closed gates.

If Inter manage to get through the Coppa Italia and Europe League, they'd literally have no days left in May to play the remaining games. This truly compromises their chances of winning and the integrity of the championship.

Trust me, I know how bad the situation is. I live in Rome so I'm living this crisis first hand. We had the first 10 infections today, and that's only bound to keep growing. I fear for my own health. But incompetence cannot be ignored, regardless.

Why all? It's only happening in the north. Or was when this decision was taken. What's the point of calling off the ones in the south or having them behind closed doors?



Same issue throughout Europe - it's already affecting Scotland.



I'm sorry.

Do you have underlying health issues?



Welcome to all football governing bodies. But I'm still thinking you're being a little harsh on this one!

To maintain coherence. The thing is, it was dead certain the virus would eventually spread throughout all of Italy, so what was the point in postponing just a few games?



Thankfully I don't.

I would assume the league was going on medical advice?



Good to hear. And you're at no more risk from this than any 'normal' influenza. Or flu, as we call it. The difference is there's no flu jab for this strain.

The biggest danger right now is the panic caused by the media agencies.

You know more people have other flu and have died from that globally in the past two months than this?

For the usual reasons - frail etc.

In short, as long as you're healthy, you are not at risk of anything other than being unwell for a week or two.

And it should be standard hygiene to wash hands etc.

That we're being told to do that is more an indictment of how badly we take care of ourselves than a warning of how dangerous this virus is.

Milan vs. Genoa today in the afternoon!

0-1 thus far.

0-2

What a shitshow. I'm turning off.

Well we're still trying, no?

Kessie and Bennacer as midfielders is a complete bomb, combined with that garbage kid defender at Serie C level... not really surprised this is happening.

Bennacer is garbage, never took to him.

But I'll say this:

I've NEVER seen a club official twitter criticise the team before, like they have today.

What are they saying?

I don’t think Bennacer is actually that bad, just that he is not what we ned at all..

They demanded big improvement in the second half.

Bennacer is good man, I don't know why you're so fixated with him.

Me? Hope not, because this is literally the first time I've talked about him haha.

(PS it's because Italy has the highest number of old people in Europe. You know what I'm talking about. So don't panic or worry).

Bennacer has been one of our most consistently good performers throughout this season, one off game does not change that And it was the entire team that was bad. Even Theo made the initial mistake that lead to the first goal.

Anyway, the game was just lifeless. We played badly, probably our worst performance in a while, but I was expecting it. All the starts and stops with the scheduling, going to Turin mid-week and then being told the game is postponed just when the players arrived.

All this does not help us, especially when we were finally starting to gain form and play well

Add to all that the sh!t show behind the scenes with Boban and Gazidis, and Rangnik practically being confirmed for next season while Pioli is still trying to do the job he was brought in to do, and you have the perfect recipe for what we saw today. I don't really blame this on the players. There is just too much upheaval and uncertainty surrounding them.

Aside from all that, I hope all you are well and being vigilant about this virus but this mass hysteria is really just making things worse.

Real epidemic is panic.

This is a flu bug ffs. One we admittedly don't have PREVENTATIVE treatment for, but like all flu once you have it you just need to get it through your system.

It's beyond disgraceful how the media and governments have portrayed and dealt with it.

Though I agree the media is painting a grim picture here, but this virus is no ordinary flu bug Danny.

If your immune system is good, then there is a very good chance when you do contract the virus you will probably get it through your system as you stated. However, if you carry the virus and transmit to someone with a bad immune system, then there is no cure and it is fatal.

So the key point here should be it depends on your immune system. And I believe that is where it becomes tricky.

And herein is the misinformation - what you just described is ALL flu bugs. Sadly, people with weak immune systems and the elderly die from flu at this time of the year. The difference with this one is there's no vaccination yet. That's all.



There's never been a cure for any strain of flu. Only preventative vaccines.



That's why I asked X if he had underlying health issues. If you don't, you're not at risk. Of feeling anything other than feeling badly unwell.

But that's applicable to all strains of flu, not just COVID19.