Milan Circle
After three consecutive draws in all competitions, how will AC Milan respond? At the once "sad land" Maradona Stadium, the Rossoneri gave the answer. With Olivier Giroud's winning blow, Milan once again won the "Seven Sisters Civil War", and Pioli's side officially sounded the clarion call of the season sprint while opening up the gap with the fifth place. Milan, which is in the ranks of the title contender on both lines, must learn to maintain the stability of the state if it wants to achieve another qualitative change.
At the Maradona stadium, Milan refuse to be sad
Prior to the 2020/21 season, the Maradona Stadium was milan's most feared stadium at Serie A level, after the Allianz Arena. In the nine seasons since the start of 2011/12, the Rossoneri's record away to Napoli has been 3 draws and 6 losses, including the regrettable 2-3 in 2018/19. As the Milanese Youth Army rose to prominence over the past two years, the Rossoneri's sad history on the south coast of Italy came to an end.
Football is a scientific sport, hard work and will can occasionally direct a good play with the weak to win the strong, but only hard power online, it is possible to be full of confidence to win. In those years of Milan's lows, not only was it difficult to take advantage of teams such as Inter, Atalanta, and Roma, but also when the team's revival gradually got on track, the down-and-out Serie A giants regained their strong team temperament.
If the second half of the 2019/20 season is the starting point for Milan's rise, and the 2020/21 season is a compulsory course for youth, then the Rossoneri in 2021/22 will embark on a new level. In the games so far this season, Pioli's team has become a representative of "robbing the rich and helping the poor", both to be proud of the top seven of the league and to send warmth to the vice-captain. This is in line with the characteristics of an overall young team, such as Milan is obviously not afraid of Napoli.
No matter how indistinguishable the analysis of staffing and technical strength, at least in terms of mental state and desire to win, Milan suppresses Naples. Less than a month ago, in another battle at King's Hill, Napoli was equalised by Inter after once dominant, and then Spalletti adopted a conservative strategy at home to save a draw. How can a team that sits at home and has no determination to win against its direct competitors for the title suppress young people who are not afraid of heaven?
(Milan's starting line-up against Napoli)
Such a top battle, the two sides are naturally the main force, but Pioli's deployment is more courageous, he changed the 4231 formation that Milan has always used, so that Casey, Tornelli and Benasser came out of the midfield together, and Leo and Messias were on the two wings of Giroud. Single-back and double midfielders form a pair with Napoli, two wings assault limit the opponent's defensive width, Milan's 433 change is highly targeted.
The first half of the game was very much in line with the stability style of serie A strong dialogue, although both sides took a high position to press, but the overall situation did not show a fighting posture. Tornelli and Casey got into a fight with Fabian Luiz and Zelinski, And Benasser was able to comb through effectively, while Kalulu and Tomori on the defensive end managed to restrain osmayne, the "killer" of the big killer. When the game is in a balance, the more confident team can break the game - at the Maradona Stadium, the Milan crowd will obviously be more "hungry".
(Kalulu, who has been freed 5 times, played at the top level)
So Yi Bian fought again, and people saw Milan's determination to forge ahead. Ramani and Koulibaly were yellowed at halftime, making Napoli's defence look intimidating. Calabria's shot that hit Giroud and helped the Rossoneri take the lead from the start of the second half, a goal that combined the hard work of young people and the bloody nature of the veteran, tilted the balance of victory and completely helped Milan open the situation.
Since then, the two sides have still attacked and defended each other, but Milan's defensive line is solid, Kalulu has played a first-class performance in Serie A, and if it were not for Salmales's single knife in stoppage time, Milan's victory would have been more convincing. Of course, the three-point bag is satisfactory enough, and the unwilling failure of the first round can also be relieved, leaving Napoli with a smile for two consecutive seasons, and the Red and Black soldiers who are back at the top of the table want to expect more.
(Post-match statistics against Napoli)
Where is the spell? Pure level is not enough
The away team won the top clash with great confidence, and Olivier Giroud, who scored the winning goal, was once again in the spotlight, with the Frenchman's goal in this campaign somewhat similar to the goal of the Milan derby equalising, only this time with a more agile reaction. After the game, the reporter asked Ibrahimovic about his return, and Giroud calmly reached: "I am also the big brother of young people. ”
This is indeed the case. In the football world, "you can't win everything with a bunch of kids" is a law that is in line most of the time, which is why Ibrahimovic has such a big role in the process of Milan getting on the right track. Milan's original intention in bringing in Olivier Giroud was to value his experience and big heart, and the fighting spirit on the pitch is also a model to inspire young players. There is no doubt that in just half a season, Olivier Giroud has completely captured the hearts of Milan fans.
The 35-year-old Olivier Giroud scored his first away goal in Serie A and he has scored 11 goals this season, making him the number 9 red-black with the most goals since Inzaghi. At this point, people seem to no longer have to explore whether the French will be bothered by the number nine spell, the performance on the court can say everything, the football world pays attention to science, the so-called magic spell, just "not enough" superstitious statement.
(Giroud was already red in the first half)
Since Inzaghi's retirement, milan number 9 has become the "most cursed" number in European football. For nine years, nine players, including Pato, Torres and Higuain, were lost after becoming Milan's No. 9, with only Andre Silva scoring in double figures, most of them in the Europa League. Milan No. 9 is so "ruinous", it is no wonder that the media and fans are making a big fuss.
In fact, the No. 9 spell is closely linked to the team's lows and the state of the players, and when Milan as a whole is sluggish and the players are either in decline or seen as a lottery ticket, how can they be expected to keep scoring? Giroud used his actions to crush the doubts of the outside world, three goals against Inter and Napoli, directly helped Milan win two key battles, and also won him the nickname of "six-point warrior". Milan is on the rise, Giroud's own strength is online, and the spell is naturally cracked.
The 35-year-old Olivier Giroud, who is both online in terms of competitive status and mental will, is why Milan fans praise him. Against Napoli, he was kicked by Koulibaly in the first half, but still insisted on the game and scored the winning goal, and the image of the warrior jumped on the paper. After winning the crucial three points on the sprint, I hope Olivier Giroud's injury is not a big problem, and Milan need the no. 9 to achieve their dreams.
With a sense of hunger and thirst, the trumpet of the charge is blown
The away win over Napoli allowed Milan to return to the top of the table with one game in the first game, and as Atalanta lost to Roma in this round, the Rossoneri had a 13-point advantage over Atalanta (one less game) and Roma, and with 10 rounds left in the league, unless there is a "super crash", they will basically not lose their Champions League seats. At this stage, all Milan can think of is to rush to the championship in the domestic arena.
The author has mentioned before that Milan are at a disadvantage in hard power relative to Inter, after crossing the Napoli level, the difficulty of the schedule of the two males is at the same level, and Pioli's team wants to compete for the league title, and the biggest "advantage" is hunger and thirst. Ibrahimovic and Giroud are already champions, but the young people behind them are different, trying to help the team return to the top of the Apennines after 11 years, and the Milan youth army will show their spirit against Napoli in every next game.
Pioli, who led the team to beat Spalletti for the first time, said after the game: "The team must show that it has learned from its mistakes and this will be the moment when the team finally matures. "Milan now gives people a sense of déjà vu that the team has developed in FM games, and the next 11 or 12 games, each of which is a final for Milan. When the narrow road meets the brave, is the Red and Black Army ready? Forza Milan！