Milan Circle
For AC Milan fans, the past week has undoubtedly been a blessing. In the Champions League group stage draw, Milan were in the same group as Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg and Sagrab Dinamo, which can be described as a draw. Back in the league, the Rossoneri witnessed de Castellare's wonderful performance. With goals from Leo and Giroud, Pioli's side beat Bologna 2-0 in San Siro, a perfect result considering rivals Inter and Juve conceding points.
The shining CDK captured the hearts of fans in a world war
The two things that Milan fans have been waiting for the longest this summer are the renewal of Maldini and Marsala and the transfer of De Caytlare. Throughout June and July, cdk's name was associated with Milan, but the players did not appear in the San Siro until early August. The two horses are willing to spend almost the whole summer and Bruges soft and hard, and the club needs to pay at least 32 million euros (in terms of Serie A level), which naturally makes people look forward to the Belgian's performance.
As he joined the team at the end of summer training, CDK did not get much playing time in the warm-up match, and its strength could only be tested in official matches, while Milan's first two games of the No. 90 and the team were still in the run-in period, both appearing as substitutes, and did not get a starting opportunity until the third round - home against Bologna, Pioli made two important adjustments, CDK replaced Diaz in the front waist, and the center position sent no. 9 Giroud.
(Milan's start against Bologna)
It turns out that the only downside to a good player is that it's expensive. Throughout the first half, CDK was the most reasonable handling of the ball in the Milan squad, the most big-picture vision of the existence, except for a few slight flaws in the stop, basically revitalized the team's front court. Just after the start, the Belgian used his speed and body on the right to eat Medel raw, completed a wonderful human score, and then he advanced to organize the attack, but Olivier Giroud's shot did not create much threat.
However, CDK did not wait too long for his first assist of his Milan career, and in the 20th minute, he drove straight in from midfield and gave the ball to Leo at the most opportune time, who pushed and kicked, but unexpectedly tricked the goalkeeper to break the deadlock. From the launch of the attack to the completion of the goal, only cdk and Leo touched the ball, and even the Serie A official made tactical illustrations, and lamented that "sometimes, simplicity is beautiful".
(The first goal of Milan on the tactical board is reproduced)
Milan's first goal fully demonstrated the advantages of CDK: strong enough, fast enough, passing accurate enough. And just five minutes later, he almost assisted twice - after a turn to get rid of it in front of the arc of the penalty area, CDK deftly hoisted a pass and just crossed the Bologna defense, but unfortunately Kalulu did not knock the ball to Giroud, and the goal did not dodge the block of the goalkeeper, missing the opportunity to extend the score.
In the 62 minutes of the debut, CDK has won 5 times in 7 matches, passed 3 times, created 4 chances, two of which were excellent opportunities, and contributed an assist, such a new signing is naturally recognized by Milan fans, rosenelli can't wait to see him show a "thigh-level" performance in a strong dialogue.
Winning by two goals, Pioli prepares for the Devils' schedule
In addition to cdk's wonderful performance, Milan's match against Bologna has many positive signals. For example, Leo, who had a mediocre performance in the first two league rounds, showed signs of a return to form, not only opening the record, but also picking up a pass in the second half to assist Giroud to expand the score. Milan's second goal, and one of the team's best offensive routines , pressed in front of the field to force the opponent to make a mistake, and then three or two feet on the ground to tear open the defense, last season's Milan derby equalizer goal and kill Fiorentina is a classic case.
The returning starter Olivier Giroud's debut of the season is another positive sign. With Rebić closer to the shadow forward, Ibrahimovic's long-term injury, and Origi still needing to integrate into the team, Milan will eventually need a positive Indian center with the ability to finish. By the way, the tall CDK also has a certain quality of center forward, but Pioli is now more likely to train him as an organizer and become a front-back line that Milan can rely on.
After conceding goals in two consecutive rounds, the state of the Milan defence has improved, and the cooperation between Tomori and Kalulu has become more and more tacit, and the latter's tackle has become more and more mature. In the absence of major flaws in the overall defensive system, opponents can almost only rely on long-range shots to threaten the goal guarded by Menion. Throughout the match, Bologna's eight shots on goal did not hit the target once, with the exception of Sansone's long-range shot that hit the upright with one foot that posed a substantial threat. The first clean sheet of the season gave the victory a point more.
(Kalulu played eye-catching in this campaign)
After taking a 2-0 lead, Pioli even prepared for the next Devil's schedule, replacing Adeli, Poberga, Barlow Toure, Gabia and Salmakles in succession, allowing the rotation players at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends to find their form in actual combat. Frankly speaking, Bologna's strength is limited, Milan's vision should be so long-term, the next three weeks, the red and black youth will play 6 games, a consecutive week of double matches, the continuity of the state is the key.
(Statistics of matches against Bologna)
The balance between the Champions League and the league is a science
In the early morning of This Friday Beijing time, the 2022/23 Champions League group draw was announced, and Milan, who played as the defending champion of Serie A, received the first team benefits and entered a relatively favorable group. Milan's Group E presents a typical pattern of two strongs and two weaknesses, and although the Rossoneri have to play well against Chelsea, the most important thing to qualify from the group is to get enough points on Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
Judging from the schedule of the two-sided battle, Milan's biggest test is in the week from October 6 to October 12, the team needs to play back-to-back against Chelsea in the Champions League, interspersed with a strong dialogue with Juve, such a high-intensity rhythm Milan has not met for a long time. Of course, everything has two sides, and in the two Champions League games in September, Milan's opponents are relatively limited, which is more conducive to the team's entry into the rhythm.
In the 2020/21 season, Inter milan was at the bottom of the group in the Champions League and finally went all out to win the Serie A title, and last season Milan was also out of the group and focused on the league to finally counterattack and win the championship. A harsh reality is that Serie A is difficult to balance the full commitment of both lines, so how to balance the energy distribution of the league and the Champions League will be a topic that Pioli will face this season. As a club of greats, Milan certainly won't give up any game in the Champions League, but learn to win "smarter".
(Milan's Champions League group stage schedule, 0:45 and 3:00 Beijing time)
Starting against Bologna, Milan will play a match almost every three days, with two strong opponents, Inter and Napoli. With the first test of the season already in place, what kind of answers will Pioli's side deliver? Let's wait and see!