AC Milan 0, FC Zurich 1
While the sports news today in England is dominated by sad tales emanating from Fratton Park, we shouldn’t overlook the other tragic team in Europe today… the Rossonieri of Milan.
Just two-and-a-bit years ago, on a warm May evening in Athens, they were winning the Champions League/European Cup for the 7th time in their history, and now… they’re losing 1-0 at home to FC Zurich.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. (Let’s not take anything away from the Swiss Super League champs… but this isn’t about them, is it?)
All it took was a 10th minute backheel from Finnish defender Hannu Tihinen (and what a backheel it was), and we’re all wondering how long it’ll be until Leonardo gets replaced as manager by someone who actually knows how to manage.
But first, the goal:
Should we analyze their struggles in much detail? Should we dwell on this one game as being symptomatic of a much deeper rot? After all, Liverpool were swept aside casually by Fiorentina the day before, though that doesn’t register on the Richter Scale with quite as much gusto.
The Rossonieri are old. Decrepit. Bereft of ideas since Kaka’s departure. The transfer fee was so large they couldn’t refuse, and yet the squad left behind doesn’t inspire much faith. Watching them limp and amble around the pitch during the UF Foul Up was expected from a lazy summer pre-season game, but in watching them implode against cross-town rivals Inter in a 4-0 defeat, we get the sense they haven’t realized that it’s no longer July. Gone should be the half-hearted, misguided effort and yet, a 2-2-2 start to the Serie A season makes me think otherwise.
With that massive squad, we’d be forgiven for thinking they could solve whatever troubles they’re suffering through; Ronaldinho appears a chubby shadow of his former self, Pato and Inzaghi aren’t clicking as a dynamite strike pairing, and their aging back-line (Nesta, Jankulovski and Kaladze are all 31 or older) just can’t seem to keep pace.
An obvious fix will be to can Leonardo and bring in another suave Italian retread that happens to be available. If they don’t do it soon, they’ll end up further and further off the pace, in which case we can revisit their despair in a month or two and laugh all over again.
Until then, let’s laugh at this latest effort and chuckle loudly as Silvio “Out of the Loop” Berlusconi, for whom teen skirt-chasing has become the number one occupation, thinks that his team is still “1st in the world”… we must assume that old age and fake tan have loosened his interpretation of what “1st” and “world” actually mean.
With news filtering down that the Berlusconis want to sell, it doesn’t look like this mess is getting resolved any time soon. Brace yourselves, Meelan… it’s gonna be a rough season.
All I know is that Zurich didn’t score after Gooch came on.
Don’t worry. Becks coming back in January will solve everything.
By the way, here’s what the goal scorer does in his spare time:
http://www.wornthrough.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/loverboy-mike-reno.bmp
That backheel looks like one of those moves where the manager is going to pull him aside later and say, “Look, I know that worked that time, but I never want to see it ever again, got it?”
Still cannot fathom why they sold Gourcuff (who is out of the next two French qualifiers, RUHROH NYK!), unless they just have massive financial problems. Though I don’t see any soccernet articles about them being forced to sell players, so it can’t be the case, I suppose.
Play Gooch goddammit!