The Rumour Commode XXXI: The Panther Era

[vB9]

I hate this juls fecker the most on ESPN... then gab.

Sid Lowe is a cool guy

[General]

What will we name the new rumor commode?

[nonsonoqui]

Originally Posted by vB9

I hate this juls fecker the most on ESPN... then gab.

Sid Lowe is a cool guy

Interesting. Gab and Jules are solid dudes. I can think of like 6 examples of far more detestable pundits.

I prefer Sid Lowe's writing to his speaking.

[Alo88]

Originally Posted by brk

Those crosses would have found the head of Ibra or Mandzukic at least some of the time. Leao is just useless in the air and doesn't have the killer instinct or timing to be able to anticipate where he needs to be in the box to attack the ball. He just stands with the defender and thinks that's enough. I used to think that he can be a CF to replace Ibra next year, I don't think so anymore. He can be devastating in space, but we can't always play against those types of teams.

I don't think that it's his skillset who hinders him, it's his mindset. Talent is there. Plenty of it. But if he doesn't realize that he can't be a passenger for 90% of the game week I nweek out, especially not in his young age where he has everything to prove and nothing to show off, he's...

... and I don't know when the last time was I didn't wrote this in a post that was about Leao...

... pulling another Balotelli.

Imagine Leao with Rebic' mindset. Unstoppable.

[vB9]

Originally Posted by nonsonoqui

I prefer Sid Lowe's writing to his speaking.

You heard of Tim Vickery? I like him. Very knowledgeable on South American players.

[nonsonoqui]

Originally Posted by vB9

You heard of Tim Vickery? I like him. Very knowledgeable on South American players.

Yeah, Vickery is great. I used to have a subscription to World Soccer back when people subscribed to magazines. Vickery, Paddy Agnew, Lowe...were all in there.

[vB9]

^^Top man

[Alo88]

Originally Posted by leaf

Again, not saying that the situation is exactly the same
However Henry was also underperforming while being played out of position. There are a ton of very successful strikers who you don't really see all game and then they pop up and make their contribution...then disappear again.

Icardi is one that immediately pops into my mind. Well, if Leao shares closely the same goal scoring numbers as Icardi we can talk...

But until then, there really are no excuses for his soft laissez faire attitude. Isn't that the issue here?

The game yesterday surely didn't help his characteristics, I can agree on that. I'm not complaining his lack of goals however, but his lack of spirit. He didn't even try to participate. For comparison: Rebic was played lone CF despite not being at his auge at all up there many times this season. He didn't do much better neither if you looked at numbers only. However, you clearly see two different attitudes on the pitch when you compare them; one that helps your team and one that seems to not even care.

I want Leao to be much hungrier on the pitch. Even, or better said, especially when the opponent doesn't suit his characteristics. At least try to offer something, and not seemingly enter the pitch with an excuse to begin with for not being deceive at all. That's not how he's gonna grow into a professional football player.

[MilanFan89]

Our performance lately reminds me of the start of last season, what the hell happened ?
At first we were almost unbeatable, with very nice football, And now we cant even win against Crvena - Spezia and Udinese.
Tbh I dont see us winning against Hellas, with this same performance like yesterday.
There need to be some chances. To think about its because of all the injuries, is not very true.
This team still should be good enough to beat fking Spezia and Udinese

[Alo88]

Originally Posted by MilanFan89

Our performance lately reminds me of the start of last season, what the hell happened ?
At first we were almost unbeatable, with very nice football, And now we cant even win against Crvena - Spezia and Udinese.
Tbh I dont see us winning against Hellas, with this same performance like yesterday.
There need to be some chances. To think about its because of all the injuries, is not very true.
This team still should be good enough to beat fking Spezia and Udinese

True, but we didn't thought that we could win against Roma after the last couple of weeks and yet we did.

This squad is squeezing every little bit out of its bones while it gave us so much joy and happiness in what have been some of our darkest months in a long time. That's why I'm on Instagram spamming their posts with lots of encouragement and positive words every day.

I never did in the past but somehow I feel like as a fan that's the most productive thing I can contribute to help them get back in track and continue this wonderful journey that began almost a year ago. I mean it's easy to like and be a fan wen things are going well. It's even easier to be hyped. But the moment the team needs it's fans the most are the very exact moments we are going through now.

[Tantalis]

Originally Posted by MilanFan89

Our performance lately reminds me of the start of last season, what the hell happened ?
At first we were almost unbeatable, with very nice football, And now we cant even win against Crvena - Spezia and Udinese.
Tbh I dont see us winning against Hellas, with this same performance like yesterday.
There need to be some chances. To think about its because of all the injuries, is not very true.
This team still should be good enough to beat fking Spezia and Udinese

mentality has shifted which is easily observed by looking at player and fan reactions. the players are feeling the pressure from the nature of the title race, how they were once praised, and now the backlash starting from the moment things were getting tough. along with all the injuries that have offset the teams continuity.

Originally Posted by Alo88

That's why I'm on Instagram spamming their posts with lots of encouragement and positive words every day.

I never did in the past but somehow I feel like as a fan that's the most productive thing I can contribute to help them get back in track and continue this wonderful journey that began almost a year ago. I mean it's easy to like and be a fan wen things are going well. It's even easier to be hyped. But the moment the team needs it's fans the most are the very exact moments we are going through now.

proper

[Casualista]

Originally Posted by MilanFan89

Our performance lately reminds me of the start of last season, what the hell happened ?
At first we were almost unbeatable, with very nice football, And now we cant even win against Crvena - Spezia and Udinese.
Tbh I dont see us winning against Hellas, with this same performance like yesterday.
There need to be some chances. To think about its because of all the injuries, is not very true.
This team still should be good enough to beat fking Spezia and Udinese

Teams who play high tempo invariably tend to burn out. This can be anything between a couple of months to a couple of seasons. You can take Klopp as an example. His teams seem to have a shelf life of around three seasons and then things suddenly stop clicking. In his last season at Dortmund he spent almost half the season in relegation zone.

I am getting the vibes that our burnout is far more mental than physical. Personnel wise we had fewer people to rely on during November and December than now but the team is in a different head space right now. We had an almost season long run split over halves of two seasons but that drive seems to have fizzled out for whatever reason.


The January transfer window was also disappointing on this front as new blood failed to shake things up in the squad.

It comes down to the leadership group of ibra, pioli, maldini, kjaer, gazidis to come up with a way to rally the troops again.

[Pingu]

Originally Posted by Ronin

We are in a far better position than anyone has expected 1 year before and this despite she shittiest luck with injuries. As one commentator said in one of the latest games - "Pioli has put himself in a difficult spot by overachieving so far"

If we'd had gotten to this position by grinding wins and climbing the ladder, everyone would be super happy.

Sure, there is concern, as our form is in decline and some games have been ugly, but even Inter has mostly won through ugly play, despite having the best squad / best depth and luck with squad health. Lukaku has missed only 1 Serie A game, right?

A problem with evaluating Pioli now is that he's working with many limitations, so it's hard to give a fair assessment. I think he deserves 1 more season just on the form we've shown in 2020 alone... that shows what he can do. I believe we'll still get 4th place, so then it is not even a question of changing the coach.

Hopefully he benches Roma more often and maybe even Zlatan once Mandzu returns. Leao should go play with Primavera for a while

Great post friend. As you said, we're overachieving based on what even us fans thought since post-lockdown started. That set the bar very high, and then injuries, fatigue and covid put a hammer to that. We're struggling, but we aren't the only ones. Teams behind us in the CL race are also dropping points. Only Juventus are gaining any traction from early season but is expected with the squad they have, and same with Inter being first. CL needs to be the realistic target and I'm confident we can achieve it. Here's hoping Suning don't pay wages, Inter demoted, so we can win Serie A

[milanator]

Originally Posted by MilanFan89

Our performance lately reminds me of the start of last season, what the hell happened ?
At first we were almost unbeatable, with very nice football, And now we cant even win against Crvena - Spezia and Udinese.
Tbh I dont see us winning against Hellas, with this same performance like yesterday.
There need to be some chances. To think about its because of all the injuries, is not very true.
This team still should be good enough to beat fking Spezia and Udinese

In terms of our performance level I think it is mainly a combination of the tight schedule and the injuries - see Liverpool for example, there are certain parallels.

Combine that with Serie A sides being relatively good at figuring out weaknesses and playing defensive football.

Pioli also lacks a bit of adaptivity, but he is also partly a victim of the circumstances. However finishing top 4 is crucial. If we drop too many points the next games I could understand if we got a caretaker to secure top 4, it wouldn't be fair towards Pioli but we cannot screw this season up.

[vB9]

Foza Faustino Asprilla!

[Ronin]

One thing I still hope to see from Pioli is more innovation, something to surprise the opponent.

I still remember when Seedorf put Poli as CF (nominally) in one game and everybody thought he'd gone insane, but turned out to be a great move.

Does anybody remember which game was that? Goodfella?

[voom]

Originally Posted by vB9

Foza Faustino Asprilla!

What happened to him?

[vB9]

Originally Posted by voom

What happened to him?

I'm wishing Parma good luck through him.

[Pingu]

Brahim Diaz to AC Milan Youtube:

What were you like as a child? “I am a grown up boy, like everyone else, loving what he loves now: football, and realising my dream as I am doing so far to be able to play professionally, improving day by day. I am a humble boy, raised in a neighbourhood… and I have come this far, as I said, making my dreams come true.”

Were you a quiet kid or a restless kid? Did you make your parents angry every now and then? “Both, it depended on the day (laughs). I’m a quiet guy, who likes to do things, the right way, regardless of scope, but sometimes I’m a little naughty. As a child I think I was more spiteful and disobedient than now, I have matured enough.”

What relationship do you have with your family? Are you very close? “Yes, for me family is the most important thing, we are always together and wherever I go they are with me. I am proud of all the values, education and humility they have taught me. I have an incredible relationship with all of them, I have four sisters who are very young.”

What relationship do you have with your sisters? “I always try to set an example, being the elder brother I try to give the best possible example in everything I say and can do and give to make them grow.”

What do you like to eat when you are home alone? “I always try to follow the diet, but it is true that sometimes I really like eating pizza or risotto alla Milanese.”

Could you cook a pasta dish? “Yes, it’s all very easy now. There are many recipes on the internet… going to YouTube to see how pasta is cooked.”

And without YouTube? “No (laughs). It’s simple, but I’m very lazy, I’ve never tried to cook… Now that you tell me I’ll try to cook a plate of pasta. Indeed, I post it on Instagram to show how I cook.”

What do you like doing in your free time? “I read a book every now and then, especially in the evening. The last book I read is about football, it’s called ‘Football in the sun and in the shade’, I like it because reading about football is what motivates me. I have also read coaching books, I like to read but I am not in love with reading. Simply when I have free time in the evening, I read. The truth what I like to do most is play PlayStation (laughs).”

What are you playing? “Fortnite. Now I also have the Milan skin. I play with Theo, he is much better than me.”

Can you think of a mad thing that you did? Maybe even for love? “For love not yet. Anyway, as a kid I really liked Spider-Man and thought I was like him. I was in the bathroom, I was taking a shower, and I wanted to jump on the towel… I broke two teeth (laughs). Mom took me to the dentist.”

Do you like music? “I love it, I love music. I don’t have a favourite singer because I like different genres. I like Flamenco, I like reggae.”

Brahim’s ideal first date? “Dinner in an elegant restaurant. The first release is the elegant Brahim. The following times, the normal Brahim who goes in overalls (laughs).”

[vB9]

The report in Germany also says that Haaland has narrowed his choices down to six clubs.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City would be the only Premier League sides Haaland might join.

And the 20-year-old is also interested in joining Juventus or either Spanish giants Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The report adds that Haaland wants to join a 'top club' and not take another intermediate step.

Well feck this overgrown cookie monster