The Rumour Commode XLIV: Paragliding to Piolistine Crisis

[vB9]

cant w8 for Arabs to get here...

 

[Pingu]

The last time we won the tie after losing the first leg at home was in 1955

Pioli to break the curse.

 

[Rockstar]

I hope that when Pioli plays his last match here, they turn on on the stadium "Now we are free" from Gladiator

 

[doraemon]

Bennacer rested

The ****** is gonna start him again isn't he

vs Roma he looked like a child running around trying to win the ball from adults. I swear he didn't win a single tackle

I feel sad looking at bennacer nowadays, at times he play worse than post injury montoleader. Not surprised if he suddenly retiring early

The last time we won the tie after losing the first leg at home was in 1955

Let's be real here our chance of progressing is less than 25%, we are not beating roma with merda tactic unless ddr getting cocky after their win suddenly trying to outplay us by pressing and attacking

 

[Deleted member 35916]

2 days ago people were saying we can beat Liverpool in the final. How quickly things change.

 

[Ash-ish]

Bennacer rested

The ****** is gonna start him again isn't he

vs Roma he looked like a child running around trying to win the ball from adults. I swear he didn't win a single tackle

Greatest DM allah has ever created.

Pioli was always partial to this midget like snow white

 

[Pingu]

2 days ago people were saying we can beat Liverpool in the final. How quickly things change.

How quickly indeed.

Won't need to once Atalanta knock them out.

 

[nefremo]

2 days ago people were saying we can beat Liverpool in the final. How quickly things change.

Yep. Looks like we'll have to beat someone else in the final after Gasp mopped the floor with Klopp

 

[Alo88]

Once again Carlo Pellegatti held his weekly talk with Hellas Veronas Ex-match-analyst and Milan fan Luca Diddi, and once again a lot of interesting insights came out of this.

Carlo Pellegatti: Luca, you’ve just rewatched the whole game. Was De Rossi's decision to put El Shaarawy on the right all it took to disrupt all of Milan's plans? What went wrong?

Luca Diddi: Well, Carlo, the errors in the first half were numerous, starting with a flawed first press by Milan and a struggle to execute a specific style of play due to a lack of players suited to it. I also observed Milan completely faltering in their first press during the first half.

Pellegatti: How exactly?

Luca Diddi: Rafael Leao constantly pressed Smalling, leaving Celik and El Shaarawy in a two-against-one situation with Theo Hernandez. This alone caused chaos because it allowed Reijnders to attempt to even the numbers, but whenever he did, Cristante was left completely unmarked. Additionally, Paredes and Pellegri completed their midfield trio, while Dybala dropped between the lines, acting as a playmaker, further overwhelming Bennacer who suddenly had to cover for everyone. Essentially, Roma consistently had numerical superiority in midfield because Milan's first press focused on Leao pressing Smalling. It's that simple.

Pellegatti: But why did Leao press Smalling?

Luca Diddi: I don’t know. Honestly, there's no logic in that decision. It was Mancini building from behind or Paredes dropping deep to receive the ball, pressing Smalling was useless.

Pellegatti: You also mentioned that Pioli wants to play a certain way even when missing crucial players for that style of play?

Luca Diddi: Yes, besides the flawed first press in the first half, there was a constant delay from our center-backs in advancing, especially Gabbia on Dybala, who had too much freedom in the first half. Obviously, this brings us back to the point that has been made by many: Tomori and Kalulu possess the aggressiveness, urgency, and pressing to play in an advanced midfield role and disrupt the opponent's playmaker. Gabbia doesn’t, and neither does Thiaw. Therefore, as a coach, I need to adapt and alter our defensive approach and pressing tactics.

Pellegatti: So that's how Roma could dominate in the first half.

Luca Diddi: It was a culmination of several incorrect decisions on our part. From Leao being bypassed by Celik due to his focus on Smalling, to Gabbia failing to close down Dybala, to Reijnders being out of position, unsure whether to follow Cristante or Celik, leaving both Theo and Bennacer constantly in a two-on-one scenario with their opponents. Yeah, that's the simple summary of our first half.

Pellegatti: Then Pioli deployed Leao on the wrong opponent.

Luca Diddi: I'm not sure if that’s the case. After the game, Pioli mentioned he wasn’t satisfied with Leao's positioning either and that Leao should have stayed wider. Indeed, in the second half, Leao ceased tracking Smalling and instead focused on Celik. That's when we started to better control Roma. So either Leao misunderstood his assignments in the first half or chose to ignore them. But that's not the end of the story.

Pellegatti: No?

Luca Diddi: You see, Leao is a player who doesn't do both defensive and offensive phases. He either can't or simply doesn’t bother. Milan looked better in the second half because we altered our first press and Leao started tracking Celik. However, he never fully covered the whole flank. For instance, at the 61st minute, Cristante started deep, passed Leao, who then remained completely stationary instead of tracking him, allowing a counter that led to Lukaku taking a shot. Maignan then expressed his frustration towards Leao for failing to track back, you can see it in the footage.

Pellegatti: But why doesn’t he do both phases?

Luca Diddi: Based on his body language, he doesn't seem to like it. But who am I to say? I honestly don't know. It appears to be a part of his playing style, which is why in the past, we switched to a 4-4-2 formation where either Pulisic or Chuckwueze sacrificed themselves in midfield so that Leao could freely express himself upfront.

Pellegatti: When I think of great attackers of the past, no one expected Shevchenko or Inzaghi to excel in both phases. Has football evolved that much that everyone defends and attacks with all eleven players?

Luca Diddi: Not exactly. What I'm saying is, if Leao isn’t willing to contribute defensively, then as a coach, I must adjust our lineup accordingly. If I know Leao won’t help out defensively, then Reijnders and after him the entire midfield, will always struggle. In that case, I would play Musah instead. Musah possesses more athleticism, defensive awareness, and stamina than Reijnders to support Leao. I can’t afford to have both Reijnders and Leao on the left side if Leao refuses to contribute defensively, leaving gaps for opponents to exploit. This has been evident for two years now, and I'm not the only one who has noticed.

Pellegatti: It's incredible. It’s the same mistake we consistently make against Inter. De Rossi must have watched some derbies.

Luca Diddi: No, I disagree. Many have cited the derbies, but our errors were different there. You know which game last night’s reminded me of? Paris Saint-Germain vs. Milan in Paris. We made the exact same mistakes there. Leao pressing Marquinhos, Hakimi attacking without being tracked, therefore Musah overwhelmed in midfield and Theo in constant two-on-one situations. It ended 3-0 for PSG.

Pellegatti: Perhaps some of your colleagues watched the PSG game then.

Luca Diddi: I'm sure they did. Look, I personally know the match analysts who work with De Rossi. I've worked with them too. They are competent. That's why I was so concerned about this game. I knew they would analyze our weaknesses well and prepare accordingly. I hoped Pioli would do the same, but after the first five minutes, seeing the same first press from Leao on Smalling like back then in Paris on Marquinhos, I knew: "PSG-Milan, all over again." PSG, mind you, not Inter. These were two games we lost in completely different ways. Last night was reminiscent of the PSG game, not the derby.

Pellegatti: So, De Rossi outplayed Pioli tactically?

Luca Diddi: Yes, De Rossi’s team played cautiously, balanced, and with a spirit of fight and sacrifice, anticipating Milan's tactics. Milan, on the other hand, was poorly organized, committing the same mistakes as against PSG and additionally lacking focus and determination on many fronts.

Pellegatti: So, what's the solution?

Luca Diddi: If I were Milan's match analyst, I would review the goals conceded and the situations in the first half to understand what went wrong. Based on that analysis, I would conclude: «Coach, we need to adjust our tactics when we're missing key players or when certain players refuse to contribute defensively. We can't continue in the same manner when we're not in possession.» I've always praised Pioli's attacking tactics, but I've consistently criticized our defensive positioning. It's a cycle we need to break.

Pellegatti: But when it's evident to you and many other match analysts working with coaches in Italy, why don’t we change it? Isn’t it obvious to Pioli and his match analysts too?

Luca Diddi: ...

Pellegatti: Well, that's an answer too.

Luca Diddi: Honestly, Carlo, I don’t know. That’s why I can’t even give you an answer to this question.

 

[Deleted member 35916]

Yep. Looks like we'll have to beat someone else in the final after Gasp mopped the floor with Klopp

Which final? We can’t beat Roma.

 

[brk]

Luca Diddi: Yes, besides the flawed first press in the first half, there was a constant delay from our center-backs in advancing, especially Gabbia on Dybala, who had too much freedom in the first half. Obviously, this brings us back to the point that has been made by many: Tomori and Kalulu possess the aggressiveness, urgency, and pressing to play in an advanced midfield role and disrupt the opponent's playmaker. Gabbia doesn’t, and neither does Thiaw. Therefore, as a coach, I need to adapt and alter our defensive approach and pressing tactics.

 

[Alo88]

Pioli: "Nah, the principles remain the same!"

 

[Pingu]

Which final? We can’t beat Roma.

Still another game to go.

 

[nefremo]

Which final? We can’t beat Roma.

We'll see. We have already beaten them twice this season and it's not like they were hammering us yesterday too. It was a game won from a corner kick (which shouldn't have been given to begin with). We were disappointing, but Roma wasn't great. If Giroud scores that sitter, all of a sudden it's a different narrative. Away goals don't matter anymore, so beating Roma by (at least) 1 goal to even the tie is hardly an impossible task.

 

[LemonCookies]

Incredible how Pioli gets it right game after game in March and into April, wins 7 in a row, and then once he gets a game slightly wrong, we're ready to execute him in the public square. We should have won last game 2-0, instead we lost 0-1. I understand that Pioli has his moments of poor performance, but what's the alternative? He never gets anything wrong? Every game has the best lineup and best tactics right out the gate? "If Pioli isn't perfect and the best manager in the world every single game, then he's a bald fraud who should kill himself." There's a middle ground here, morons.

 

[Pigeon]

either that or…..

 

[papaberlu]

either that or…..

View attachment 31704

Based on the mind-numbing Italian media Ibra is team Pioliout and Furlani is Pioliin. There is a civil war

I know which side I'm on

 

[mrki]

Once again Carlo Pellegatti held his weekly talk with Hellas Veronas Ex-match-analyst and Milan fan Luca Diddi, and once again a lot of interesting insights came out of this.

Carlo Pellegatti: Luca, you’ve just rewatched the whole game. Was De Rossi's decision to put El Shaarawy on the right all it took to disrupt all of Milan's plans? What went wrong?

Luca Diddi: Well, Carlo, the errors in the first half were numerous, starting with a flawed first press by Milan and a struggle to execute a specific style of play due to a lack of players suited to it. I also observed Milan completely faltering in their first press during the first half.

Pellegatti: How exactly?

Luca Diddi: Rafael Leao constantly pressed Smalling, leaving Celik and El Shaarawy in a two-against-one situation with Theo Hernandez. This alone caused chaos because it allowed Reijnders to attempt to even the numbers, but whenever he did, Cristante was left completely unmarked. Additionally, Paredes and Pellegri completed their midfield trio, while Dybala dropped between the lines, acting as a playmaker, further overwhelming Bennacer who suddenly had to cover for everyone. Essentially, Roma consistently had numerical superiority in midfield because Milan's first press focused on Leao pressing Smalling. It's that simple.

Pellegatti: But why did Leao press Smalling?

Luca Diddi: I don’t know. Honestly, there's no logic in that decision. It was Mancini building from behind or Paredes dropping deep to receive the ball, pressing Smalling was useless.

Pellegatti: You also mentioned that Pioli wants to play a certain way even when missing crucial players for that style of play?

Luca Diddi: Yes, besides the flawed first press in the first half, there was a constant delay from our center-backs in advancing, especially Gabbia on Dybala, who had too much freedom in the first half. Obviously, this brings us back to the point that has been made by many: Tomori and Kalulu possess the aggressiveness, urgency, and pressing to play in an advanced midfield role and disrupt the opponent's playmaker. Gabbia doesn’t, and neither does Thiaw. Therefore, as a coach, I need to adapt and alter our defensive approach and pressing tactics.

Pellegatti: So that's how Roma could dominate in the first half.

Luca Diddi: It was a culmination of several incorrect decisions on our part. From Leao being bypassed by Celik due to his focus on Smalling, to Gabbia failing to close down Dybala, to Reijnders being out of position, unsure whether to follow Cristante or Celik, leaving both Theo and Bennacer constantly in a two-on-one scenario with their opponents. Yeah, that's the simple summary of our first half.

Pellegatti: Then Pioli deployed Leao on the wrong opponent.

Luca Diddi: I'm not sure if that’s the case. After the game, Pioli mentioned he wasn’t satisfied with Leao's positioning either and that Leao should have stayed wider. Indeed, in the second half, Leao ceased tracking Smalling and instead focused on Celik. That's when we started to better control Roma. So either Leao misunderstood his assignments in the first half or chose to ignore them. But that's not the end of the story.

Pellegatti: No?

Luca Diddi: You see, Leao is a player who doesn't do both defensive and offensive phases. He either can't or simply doesn’t bother. Milan looked better in the second half because we altered our first press and Leao started tracking Celik. However, he never fully covered the whole flank. For instance, at the 61st minute, Cristante started deep, passed Leao, who then remained completely stationary instead of tracking him, allowing a counter that led to Lukaku taking a shot. Maignan then expressed his frustration towards Leao for failing to track back, you can see it in the footage.

Pellegatti: But why doesn’t he do both phases?

Luca Diddi: Based on his body language, he doesn't seem to like it. But who am I to say? I honestly don't know. It appears to be a part of his playing style, which is why in the past, we switched to a 4-4-2 formation where either Pulisic or Chuckwueze sacrificed themselves in midfield so that Leao could freely express himself upfront.

Pellegatti: When I think of great attackers of the past, no one expected Shevchenko or Inzaghi to excel in both phases. Has football evolved that much that everyone defends and attacks with all eleven players?

Luca Diddi: Not exactly. What I'm saying is, if Leao isn’t willing to contribute defensively, then as a coach, I must adjust our lineup accordingly. If I know Leao won’t help out defensively, then Reijnders and after him the entire midfield, will always struggle. In that case, I would play Musah instead. Musah possesses more athleticism, defensive awareness, and stamina than Reijnders to support Leao. I can’t afford to have both Reijnders and Leao on the left side if Leao refuses to contribute defensively, leaving gaps for opponents to exploit. This has been evident for two years now, and I'm not the only one who has noticed.

Pellegatti: It's incredible. It’s the same mistake we consistently make against Inter. De Rossi must have watched some derbies.

Luca Diddi: No, I disagree. Many have cited the derbies, but our errors were different there. You know which game last night’s reminded me of? Paris Saint-Germain vs. Milan in Paris. We made the exact same mistakes there. Leao pressing Marquinhos, Hakimi attacking without being tracked, therefore Musah overwhelmed in midfield and Theo in constant two-on-one situations. It ended 3-0 for PSG.

Pellegatti: Perhaps some of your colleagues watched the PSG game then.

Luca Diddi: I'm sure they did. Look, I personally know the match analysts who work with De Rossi. I've worked with them too. They are competent. That's why I was so concerned about this game. I knew they would analyze our weaknesses well and prepare accordingly. I hoped Pioli would do the same, but after the first five minutes, seeing the same first press from Leao on Smalling like back then in Paris on Marquinhos, I knew: "PSG-Milan, all over again." PSG, mind you, not Inter. These were two games we lost in completely different ways. Last night was reminiscent of the PSG game, not the derby.

Pellegatti: So, De Rossi outplayed Pioli tactically?

Luca Diddi: Yes, De Rossi’s team played cautiously, balanced, and with a spirit of fight and sacrifice, anticipating Milan's tactics. Milan, on the other hand, was poorly organized, committing the same mistakes as against PSG and additionally lacking focus and determination on many fronts.

Pellegatti: So, what's the solution?

Luca Diddi: If I were Milan's match analyst, I would review the goals conceded and the situations in the first half to understand what went wrong. Based on that analysis, I would conclude: «Coach, we need to adjust our tactics when we're missing key players or when certain players refuse to contribute defensively. We can't continue in the same manner when we're not in possession.» I've always praised Pioli's attacking tactics, but I've consistently criticized our defensive positioning. It's a cycle we need to break.

Pellegatti: But when it's evident to you and many other match analysts working with coaches in Italy, why don’t we change it? Isn’t it obvious to Pioli and his match analysts too?

Luca Diddi: ...

Pellegatti: Well, that's an answer too.

Luca Diddi: Honestly, Carlo, I don’t know. That’s why I can’t even give you an answer to this question.

I can answer the last question and I dud many times.

As a coach Pioli is a big headed, stubborn and arrogant mediocre shit who's out of touch with the reality of his real value.

The sooner AcM finds a real coach the better.

 

[papaberlu]

Incredible how Pioli gets it right game after game in March and into April, wins 7 in a row, and then once he gets a game slightly wrong, we're ready to execute him in the public square. We should have won last game 2-0, instead we lost 0-1. I understand that Pioli has his moments of poor performance, but what's the alternative? He never gets anything wrong? Every game has the best lineup and best tactics right out the gate? "If Pioli isn't perfect and the best manager in the world every single game, then he's a bald fraud who should kill himself." There's a middle ground here, morons.

The middle ground is Pioli's flawed approach can overwhelm the middling Italian teams but will falter vs any top team/well-prepared team

This career 2nd rate coach is no one's savior

 

[Pigeon]

Based on the mind-numbing Italian media Ibra is team Pioliout and Furlani is Pioliin. There is a civil war

I know which side I'm on

my god… this got me as excited as phase 3 back then

milan civil war, bring it on

 

[papaberlu]

my god… this got me as excited as phase 3 back then

milan civil war, bring it on
View attachment 31705

Jokes aside I'm intrigued by Furlani going to the Gazetta HQ and saying Ibra has no decision making power

and then Gerry says in front of the world Ibra is his proxy at Milan

Something isn't adding up

 

[iamditi]

I knew they would analyze our weaknesses well and prepare accordingly

What the fuck our computer guy that sits behind Pioli do? What is his job? Isnt he analysing matches, why they dont have any plan b just continue with the same tactic from start.

Im sure he watch the stats from flashscore.

Im not dissappointed by the result but how they managed the game, both the coaching staff and the player who melted from the pressure.

 

[Wild]

The fuck with the pussies attitude?!
We are failing as a people, ouuuuuu.

 

[ROSSONERI7]

Incredible how Pioli gets it right game after game in March and into April, wins 7 in a row, and then once he gets a game slightly wrong, we're ready to execute him in the public square. We should have won last game 2-0, instead we lost 0-1. I understand that Pioli has his moments of poor performance, but what's the alternative? He never gets anything wrong? Every game has the best lineup and best tactics right out the gate? "If Pioli isn't perfect and the best manager in the world every single game, then he's a bald fraud who should kill himself." There's a middle ground here, morons.

Nice timeframe. That’s the full context.

It’s March 2024, The season just started, Milan just hired Pioli. Nothing has ever happened before.
This is a home run point.

This ain’t much different than Pioli bragging on how we dominated a game for the first 4 mins.

Fast forward, next season. Same coach, we’re out of CL first round, 15 point behind the leader…yet we manage a good period in April…we should celebrate and worship the coach. Because the previous 2 seasons never existed.

 

[Pigeon]

Jokes aside I'm intrigued by Furlani going to the Gazetta HQ and saying Ibra has no decision making power

and then Gerry says in front of the world Ibra is his proxy at Milan

Something isn't adding up

idk if proxy means he has any decision making power at milan, as he’s officially working for red bird but yeah seems kinda weird. although furlani was never gerrys man tho

it would make sense if he wanted to replace him. there were rumours that furlani could take over a new role at red bird, so doesn’t look like gerry wants to get rid off him altogether

 

[ymsv]

What the fuck our computer guy that sits behind Pioli do? What is his job? Isnt he analysing matches, why they dont have any plan b just continue with the same tactic from start.

Im sure he watch the stats from flashscore.

Im not dissappointed by the result but how they managed the game, both the coaching staff and the player who melted from the pressure.

Why not ? It is a surprise tactics . Opponent staff expecting us to have changes but we are not doing it .

 

[iamditi]

Why not ? It is a surprise tactics . Opponent staff expecting us to have changes but we are not doing it .

We are surprising teams in UCL and EL a lot lately

 

[ymsv]

We are surprising teams in UCL and EL a lot lately

We are full of surprises .

 

[papaberlu]

idk if proxy means he has any decision making power at milan, as he’s officially working for red bird but yeah seems kinda weird. although furlani was never gerrys man tho

it would make sense if he wanted to replace him. there were rumours that furlani could take over a new role at red bird, so doesn’t look like gerry wants to get rid off him altogether

Well, I assume Furlani isn't going anywhere until the Elliot debt is paid off. He'll be involved in some manner

Even if Furlani is technically correct, somewhat belittling Ibra in a public manner is odd. I could be reaching but to me that signals conflict

 

[Raz]

we