Champions League Group Stage: AC Milan - Porto FC 03/11/2021 18:45 CET

[A Wild Homosexual]

Tomori made horrific errors today. Horrific. You could even argue he was at fault for their goal, if you wanted to be cruel.

He made massive errors today that could have resulted in 2-3 goals.

I love Tomori. But he was horrific today. I'm astonished that you are zeroing in on Romagnoli today, who did his job today. If I wanted to be unkind to Tomori, I'd say that when he doesn't have a pace advantage, his poor marking and mistakes become very obvious.

Totally normal.
Majority of Roma's game are average with few good ones here and there so when he have a stinker he should get more heat than Tomo who plays great games most of the time.

 

[VooDooDoll]

Tomori made horrific errors today. Horrific. You could even argue he was at fault for their goal, if you wanted to be cruel.

He made massive errors today that could have resulted in 2-3 goals.

I love Tomori. But he was horrific today. I'm astonished that you are zeroing in on Romagnoli today, who did his job today. If I wanted to be unkind to Tomori, I'd say that when he doesn't have a pace advantage, his poor marking and mistakes become very obvious.

tomori had bad game,
goal were coming from benna, then tonali could maybe do more

 

[VooDooDoll]

about romag - if you watch milan games - doesnt with kjaer our defense stays much closer to middle line??

today we tried to press porto in 2nd half but distance from attackers to defenders was so big.... so much space ...

 

[Samaldinho]

I wouldn't call his performance horrific, but I agree that he was below par today and made multiple errors. Porto could have punished us in some of those instances. He also took an unnecessary yellow.

Tomori normally plays on the left side of the defence with an experienced Kjaer next to him. The fact that he was a bit out of sorts tonight wasn't good, but as I said, I can cut him some slack. I expect him to become better and have less lows in the future.

It's not that I'm zeroing in on Romagnoli, but I just expect more from him. He has been playing in this team for many years and as a captain he should lead the defence. I didn't see that tonight. Did you? Porto was all over us and Alessio doesn't bring enough stability. He doesn't relieve pressure. He doesn't have the personality needed to guide the other players. It doesn't mean I can't be critical of Tomori.

I don't think he deserved his yellow, Taremi kicked himself, at least from what I saw.

I don't see how you can blame Romagnoli for the defensive lapses of Tomori, Calabria, and Theo today.

Today was about unforced errors, but I'm not sure where you can even gauge this idea of Romagnoli not being a leader? Romagnoli was our best defender today, he was the only stable defender today.

If Tomori needs to have Kjaer next to him in order to not shit the bed, then we have big problems in defense. I don't think Tomori is dependent on Kjaer, as he has had excellent performances with and without Kjaer, but Romagnoli wasn't the issue today. Tomori was part of the problem today though. That has to be said.

 

[joyrider]

We really missed Chad Kjaer today. He can organise a defence, something that Romagnoli nor Tomori are not capable of.

 

[KujaIX]

Tomori was bad today and could have been sent off.

Kessie was sent off for the exact same challenge against Atletico.

 

[Rossonero81]

I don't think he deserved his yellow, Taremi kicked himself, at least from what I saw.

I don't see how you can blame Romagnoli for the defensive lapses of Tomori, Calabria, and Theo today.

Today was about unforced errors, but I'm not sure where you can even gauge this idea of Romagnoli not being a leader? Romagnoli was our best defender today, he was the only stable defender today.

If Tomori needs to have Kjaer next to him in order to not shit the bed, then we have big problems in defense. I don't think Tomori is dependent on Kjaer, as he has had excellent performances with and without Kjaer, but Romagnoli wasn't the issue today. Tomori was part of the problem today though. That has to be said.

I don't blame him for the defensive lapses of others. Tomori is responsible for his own mistakes. I expect Romagnoli to lead the defence. To instil calmness when things heat up. To be more clever than less experienced players and to find a way to correct them as the match progresses.

To be clear. I don't hold him responsible for this defeat. I think Pioli got the line-up wrong and that Porto are a very good team.

This match aside, how do you see Romagnoli role in the future?

 

[gioiuzza]

Really disappointing, especially the first half.

Agree that Kjaer would have made a difference but I get why he didn’t play, just a shame to see one of Tomori’s worst games tonight. Didn’t he have a tough time against Porto last time too or am I misremembering?

Tonali and Bennacer both had some good individual moments and they have amazing energy. The whole team’s passing was off for quite a lot of the game though.

Leao didn’t do too much but he must be so tired by now. Is Rebic gonna be fit for the derby???

 

[Rossonero81]

Really disappointing, especially the first half.

Agree that Kjaer would have made a difference but I get why he didn’t play, just a shame to see one of Tomori’s worst games tonight. Didn’t he have a tough time against Porto last time too or am I misremembering?

Tonali and Bennacer both had some good individual moments and they have amazing energy. The whole team’s passing was off for quite a lot of the game though.

Leao didn’t do too much but he must be so tired by now. Is Rebic gonna be fit for the derby???

I doubt it. Even if he's available, he will lack match rhythm for such an important game. I think Leao will play and Rebic will replace him later in the game. Rebic might start the next game to give Leao a breather.

 

[VooDooDoll]

there was many problems today
- whole defense had own problems from staying deep to personal performances
- our attack is too obvious for ucl level teams
- no real bench (krunic, daniel as attacking subs )
- calab lacks speed and left wingers (right footed attackers) are most popular in football this days
- theo good runs but ... play faster and stop asking for soft fouls
- tomori shaky again in ucl (maybe rotation doesnt help?!)
- benna ... again good moments and then bad (2 goals on him with bad ref'ing)
- diaz - pretty invisible, weak physic exposed (same as benna)
- saele average in attack, feel like he helps less calab and more midfield this days - probably tired after many minutes of this season
- olig rely on passes and team cant deliver

how was tonali playing for you guys??

 

[Swagotelli]

We need to study how Club Brugge is able to fight hard in a tough group while we can’t beat Porto

 

[Samaldinho]

I don't blame him for the defensive lapses of others. Tomori is responsible for his own mistakes. I expect Romagnoli to lead the defence. To instil calmness when things heat up. To be more clever than less experienced players and to find a way to correct them as the match progresses.

To be clear. I don't hold him responsible for this defeat. I think Pioli got the line-up wrong and that Porto are a very good team.

This match aside, how do you see Romagnoli role in the future?

I think the whole team looked disjointed today, the passing was off, so it was not something on Romagnoli. I don't think Kjaer being back there would have changed the terrible passing from Theo, Calabria, Bennacer, Alexis, Brahim, and Giroud. That was us making unforced errors.

Romagnoli was the most steady and consistent performer today. I don't see what Pioli could have done differently, line-up wise, I think the mistakes were mostly on the players. They played poorly and allowed Porto to look good, because they made so many poor passes, it was on the team.

As far as Romagnoli's future, I honestly don't know. I think he's been great this season. Ideally, I would like to keep him, at a lower salary, because I think he has raised his game this season. If we replace him, that's fine, as Kjaer-Tomori should be our first choice pairing, but with our medical team, I don't want to depend on Kjaer. Romagnoli suits our squad, he's useful, and I think he could blossom later in his career, just like Kjaer has.

 

[gioiuzza]

Diaz had a couple of nice dribbles but he got pushed off the ball so much. I’ve really enjoyed watching him this season and he’s had amazing matches but I hope if Adli plays in that role he can offer a bit more physicality and strength when we need it.

 

[VooDooDoll]

We need to study how Club Brugge is able to fight hard in a tough group while we can’t beat Porto

play defensive football and pray for counters??
lipzig is crap because too many changes (coach, new defenders, valente, sabitzer etc)
psg looks average but with great attackers
and city has own problems this season

 

[fray]

We're damn unlucky with injuries. We wouldn't score 1/6 points vs Porto with Maignan, Samu and especially Rebic available. I also think having someone like Ilicic to come off the bench and Faivre as our starting RM would give us a big hand in such difficult Champions League games.

 

[Levi]

This should have been a comfortable win, no ifs or buts. The team simply didn't believe enough. Maybe they're self-aware that they can't fight in both competitions, but to me that's a loser mentality.

The many injuries and bad ref calls certainly haven't helped, but we have to change our approach.

Also, we need to play a higher tempo game against teams that press a lot. This is not Serie A where you can comfortably win games by simply jogging around. We're never gonna go anywhere playing like this.

 

[Rossonero81]

I think the whole team looked disjointed today, the passing was off, so it was not something on Romagnoli. I don't think Kjaer being back there would have changed the terrible passing from Theo, Calabria, Bennacer, Alexis, Brahim, and Giroud. That was us making unforced errors.

Romagnoli was the most steady and consistent performer today. I don't see what Pioli could have done differently, line-up wise, I think the mistakes were mostly on the players. They played poorly and allowed Porto to look good, because they made so many poor passes, it was on the team.

As far as Romagnoli's future, I honestly don't know. I think he's been great this season. Ideally, I would like to keep him, at a lower salary, because I think he has raised his game this season. If we replace him, that's fine, as Kjaer-Tomori should be our first choice pairing, but with our medical team, I don't want to depend on Kjaer. Romagnoli suits our squad, he's useful, and I think he could blossom later in his career, just like Kjaer has.

Let's agree to disagree on some details. I can agree with most of your analysis and I appreciate the time and effort you put into this discussion.

I hope that Romagnoli can be a late-blossom-er and he's not an unlikable guy. He's been nothing short of professional ever since he joined us and I respect players that are loyal to the club. However, I think that Maldini would like a faster defender that can play one-on-one. We'll see what happens in the coming months. If his future lies elsewhere, I hope he finds a club where he can flourish.

 

[Swagotelli]

play defensive football and pray for counters??
lipzig is crap because too many changes (coach, new defenders, valente, sabitzer etc)
psg looks average but with great attackers
and city has own problems this season

That’s better than whatever we produced. We can tell ourselves what we want but reality is Brugge was a significant goal threat against Man City and PSG which are much better sides than Porto.

It’s also a question of mindset. We didn’t play either Porto game as a “final”

 

[jawz10]

Biggest issue is that we're playing a style that relies on beating opponents 1 v 1 but Porto was stronger/faster in each duel. Calabria was particularly outmatched by Dias. Porto are like Atalanta on steroids due to have weak opponents they can rest players against during the weekend just to be ready to pound teams like ours.

 

[Levi]

Biggest issue is that we're playing a style that relies on beating opponents 1 v 1 but Porto was stronger/faster in each duel. Calabria was particularly outmatched by Dias. Porto are like Atalanta on steroids due to have weak opponents they can rest players against during the weekend just to be ready to pound teams like ours.

Exactly. Porto play as a collective, we don't. Because if we play as a collective we're outmatched, so we're "forced" to rely on 1v1's, and that doesn't produce much because our players are not good enough.

Pioli has done wonders with this team considering where we were, but to cut it in Europe we need a complete overhaul of how we approach games.

 

[VooDooDoll]

That’s better than whatever we produced. We can tell ourselves what we want but reality is Brugge was a significant goal threat against Man City and PSG which are much better sides than Porto.

It’s also a question of mindset. We didn’t play either Porto game as a “final”

- management asks to play offensive football and we do it
- you cant swap from one mindset/formation - attack- to other - defend- and you dont really learn much from parking the bus (gattuso, miha time)
- game as 'final' - who should do it?? oldies, leao and saele that we use all the time because no subs, easy to push diaz or benna

 

[Samaldinho]

Biggest issue is that we're playing a style that relies on beating opponents 1 v 1 but Porto was stronger/faster in each duel. Calabria was particularly outmatched by Dias. Porto are like Atalanta on steroids due to have weak opponents they can rest players against during the weekend just to be ready to pound teams like ours.

Not only did they have an easier game to play before their CL game, but they had an extra day to prepare.

La Liga canceled their games after the international break, but before the CL games due to "international players missing."

If Serie A was smart, they would schedule their games so that their CL teams would have easier schedules, especially as the league would do better with Italian teams doing better in the CL.

Other leagues do this all the time, Spain has done this constantly, especially as Italy is seen as a league on the ascendancy, while Spain has plummeted. It's Italy's chance to really take a huge leap forward of market-share away from Spain.

 

[Jivara]

I think we really struggled today mainly because we hardly play against teams that can defend with an organized high defensive line. This was also the reason why we lost the first match vs Porto as well. In Italy, teams sit back and counter whereas other top European teams are willing to risk space behind and press effectively high up the pitch. We were basically denied our build up play which we do well in Italy but our weaknesses were exposed by a team that was better than us technically and in some ways physically.

This is why we need to be able to readapt during games to a new strategy, which has been the advantage for Italian teams in Europe for many years. I think Saelemakers or Brahim should have dropped back as a third central mid effectively playing 4-3-3. Porto basically made us play bad, Theo was caught out of position and generally there was a missing connecter between defence and attack.

These European matches you need to be really sharp technically, the best example is Ajax who just dismantled Dortmund once again. Their excellent technical abilities means they can avoid engaging in an exhausting physical battle. Their passing and ball control was sharp. This is how you beat teams like Porto and Liverpool. This was how Milan dominated European football in the past. You cannot rely on grinta alone.

 

[milanazkals]

We really need a fast offensive threat aside from Leao.

 

[Hannibal]

Also imo there was a foul before Porto's goal, clearly hit Bennacer first and only afterwards played the ball.

Clear foul. CL refs have been dodgy as hell against us.

 

[VooDooDoll]

Clear foul. CL refs have been dodgy as hell against us.

we lost 3 goals because wrong decisions (2 vs porto and pk against a.madrid) but i saw 2 reds today hummels for danger/aggressive tackle and guy in lpool-a.madrid for stopping counter attack; for me both deserved yellow.
and i didnt watch much ucl - so its like lower quality of ref'ing and less coming from var this season ... would even say (this season) serieA refs > ucl refs

 

[terzino1899]

We are also just not used to the speed and intensity of European games. That extra half second in Serie A is just not there against these experienced CL teams.
Steep learning curve for the boys.
Porto also played very similar to our style with pressing and speedy movements into our box. We basically struggle against ourselves...

 

[Tantalis]

the real issue is that this was an important cl game and only 21 pages.

 

[drobeck]

This teams long range passing is terrible. I believe only Bennacer can complete a long field pass or switch with accuracy or is even confident enough to try it when being pressed.

There were so many opportunities to switch the play with our wingers or full backs being in acres of space and either the skill to pull it off wasn't there or it wasn't even tried. Probably because if they did it wouldn't even be accurate. That was the way to beat the press fast switching of the play but our players just couldn't do it.

We did have success running at them and would actually get to the backline of Porto a few times but another thing this team is terrible at is decision making. And this is especially evident in our two most dangerous players Theo and Leao. Theo had so many amazing runs with the dumbest possible outcome it was infuriating. He had a shockingly poor game. also Saladmaker isn't good enough on the right we need someone who is consistent and he is not.

So frustrating today cause we were actually matching their intensity but it seems like we just couldn't make that final pass or right decision.

One positive we did have to previous Porto game was the short passing in midfield was much improved but it didn't amount to anything cause we would hold on to the ball too long and let them reset after beating the initial press.

Oh well at least serea a is played at a much slower tempo and we should honestly kill Inter cause our build up when given time is one of the best. But this game left a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

[Cloren]

the real issue is that this was an important cl game and only 21 pages.

There are most posts per page now, like 40. Previous forum had maybe 15 per page iirc? So yeah it’s not exactly lack of activity