Well, that was a bad way to close the otherwise overperforming CL season. Semifinals in our second outing in the last 10 years is an accomplishment actually (don't get started about the lucky draw etc., it's all true but it still needed to be done).
Looking at the match today, I don't have much to say, the better team won and we played much cleverer than a week ago, I believe we lost the semifinal in the catastrophic first half of the first leg. For today, I blame Pioli for not making substitutions earlier, as it was visible we ain't getting anywhere with Messias and Diaz today.
Inzaghi has to be praised though, he completely closed our left side (Theo/Leao), leaving more space for Messias/Diaz who mostly operated without any success the whole game. Even with this, our two biggest chances came from Leao's solo run (maybe a handball also) and Tonali's pressure on Mhiktaryan on the recovered ball. When they were sitting deep, we couldn't do anything.
I read Maldini's interview and it's obvious he wants investment from the owners, and this time if we manage to qualify for CL at the expense of Juve's penalty points, there should be no excuses not to invest and reinforce the team.
Also, Boban had a good analysis of Diaz:
“He’s not a real 10. He’s a mix between a 10, a second striker and an wide player. He looks great in a great Milan in the last half hour, I think he can change many things because he’s eager. But can he lead the team as a 10…”
Basically, he should be a rotational player at max for Milan. He's a limited player with awful decision-making. Looking today, when he was able to get past his man in the first few steps, instead of looking for 1-2 with Giroud or Messias, he would always dribble himself into the next player, losing possession. Also, his finishing during the season was simply awful. In short words, a player to change the game, not a starter definitely. Then we still have to decide if to invest 25M into rotation players considering we have more pressing needs.
Messias is Serie A mid-team player, OK inexpensive solution during our transition years, but nothing more. To make the next step, he should be replaced.
One thing I don't agree with Maldini is Dybala: for cca 20M for a three-year contract, we would get the player who is a proven difference maker in Serie A, and with him in the team, I believe we would have already secured the top 4 spot, bringing calmness to our game.
This team is not garbage, nor it is a top 8 europe team yet. The reality is, we have a solid core with several top-class players (Maignan, Theo, Leao), several very good players (Tonali, Tomori, Bennacer), several good players with the potential to be very good/top class (Kalulu, Thiaw) and several squad players that can be part of the rotation in next year's Milan (Kjaer/Giroud as experienced players, Calabria as backup RB, Krunic as jack of all trades in slow tempo matches - certainly not a starter, Saelemaekers) and several unknowns such as CDK, Origi, Adli.
Issue is, it is evident we lack goalscoring power and quality upfront, I don't care if it's Arnautovic as 'poor people's Ibrahimovic of 2020', or Openda, Wahi, Okafor etc. We need to be smart and effective, because without Leao, nothing separates our attack from the likes of Bologna etc. This is why missing on a deal as Dybala last summer or Thuram this summer, a low-cost reinforcement that guarantees goals, is failure I don't think would happen if Boban is still around.
When you're not playing well, a quality player (example Leao) can invent something out of nothing and get you the points. In return, you get less pressure and calmness, having the ideal atmosphere to work and get through the rough patch. Milan on the other hand, don't have this and Pioli during the season didn't even bother to prepare for 'life without Leao', he failed to integrate every single new player and that, in addition to bad mercato last summer, might cost us at the end of the season.
