I was gonna do this under more ceremonious conditions, but alas...
This season’s Top 3 Rossoneri have come to an end and I have prepared a little rant. First of all, thank you for taking part. It’s been fun to see you guys vote incorrectly because you don’t understand what a Top 3 is, voting sarcastically because we suck ass and most of all it’s been fun being cursed out by you guys when I create a thread after a bad game. TBH, I’d rather be cursed at than you voting incorrectly. @mods, are there statistics on how many votes I’ve deleted?
The winner of this year's competition is no other than Sandro Tonali. Closely followed by Leao and Bennacer. Trying to look at it objectively, I think we’ve managed to pick the correct players in the end. Maybe some players can swap positions but the end result is no scandal by any means.
I will go through the list and give my comments on each player that received a Top 3 point this season.
1: Sandro Tonali - 40p
I think Tonali deserves the win because he’s been our most consistent player this season. He’s not yet a master of his (or any) craft, but he gives his all game after game. Everyone loves a player who takes responsibility, works hard and genuinely fights for the shirt - and that’s why I believe he won this year's edition. We knew we could trust him to bring a certain level every game, and he did.
2: Rafael Leao - 36p
Our golden boy came in second even though he got the most points in the “Totals standing”. This is because when he’s good, he’s really good. So when he wins a round, he scores a lot of points. This also shows that if Leao can get some consistency in him, the sky's the limit. He needs to score and assist more, much more, relative to his talent. Why should we not expect this from him? I know I do.
3: Ismael Bennacer - 33p
Benny became a Top 3 meme of some sorts during the latter part of the season. Losing his position to Krunic didn’t do him any favors in this competition. Fans have a good memory, but it’s short - meaning we forget and have an “what have you done for me lately” attitude. Bennacer had a really good first half of the season and also had a really good lead in the competition before Tonali and Leao caught up with him. Like Tonali, Bennacer also works hard and that earned him many points.
4: Mike Maignan - 27p
This guy came in fourth after missing out on almost half the season. Shows us how good he is and also how important he is for us. Been reading that we had better Points per Game without him (perfect example of how stats can be misleading), but I can just imagine how our dip in form would have just continued without him in the squad. Maignan was essential in helping us secure a CL spot and he completely deserves his position in the competition.
5: Theo Hernandez - 25p
Theo has been really good this season. As an LB, it’s probably hard to be in a higher position in a competition like this, but if someone can do it, it would be the world's best LB. Theo has continued to work on his defense, even though we see an occasional lapse of concentration. Attacking wise he’s delivered, but somehow I feel he should have done more / be given more space by the coach. Maybe I’m spoiled, and maybe Kessie not being there to secure the space behind him is the reason why he’s not as dangerous in the attacking phase. But if we can get him to move forward more often, I am sure that he will be able to climb in this list as well.
6: Olivier Giroud - 21p
When I think of Giroud, I think of important goals, and that’s how he’s collected his points. It’s not been by giving great performances and we will never see that from him anyway. Next season will probably be his last and it would be really unfair to him and us if he’s the undisputed starter like he’s been this season.
7: Brahim Diaz - 20p
Say what you want about him, certainly not a favorite of mine, but he’s managed to collect the 6th most points in the squad. The coach has trusted him throughout the season and he’s saved us a couple of times. Diaz may not be here next season, but if he is, then we need to see him score, assist and hockey assist more. A player in his position must be more than what Diaz has been to us.
8: Malick Thiaw - 16p
Like Maignan, Thiaw collected his points during half the season. It’s going to be really interesting to see his development next season - will he continue to grow or will he have a dip in form like Kalulu and Tomori? I think it’s important that Thiaw continues to grow because he’s the only good passer from the back.
9: Alexis Saelemakers - 15p
Guess where this guy collected a little bit more than half his points? You guessed right, CLmakers gonna CLmaker. Messias is the coach favorite, but according to us the best RW was surely Saelemakers.
10: Pierre Kalulu - 10p
Kalulu got injured and lost his spot because of a loss in form, but before that I believe that he deserved more points. Maybe I feel like this because he’s a favorite of mine. The dip in form could also have been because of the amount of minutes he played over the last year.
10: Junior Messias - 10p
Messias, just like Saelemakers, would have been a good backup RW. He helps out in defense, does the work the coach asks of him and scores a point here and there. But he will probably never be better than what he is today, so hopefully he will be the RW leaving this summer to make place for a starter in a position we have been really weak at for a long time.
11: Davide Calabria - 9p
Personally, I expect the captain to also be one of the best players in the squad. For what is a captain when there are so many players who have more quality? The captain should at least be top 3 in a Top 3.
12: Ante Rebic - 8p
Rebic started the season with a MOTM game, had some good games in October, and then completely disappeared in the Top 3.
12: Charles de Ketelaere - 8p
Yes, this guy managed to get this many points in this competition. Why? Only you can answer that, I didn’t vote for him.
12: Fikayo Tomori - 8p
What an underwhelming season from him. Why, Tomori, why? I had such high hopes for him but he turned into an English defender. There’s so much more in this guy and if he can get it together next season he will surely climb in these rankings.
13: Gabbia - 4p
Homegrown player quota? With Thiaw, Kalulu and Tomori in the squad, this guy is not gonna get a lot of playing time, or Top 3 points, next season either. But kudos to managing 4 pts.
13: Tatarusanu - 4p
@Curupira fill in text
13: Krunic - 4p
Got to give it to him, he managed to step up for a while during the second second part of the season. A good to have player in the squad for moments like this. Some may say that he should have gotten more than 4 pts, but considering his minutes and actual performance these are the correct numbers.
14: Origi - 3p
@Wild fill in text
you cunt
15: Vranckx - 3p
Some say he was underplayed, I say he played as much as he deserved. Honestly, I didn’t see anything special when he was on the pitch and considering every game was with the knife on our throat the whole season, I understand the coaches decision.
15: Ballo-Toure - 3p
I think he’s the perfect Theo backup, and if he wants to stay and play that role, we should keep him.
16: Kjaer - 2p
When does his contract run out? Is he willing to sit on the bench next season as well? I don’t see him getting more playing time, probably even less. Another good to have player in the squad, but if he’s gonna start bitching he should be shipped away this summer.
16: Ibrahimovic - 2p
Zlatan would fuck us up if he knew we had him almost last in a list. Forza Campione and thank you for the memories.
16: Adli - 2p
@Samaldinho fill in text
17: Dest - 1 pt
Forgot he’s a Milan player. Also American.
-------------TOP 3 Standing------------------Total Standing---------
Player of the month:
August: Bennacer - 6p
September: Saelemakers - 6p
October: Tonali - 15p
November: Bennacer/Giroud - 5p
January: Bennacer - 13p
February: Thiaw - 13p
Mars: Maignan - 9p
April: Leao - 11p
May: Tonali - 7p
From:
@MilanMB you mentioned for next season HM happening, what about also Flop of the Match? One vote per game. Could be interesting. That being said, after a game like yesterday, how could you "punish" someone with FOTM award?
forum.acmilan-online.com
replaced Sheva and Kaka with Ricardo Oliveira and Huntelaar
Giorgio Furlani to #Gazzetta: "Stefano Pioli is gaining importance, both at Milanello, where there won't be figures like Maldini and Massara present on a daily basis, and in the transfer market. He will provide indications on his needs, like any coach, and will have more weight in the choice of profiles, the type of players to target in the market."
