The Rumour Commode XXXV: Champions Edition

[Hitchens]

Longo:
Renato Sanches: "I talked to my agent, I know which club he is interested in, but for now I can't reveal it. I know I'm ready for matches. If a proposal comes along, I'll see what's best for me."
The midfielder Milan likes a lot

 

[AC_Wesley]

Wow...Balotelli really gets a lot of chances for the type of person he is

 

[MilanMB]

Gut feeling: Do you think he'll do well?

Depends on which time frame we're talking about. Long term, no clue. Short term, absolutely not.

 

[milanator]

Kessié was in the pre Pioli era constantly being criticised for having a low football-IQ.
Leao is lazy and has a bad attitude.

All players are criticised and rightfully so when their performances are below par, but the discourse is different when players of colour are targeted.

I don't think this very US-society based approach works here, a black player from Africa and a black player from South America will bring out very different expectations among football fans, and a white South American will be seen as having more similarities to a black South American than a white European and so on. Prejudice and expectations aimed at playing style etc are imo a lot more culture than race dependent in football.

 

[Ronin]

Wow...Balotelli really gets a lot of chances for the type of person he is

so much wasted potential... imagine if he applied himself like CR7

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

I am not playing any race card at all
Just because I despise woke shit means I won’t call anything that I think might be actual bias. I don’t even want to use the term “racism” because I think it’s too strong. I don’t think Ronin and co are racists. I don’t know how they think.

But from my perspective the bias is clear and I see these patterns all the time.

I dunno what else Leao has to do to be appreciated by some of his critics….who I think are simply overdoing it. And the only obvious thing I can see is that Leao is black and embraces black culture.

If there was some genuine thing to criticize I would say that he’s too casual for my liking… but he’s been really trying to push the issue…to the point that he gets burnt out….and now ppl are shitting on him for his stamina. Makes no sense.

From an evolutionary perspective we are sort of hardwired to mistrust ppl who don’t look like us. It could be some of that going on…. Then in all honesty there are tons of examples of players deep into black culture who are indeed deserving of the criticism they get (again Balotelli falls into this group)

With that said I think the perspective should be nuanced. It’s gotta be difficult to be a black player in Europe…especially in Italy. Maybe it’s not so bad in our time but just recently they were taunting black players and making monkey noises etc.

And even in this I have tried to be nuanced despite dumbcunts like trying to paint me as some race baiter…because when Boateng kicked the ball at the crowd taunting him I criticized HIM for being a dumbass. i.e. if ppl are calling you an animal, don’t start acting like one and give them more ammo. However I can’t and won’t deny that the black players are often under an extra layer of pressure and scrutiny that you simply don’t see for the white players.

Be honest, if Pelegri was some Congolese kid, would so many ppl in this forum still be so accommodating of him?

Leaf its only coz you think every white boy criticism is legit to begin with.
Who the fuck liked Pellegri ?!
I think people gave Toure much more time over Pellegri.... Toure is black & shit , no ?!
Leao is a generational talent & we dont criticise him because he is shit but because we want him to fulfil his full potential.

 

[Ronin]

People who attack Leao for having low stamina don’t understand how different body types and forms of athleticism work.

As was pointed out some guys are just naturally fit, can smoke and drink everyday and then outwork everyone on the pitch or in training. Radja, Vidal, etc… but those players are rarely fast, nor can they ever get much faster. No one gives them shit for that. What’s annoying is that when a player is just naturally fast and can outpace everyone in training or on the pitch, but don’t have high stamina, they’re criticized.

Leao shouldn’t have to run back as much, considering he’s a one-man wrecking crew. Let him do what he’s supposed to do, beat players 1v1 and create numerical advantages.

1. it's not necessarily criticism, but it needs to be acknowledged... fanboys are just trying to deny it

2. It's not clear if it's his natural physique or lack of effort, both in training and during the game. I remember a match when he came on in the last 15-20 minutes or so, when we desperately needed a goal and he was walking around... seemed more tired than Ibra after 90 minutes... both teammates and coaches have mentioned his lack of effort, so idk why people still are denying it. Pioli basically mentions him at every press conference, that he has great talent, but that alone won't be enough and he must apply himself.

 

[MilanMB]

Racism is underrated tbh

 

[Ronin]

I am not playing any race card at all
Just because I despise woke shit means I won’t call anything that I think might be actual bias. I don’t even want to use the term “racism” because I think it’s too strong. I don’t think Ronin and co are racists. I don’t know how they think.

But from my perspective the bias is clear and I see these patterns all the time.

I dunno what else Leao has to do to be appreciated by some of his critics….who I think are simply overdoing it. And the only obvious thing I can see is that Leao is black and embraces black culture.

If there was some genuine thing to criticize I would say that he’s too casual for my liking… but he’s been really trying to push the issue…to the point that he gets burnt out….and now ppl are shitting on him for his stamina. Makes no sense.

From an evolutionary perspective we are sort of hardwired to mistrust ppl who don’t look like us. It could be some of that going on…. Then in all honesty there are tons of examples of players deep into black culture who are indeed deserving of the criticism they get (again Balotelli falls into this group)

With that said I think the perspective should be nuanced. It’s gotta be difficult to be a black player in Europe…especially in Italy. Maybe it’s not so bad in our time but just recently they were taunting black players and making monkey noises etc.

And even in this I have tried to be nuanced despite dumbcunts like trying to paint me as some race baiter…because when Boateng kicked the ball at the crowd taunting him I criticized HIM for being a dumbass. i.e. if ppl are calling you an animal, don’t start acting like one and give them more ammo. However I can’t and won’t deny that the black players are often under an extra layer of pressure and scrutiny that you simply don’t see for the white players.

Be honest, if Pelegri was some Congolese kid, would so many ppl in this forum still be so accommodating of him?

Bro, Tomori is now probably my favorite Milan player and I fell in love for him (no homo) from his first days... he didn't need to do that much, he's just talented, works his ass off and shows deep respect and love to the club. Lmeao has been here for 2.5 years and he hasn't shown that, at least in my eyes... so you can't play the race card. Same thing goes for Mike... one of the top players for me.

I only give some starting advantage to players that come from the Academy and show to be die-hard Milanistas and it happens that most of them are white, but that's because we support Milan, which is from Italy, which is predominantly a white country

p.s. also one of my best friends is Nigerian, while I live in a country where the total of blacks is probably below 100. I make "racist" jokes around him all the time

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

When you can go from 0-60 in 3 seconds you burn more gas (of KWh if you’re driving an EV) than if you consistently stay under 60 MPH and slowly accelerate.

Leao will need a lot of targeted training to make it possible to play the way he does consistently for 90 minutes.

Ok , so he needs to work on his stamina
Thanks for clarifying the obvious.

 

[Samaldinho]

Well, according to transfermarkt
Our LWs (Leao + Rebic) combined have 13 goal contributions
Our AMs (Diaz + Krunic + Maldini) combined have 8 goal contributions
Our RWs (Saele + Messias + Castillejo) combined have 8 goal contributions

5 goal contributions is a BIG difference (38% less to be precise). If any of the other areas were as productive as our LWs who both missed a lot of games by the way, we would've easily had 3-4-5 points more now. Not to mention how a productive RW/AM will engage a lot more the opponent's defense which will free more space for the other attackers + Theo which will inevitably lead to more goals.

Again, I don't think there's any dispute over the fact that Leao and Rebic have more quality than Alexis and Messias, I want more quality in those positions. The problem I have with what you've put forward is that you assume that players who play LW only score from the LW. For example: Leao has scored from a central position, many times. Kessie has also played as a CAM for us, and he's scored twice from that position. Do you count Samu's cross-turned-own-goal?

But this is just quibbling. We also play in an asymmetrical style where our right is more defensive than the left, because a lack of that balance showed in several games, Calabria's impact is more pronounced, Alexis provides more defensive cover, I also think he creates a lot of danger even when he messes up...

With refs being simply competent we'd have 4 more points, alone. Without injuries, we'd be in a completely different place. That is more of my concern than our squad, which isn't perfect, but is still strong.

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

Wow...Balotelli really gets a lot of chances for the type of person he is

What do you mean by "the type he is" you racist dick ?!
Remember how many times people gave him a race pass & at the end he wasted his talent exactly like the accused of racism said he would.

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

Theo just extended his contract to 2026.

Grande.

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

4 million plus some bonuses.

Loyalty.

 

[A Wild Homosexual]

Yessssssssssss Theo.
Next Leao plz .... you can never trust those black people.

 

[nonsonoqui]

I hope you remember I was basically driving the "fuck Lukaku" bus and was calling him the worse names that included voodoo donkey. But even still you gotta respect that Lukaku himself said that iBra isn't racist.

On the whole "Zlatan being a gypsy" thing...I never weighed in. I think that the racist chants should be ignored and if possible mocked.
My favourite reaction to racist chants is Alves picking up the banana and eating it
Getting mad at idiots only gives them fuel (it works in the forum too...you just gotta learn to let the donkeys bray)

Maybe there is some fault in my analysis and me seeing things that I believe. So I'll look out for it. But I maintain, if Leao looked like Matri, he'd be much more well loved in this place.

You're not completely wrong about this, leaf. I don't disagree with your broader point. But I think at least as far as Ronin is concerned, he's messing around. I think he wants to keep the Rebic vs Leao banter going.

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

Yessssssssssss Theo.
Next Leao plz .... you can never trust those black people.

 

[Hitchens]

Where do you see it?

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

Where do you see it?

Longo reported it on Instagram.

 

[taura]

what the fuck is wrong with Lega to allow such schedules? we're playing derby della madonnina on 6th of feb, inter plays roma on 8th of feb in san siro (copa) and we play lazio on 9th of feb in san siro (copa) . 3 matches on the same pitch in the span of 3 days, what the fuck?

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

 

[Hitchens]

Longo reported it on Instagram.

 

[Pigeon]

Wow...Balotelli really gets a lot of chances for the type of person he is

if he was white, he wouldn't have even gotten half the chances

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

That’s the reality of how news travels and is disseminated today.

 

[Hitchens]

Here's a thought.

Imagine if we just cashed out the 16.5m Leao owes. Maldini winks at him and says it's no big deal. Lifetime contract signed this summer.

 

[Hitchens]

That’s the reality of how news travels and is disseminated today.

You're telling me?

I'm basically a mouthpiece for Longo

He certainly seems like the best informed on Milan these days.

 

[vB9]

City want him? Im not against Theo but 70m is 70m.

 

[CapitanoMaldini]

City want him? Im not against Theo but 70m is 70m.

Long term contract now we have the leverage.

Think Theo wants to live in Milan. The lifestyle, new child and the mother of his child is Italian.

 

[leaf]

Leaf its only coz you think every white boy criticism is legit to begin with.
Who the fuck liked Pellegri ?!
I think people gave Toure much more time over Pellegri.... Toure is black & shit , no ?!
Leao is a generational talent & we dont criticise him because he is shit but because we want him to fulfil his full potential.

Bro there's literally a ton of "I think he'd going to be huge" posts about Pellegri

Welcome! No better mentors than to learn from Ibra and Giroud given his physique.

Pellegri was once the young suprise of Italian football, then he lost 3 years in France. If he stays fit I think he’s perfectly suited for our pressing game as he’s physically very strong and aggressive. Hope he comes good here…

exactly, pellegri has almost a decade to do something

Tantalis,

don't be like a regular casual EPL fans who compares 31 y/o James Vardy with 31 y/o Wayne Rooney

But in Pellegri case,
i'd like to see a season where he is healthy and become a regular.

A bit of perspective, Pellegri has 38 pro games at an age where Kalulu only started to play pro football. His injuries are a concern but one also has to look at the good stuff and without injuries he wouldn't be 4m.

for CF, i also don't think Pellegri will be replaced. as i thought and said months earlier, that Pellegri would be redeemed at the end of the season. i did not expect to happen in january, but i knew that was the plan. regarless of "performance". he is 3rd striker in a 1 striker formation. won't have have nearly enough time on the field to "perform"... this was a 100% opportunity move. a wonderkid (or former, who has not exploded because of injuries but is still only 20) available for 7M (now 3-4M?) ... you just can't pass that. low risk -SUPER high reward... if we did not take him someone else would.

You’re missing the point. They want the flops to not hurt. Piatek hurt. Pellegri doesn’t.

 

[leaf]

if he was white, he wouldn't have even gotten half the chances

laughs in Cassano