The Croatians and Salzburg have shown that they can play for the qualification. It is not easy for the Rossoneri to always maintain the same intensity: some elements of the squad suffer more than others
Enough. This is the adjective used by Stefano Pioli to define Milan’s performance in Salzburg. On the other hand, the result is good, useful for moving the classification in the Champions League group immediately, as it did not happen last year. We will therefore start again from here, in a week. From this “6” in the report card, with the awareness that the votes will have to rise in the continuation of the European journey, otherwise the road to the second round will be complicated beyond measure. It took 90 minutes to show that Group E hierarchies are more post-draw talk than anything else: Chelsea, universally considered the main opponent for the first place, have wrecked miserably in Zagreb. And the winners of the glorious Serie A, returning from a triumphal derby, had to fight and snort in order not to bow to the masters of the less noble Bundesliga, that of Austria.
Engagements
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It is not only the good level of teams like Salzburg and Dinamo that makes the group as balanced as ever. A reflection must also be made on the calendar, or on the density – and on the average degree of difficulty – of the commitments that teams like Milan and Chelsea have to face. It is the year of the World Cup in late autumn, there is little to do, it is not a season like any other. There is no time to recover, to gradually insert new purchases, there is no way to prepare for the next race by giving body and mind the right break. Rossoneri and Blues almost always have to contend with teams capable of withstanding the impact, as well as punishing any lack of intensity: Sassuolo-Milan and Southampton-Chelsea, just to name two examples, have said something to this effect. For Salzburg and Dinamo the championship is more manageable, given their superiority over the competition.
Giroud
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Some elements of the Rossoneri squad suffer from this close series of matches more than others. Let’s take Olivier Giroud: a true champion, almost always decisive in big matches, with a wealth of international experience to be envied. Still, the Giroud seen at the Red Bull Arena looked like the slow twin of the one admired in the derby. Getting “Oli” to breathe would be essential, but when? And to replace him with whom? Ibrahimovic will return in 2023, Rebic has immediately returned to the tunnel of chronic physical problems, Lazetic is still a baby and Origi, co-holder of the role of center forward, returns from an injury and is far from the best form. All things that Pioli knows well, and which he will have to remedy in a week. Because on the 14th, Dinamo arrives at the Meazza. And with the Croats we need the first real turning point on the path towards qualification.
September 7, 2022 (change September 7, 2022 | 07:55)
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