GdS: How Milan imploded against Bournemouth to further complicate European path
AC Milan waved the white flag of surrender on Thursday night as they were beaten 3-0 by AFC Bournemouth in the Europa League.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (see below) write that Milan, once held up as a model, now possess only its storied past. In a match effectively decided after just half an hour following Maignan’s sending-off, Milan endured a night fraught with anxiety.
The team proved incapable of showing courage or handling the English side’s surges, which mirrored the turbulent weather on the pitch. Conceding three goals (all from set-pieces) and failing to register a single shot on target against Di Gregorio – who was brought in as a replacement – tells the story.
Three points from three matches is a poor return, an average that even puts a play-off spot at risk. There is still time to recover, provided the team avoids such embarrassing performances. Though, as seen yesterday, they struggled even when playing with an equal number of men on the field.
A storm on the south coast
The storm of rain and wind that welcomed Milan was nothing compared to the one that struck the Rossoneri during the match’s decisive opening half-hour, a squall that left them dazed, furious, trailing by two goals, and down to ten men.
A series of blunders of every conceivable kind immediately buried the visitors’ ambitions. It was a catalogue of errors, ranging from De Winter’s disastrous blunders to an inexplicable act by Maignan, gifts that their opponents were only too happy to accept.
The sequence of events is as clear as it is unforgiving: first, the defender gifted a goal-scoring opportunity to the opposition, and in the very next play, he handled a header from Evanilson. Referee Fotias missed it, but the VAR cameras left no room for doubt.
Called to the monitor, the Greek official had no choice but to award a penalty, which Justin Kluivert converted without a second thought against his father’s former club. Just eight minutes in, and Milan found themselves battling against the wind, and not just metaphorically.
Before any attempt at a comeback could even be discussed, another incident completely altered the course of the evening. During a Bournemouth corner, Adams positioned himself near Maignan to disrupt him. The goalkeeper responded by shoving his gloved hands into Adams’s face.
Adams went down as if struck by lightning, but the captain’s moment of madness was so egregious that Fotias didn’t even need the monitor: a straight red card and a second penalty. While there was some debate over whether the ball was in play at the time, VAR confirmed the decision.
Torriani came on but he couldn’t pull off a miracle against Tavernier’s spot-kick. Hutchinson had to make way for the goalkeeper. Just over half an hour had been played, and Milan had to find a way to emerge from this downpour with some dignity. They did not manage it.
Collapse continues
From that point on, the match became difficult to analyze, as a clear imbalance emerged. At the start of the second half, Amorim brought on Rabiot and Bartesaghi for Loftus-Cheek and Estupiñán.
The system shifted to a 5-3-1, though Moreira (on the right) occasionally stays high up the pitch, operating as an attacking winger rather than a wing-back. Bournemouth savoured their historic evening. Tomori risked a red card, prompting his manager to substitute him to avoid further trouble.
Later, the players introduced by Rose – notably Rayan, Rodriguez, and Adli – looked to showcase their talents, drawing fresh roars from the English crowd. Adli scored the third goal from a free-kick, while Torriani managed to deal with a couple of other dangerous situations.
Even the initial Milan line-up was a poorly concocted mix. They were exposed on the flanks and proved incapable of building any coherent play. With 18 international trophies to their name, this European competition should never be a nuisance for a club like Milan, though it is well known that Italian teams often struggle to digest Thursday-night tournaments.
Amorim’s questionable selections stemmed from a combination of necessity – with Ramos and Chukwueze the latest to join the injury list – and caution, given the upcoming three-match stretch against Udinese, Bologna, and Inter within a single week.
Gila, Modrić, Rabiot, and Pulišić were all left on the bench to start. Yet, their replacements – from Jashari and Loftus-Cheek to Cissé – only made their absence more keenly felt. As seen in the league, this ‘flexible’ new Milan is not strictly tethered to the 3-4-2-1 formation.
In this game, it looked much more like a 4-4-1-1, with a more defensive-minded approach. Much attention was focused on the role of Cissé – who turned 20 yesterday— – but he found no joy on the pitch.
A week ago in Salzburg, the Italy U21 international scored a hat-trick, though Camarda was the designated center-forward that day. Here, however, the youngster was deployed as the primary attacking focal point, a role that clashes with his natural attributes.
He is not the type of striker accustomed to playing with his back to the goal. But the blame cannot fall on the youngest player on the pitch; it was the senior figures who failed to show up in any meaningful way.
