Milan breathes. The victory in the advance against Verona gives us some peace of mind ahead of Christmas, but above all 3 very important points that allow us to get closer to the Champions League zone. Of course, the competition still has to play and will start doing so today with Naples and Lazio, awaited by the treacherous transfers of Genoa (18pm) and Lecce (20pm)), in the meantime however the Devil has given a sign of life, moreover in an evening that became even more complicated after theLeao's injury.
Verona – Milan 0-1: Reijnders decides, Fonseca banishes Allegri's shadow
Victory had to be and so it was, despite a difficult climate (the away sector sang for a long time against Cardinale) and a squad reduced to the bone by physical problems. Yes, because after Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor, Musah and Morata (leaving aside the long-term patients Bennacer, Florenzi and Jovic), he also stopped Lion, forced to leave the field in the 32nd minute due to a strain on his left flexor: a big blow for Fonseca, who risks not having him for the next matches against Rome and Juventus (Super Cup). Fortunately for him, the injury did not affect yesterday's match, which was played in a balanced way until the play of the pair Fofana-Reijnders: the Frenchman found an almost visionary corridor, the Dutchman found the crossbar with a great unstoppable shot for Montipo (56'). It was the best opportunity of a fairly ordinary match, between two willing teams but far from a good state of form, both technical and mental. Hellas, close to being sold to the US fund "Presidio Investors", tried to change gear without succeeding, Milan, on the day of theOfficial agreement between RedBird and Elliot for the vendor loan (170 million and loan expiry postponed to 2028), he controlled more or less easily, taking home 3 golden points, perhaps even fundamental to save Fonseca's bench. The coach, in fact, would have risked a lot in the event of a negative result, with the shadow of Allegri increasingly threatening, so instead he remains in the saddle, even if the Roma test next Sunday will be equally important.
Fonseca: “I am satisfied, we are finding the solidity we need”
“In the first half the emergency and the delicate situation have made themselves felt, we entered the game tensely despite not conceding any chances – Fonseca's analysis -. We kept the ball without being decisive in attack and making too many mistakes in key points. We should have done better and been more aggressive, but given the many absences and the complicated moment it is clear that I am satisfied, it is a more than deserved victory. Defensively we were more stable, but I am happy: the central defenders did very well, even Fofana and Terracciano in the middle of the field. We need stability to then attack better, but we are growing. Too many injuries? It's an unfortunate period, but only Musah and Loftus-Cheek have muscular problems, the rest we can't control. Leao? Speaking to him he seemed more like a preventive stop that something serious, however we will evaluate...".
Genoa – Napoli (18pm, Dazn)
The focus now shifts to the top of the table, starting with challenge between Genoa and Napoli. The Azzurri go hunting for the second consecutive victory after the one in Udine, in an attempt to regain that first place that slipped away a couple of weeks ago. However, Conte, in addition to a Genoa still unbeaten under Vieira (6 points in 4 games, to which we must add the last 2 won by Gilardino), has to deal with injuries, given that after Kvaratskhelia Buongiorno also stopped. The Georgian, paradoxically, is less of a worry, both for the recovery times (he could return in the next one against Venezia, or at the latest on January 4th in Florence) and for the Neres performance, for many even more incisive. The former Torino defender, on the other hand, will have to stay out for at least a month, but above all he does not have a replacement considered up to the task, given that neither Juan Jesus nor Marin have been particularly convincing. Manna is already working to find reinforcements, in the meantime however they have to make do with those who are there, in the hope that the absence will prove less burdensome than expected. On the Genoa front there is excitement and today's match has little or nothing to do with it: the environment, in fact, is in fibrillation for the arrival of the new owner Dan Sucu, king of Romanian furniture, formerly head of Rapid Bucharest. He is not a financial magnate (according to Forbes he has a net worth of “only” 300 million), but an entrepreneur with excellent banking references, who jumped into the saddle of the Ligurian club thanks to a payment of 40 million, for what seems to be an excellent deal.
Conte: “Let’s keep working hard! Who’s going to replace Buongiorno? It’s up to Juan Jesus”
“I always reiterate that I have faith in these guys because I see them every day, then you can't always win, you stumble, but even in the fall they will try to improve - Conte underlined -. The 35 points in 16 days? They are worth a lot, it means having done very well with a group of guys who have grown considerably since the Dimaro retreat to today. There are no shortcuts to get to something important, you can shorten the path by working with quality, otherwise it would be an ephemeral and misleading success. Playing at Marassi is never easy, it is the typical English stadium, the Genoa fans are very passionate, we will have to express ourselves to the maximum and bring to the field what we have prepared this week. Buongiorno's injury? It's up to Juan Jesus, he is the first choice. He is an experienced left centre-back and he knows he has my trust. I am very calm and serene, he will perform great like everyone else”.
Genoa – Napoli, probable formations
Genoa (4-3-3): Leali; Sabelli, Bani, Vasquez, Martin; Thorsby, Badelj, Frendrup; Zanoli, Pinamonti, Miretti
On the bench: Gollini, Sommariva, Norton-Cuffy, Marcandalli, Melegoni, Bohinen, Pereiro, Accornero, Masini, Ankeye, Matturro, Vogliacco, Balotelli, Vitinha, Ekuban
Trainer: Vieira
Unavailable: Ahanor, Ekhator, Malinovskyi, De Winter, Messias
Disqualified: Nobody
Naples (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres
On the bench: Caprile, Contini, Marin, Spinazzola, Mazzocchi, Zerbin, Gilmour, Folorunsho, Simeone, Ngonge, Kvaratskhelia, Raspadori
Trainer: Tale
Unavailable: Good morning
Disqualified: Nobody
Lecce – Lazio (20:45 pm, Dazn and Sky)
The Via del Mare race must be handled with care, between Giampaolo's reborn Lecce (7 points in 4 games) and the Lazio of Barons, fresh from the very heavy (and in some ways disconcerting) defeat against Inter. The Biancocelesti, until last Monday, were rightly celebrated as possible outsiders in the race for the Scudetto, but the 0-6 has at least suspended judgments. Was it just a (serious) accident along the way, as assured by the coach himself after the match, or will it undermine the certainties of a group that had been almost perfect up until then? Only the pitch will tell and the match in Lecce, in this sense, could prove very indicative. In the sights above all is the defense of the Champions zone, a more than realistic goal, but still difficult to achieve. Baroni should not change anything about his creation, even if the KO with Inter has turned on a warning light on 4-2-3-1 ultra-offensive: allowing yourself four attacking men plus a full-back like Tavares, in fact, can be very dangerous against certain opponents. This should not be the case for Lecce, despite a positive trend that has rekindled hopes of salvation after the bad start under Gotti, especially within the friendly walls of Via del Mare. Giampaolo was able to stop Juventus and take two fundamental victories against Venezia and Monza: now he dreams another coup, hoping that Lazio has suffered the embarrassment against Inter.
Lecce – Lazio, probable formations
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Dorgu; Coulibaly, Berisha, Rafia; Pierotti, Krstovic, Morente
On the bench: Fruchtl, Samooja, Borbei, Bonifazi, McJannet, Helgason, Ramadani, Kaba, Hasa, Marchwinski, Oudin, Rebic, Burnete, Samson
Trainer: Giampaolo
Unavailable: Banda, Gallo, Gaspar, Pelmard (out of squad)
Disqualified: Nobody
