A victory to see the light again. Three points against the Torino, in fact, they would not authorize iMilan to feel out of the crisis, but they would certainly be the first step towards the exit of a long and dangerous tunnel. Last January 5, the Diavolo was XNUMX points behind Napoli and in full swing for the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Super Cup, then the draw with Roma arrived and everything changed radically. Since then the Rossoneri have not won a match, picking up only one point with Lecce, against defeats against Turin, Inter (twice), Lazio and Sassuolo. A sensational haemorrhage of results, which wiped out enthusiasm and certainties with the force of a tornado, causing the team to fall from second to sixth place, as well as out of the national cups. That's why tonight, in a San Siro that promises to be full (and in times of lean, this can also turn into a problem), victory is needed more than anything else, regardless of how it will be obtained.
Milan–Turin (20.45 pm, Dazn)
Everyone ended up under accusation, from a fugitive property (both in terms of presence and investments) to the most representative players, passing, ça va sans dire, for the coach. Stefano Pioli has gone from "on fire" (a choir that depopulated throughout the summer, even forcing Bob Sinclair to re-adapt the original song) to "is fired", which for those unfamiliar with English means "gets fired". Power of modern football, so fast and ravenous as to engulf two and a half years of excellent results (including a Scudetto) in just one month, but also his fault, given the inadequacy in managing this crisis. Milan-Torino it is not the last resort, but it is clear that another negative result would be very difficult to digest, moreover with the Champions League at the doorstep: Conte's Tottenham will arrive at the San Siro on Tuesday and a dose of enthusiasm, however minimal, is vital . The coach knows the importance of these 3 points, also because the others are racing and fourth place, an essential objective for Red Bird, must absolutely be regained. It won't be easy, in the light of a Turin in excellent form (at the moment it occupies seventh place, the last useful one for Europe) and capable of beating Milan in the previous two seasons: if the last one in the Italian Cup ( January 11) already saw a Diavolo in crisis, the same cannot be said of the championship (October 30), given that Pioli was still "on fire" at the time.
Pioli changes again: "Fair criticism, this time we'll do something different"
“Against Toro they are always very annoying matches due to the way they play, we have to find solutions to make up for their pressure, with courage and moving well, we will do something different – explained the coach in the press conference -. At the moment I think that by changing we'll find better builds from below and a more solid defensive phase, this is a moment that is part of football, it's normal even if it's more delicate than others. You have to believe in yourself and have faith in the players, because even if we don't win the championship, a new one will start, which means entering the top four. The criticisms are all there, but the only thing that interests me is that the players want to get out of it”.
Milan–Turin, the formations: Pioli switches to 3-4-3, Ibra is back in the squad
The news announced by Pioli will above all be tactics, given that we will move from 3-5-2 to a more offensive 3-4-3. Regardless of the numbers, however, it will be the attitude that will have to change, because Milan seen in the derby were almost disconcerted by the total lack of ideas and desire to win. And then there's the return of Ibrahimovic, again in the squad almost 9 months after the last time: for now it's something symbolic ("his autonomy is almost nil, but he wants to be with us" he said Pioli explained), we'll see in the future. The most important choice, at least in the immediate future, is the reinstatement of Leao in the starting eleven, given that the two benches with Sassuolo and Inter have not brought any benefits, neither to him nor to the team. The Rossoneri 3-4-3 will thus see Tatarusanu in goal, Kalulu, Kjaer and Thiaw in defense, Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali and Theo Hernandez in midfield, Diaz, Giroud and Leao in attack. Similar game system (but far from new) for Juric, who will look for the second consecutive victory at San Siro (the third of the season against Milan) with Milinkovic-Savic between the posts, Djidji, Schuurs and Buongiorno in the backlog, Aina , Adopo, Vlasic and Vojvoda in the midfield, Miranchuk and Karamoh behind the lone striker Sanabria.
