On Saturday last week, Milan confirmed that Maignan had signed a new contract with the club until 2031. As such, a tiring saga was put to an end and it was certainly something for the Rossoneri fans to celebrate. In addition to his fantastic performances on the pitch, the fact that the previous contract was expiring in the summer made the situation thorny for Milan. They did enough to convince the player in the end, even if a lot of clubs were interested.
Next week's clash against Pisa will be AC Milan's first shot at revenge, following four now infamous games earlier in the season. Just as Milan's strong record against the top rivals has been highlighted this season, the same can be said for their struggles against the bottom-half sides. It all stems from four games, really: the defeat against Cremonese, as well as the draws against Pisa, Parma and Sassuolo.
Christian Pulisic is eyeing a full recovery for AC Milan's game against Pisa, eager to turn a corner after being on the sidelines for some time. The American has been struggling with bursitis, i.e. an inflammation, in recent weeks and that's why he has barely featured for the Rossoneri. Rather than risking making the matter worse, Massimiliano Allegri has opted for other players in attack.
When the match starts, anything can happen. I want to win every time my team plays. Against Milan, we need a certain type of tactical work, but on Friday we will enter the pitch to get a result.
With the mercato just closing, and Jean-Philippe Mateta not joining AC Milan, Oli and Anthony looked at a few others who could've stayed or joined. The mercato is a strange time, isn't it. Ultimately, it is a very volatile period for football clubs, and we saw this again with Mateta's failed move to Italy, which we have recently written a feature about. However, his move is not the only like it. There are several 'What If' moments from the past few years
It seems increasingly likely that AC Milan will return to the Champions League next season, which will be a financial boost. But it will not be the only boost they receive. At present, it seems difficult to imagine a season finale where Milan are not in the premier European competition next season. They sit pretty comfortably in second, and there are no signs of them slowing down to the point of no European football.
When Modric joined Milan, an insurance clause was inserted, where the Rossoneri would have the option of an extra year if all parties wanted to continue together. Within his first few games at the club, that option was being considered. However, the caveat has always been whether all parties want the same thing. No one is unhappy with the situation, but with Modric only getting older, his desire will be the most important thing.
It was a rather quiet month for Milan anyway, with January only seeing a few new faces, as opposed to the churn of last year. This was seemingly always going to be the case, though, with reports suggesting as much before Christmas. Nevertheless, things could have been different, with it clear that another striker was desired. Initially, it seemed Francesco Camarda could have returned, but a shoulder injury impacted things. So, the focus turned to Jean-Philippe Mateta. However, he also did not arrive due to injury.
When Niclas Füllkrug first arrived at AC Milan, many turned their noses up at the German. However, he is playing his role perfectly so far. It was clear from the off that Milan were not signing Füllkrug to be the first choice striker for Massimiliano Allegri. But, with no physical option in his team, and the injury issues plaguing his front line, it was a deal that made sense. Low cost with no guarantees on the future, all parties could benefit from the move.
AC Milan will have a bit of a break after the win over Bologna, which should allow some injured players to recover too. Taking advantage of the schedule, which will see Milan not play again until Friday 13 February away against Pisa, Massimiliano Allegri has decided to grant his players three days off after yesterday's session. Time to recover However, La Gazzetta dello Sport report that the injured group -
To be honest... no. Moratti paid me a lot of compliments, but I've always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and for Real Madrid, and luckily, I achieved that. "And then I'll let you in on a secret: as a kid, I supported Milan, and a few hours ago [at the event] I met Galliani. He said he saw me as a good fit for Berlusconi's Milan, but they never came forward either..."
Join Oli, Anthony and new host BdairBall as they recap the deadline day Mateta drama and pick apart the convincing win against Bologna. This week's topics include... ↳ Mateta: Bullet dodged or regret? ↳ RLC-Nkunku works?! ↳ Bologna's struggles compounded ↳ Scudetto still on?
I felt pretty good tactically tonight. It was a tough match against a team that plays man-to-man. We had to be a bit aggressive and play with maturity. Personally, I felt good, even physically. But I can always do better with the ball.
AC Milan took the lead against Bologna at the Stadio Renato dall'Ara in the first half, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek making up for an earlier miss. In the 20th minute, Milan got the first goal in a game where the volume of chances suggested it was coming. Excellent work from Fofana in a central area saw him get the ball to Athekame on the right at the second attempt.
the Milan directors made their evaluations together with the head coach Massimiliano Allegri, and in the end the club preferred to keep the current group of central defenders in the squad. Matteo Gabbia, Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic will remain the starting trio of a defensive group that have conceded 17 goals in the league so far (only Roma and Como have conceded fewer). Alongside them, Koni De Winter is growing, and is likely to start again this evening in Bologna.
