The coach after the defeat against Chelsea: ”We knew it was a difficult game and the incidents made it even more complicated. With ten men and more order… Own goals, blunders, and red cards: Modric not enough as Milan sink at Chelsea

It ended 4-1 after a horror start for the Rossoneri: the Blues were 2-0 up after eight minutes, then Coubis’ red card (18′) further complicated matters, even though the Diavolo showed their best qualities when they were down to ten men. Fofana scored the consolation goal.

World champions Chelsea are not the newly promoted Leeds in the Premier League. The overwhelming difference between the two English teams was evident for Milan, who were incomplete and short of defenders. This was compounded by a nightmare afternoon for Andrei Coubis, a central defender born in 2003 who plays for Milan Futuro, who influenced the match with an own goal to make it 1-0 and a red card when the score was already 2-0 to the Blues. Allegri had sent him on because Thiaw had been sold yesterday and there is still no replacement. In short, the former Juventus coach tried to make do, to hide the gaps, but against Maresca’s team, which has Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, and Gittens up front, it was impossible. When the Rossoneri went a man down, the mission became impossible. However, the day also brought some good news for the Diavolo: first of all, the debut of Luka Modric, who came on at the start of the second half in place of Ricci and did not start as expected. Without overdoing it, the Croatian brought order to the team’s play and even had a shot on goal. A promising sign. Saelemaekers also did well, perhaps showing the most belief this time around on the left. And then there was Leao: we repeat, he is not a center forward, but when he can attack deep, he can also hurt the opposition as a striker.
Milan immediately realized that the afternoon would be complicated when Coubis scored an own goal from a James free kick (which wasn’t even that dangerous). The young Rossoneri player, in the heart of Allegri’s zone, failed to react and the ball hit his shin before ending up behind Maignan. Two minutes later, the Blues doubled their lead with a winning header from Joao Pedro (Tomori was at fault) from an assist by Pedro Neto, who was left too free to cross by Bartesaghi. Chelsea dominated because they were technically superior and also had the support of their fans, who celebrated the Conference League and Club World Cup victories in the pre-match. Maignan and his teammates are unable to find a response, and this time the “double formation” depending on the phase does not yield the desired results because the 5-4-1 struggles against the width that Pedro Neto and Gittens provide thanks to their acceleration, while in attack the 4-4-1-1 (or rarely 4-2-3-1), with Loftus a step behind Leao, failed to make an impact. Compared to yesterday’s friendly against Leeds, the difference was the caliber of the opponent and Milan’s constant struggles on the wings. The Rossoneri’s first chance came in the 17th minute with a shot by Saelemaekers that was saved by Sanchez and followed by Leao’s header that went over the bar. Allegri tried to switch Coubis and Terracciano, but seconds after the move, on a clearance from Sanchez, Coubis found himself one-on-one with Joao Pedro, who was faster. The defender let the ball bounce and the Blues’ number 20 got away. The foul was fatal for the Rossoneri: a straight red card and Milan down to ten men. The Livorno coach reshuffled his team into a 4-4-1 formation with Musah at right-back and Loftus on the right wing, who moved centrally when in possession. The match, already uneven, became even more lopsided when Palmer hit the left post with a free kick and then grazed the right post. Any signs of Milan? In the last two minutes, Leao’s shot is saved by Sanchez and Saelemaekers fires over the bar, while in stoppage time, the hosts come close to scoring a third, but Maignan’s save and Ricci’s rebound prevent it.

Here comes Modric—  At the start of the second half, Modric made his Rossoneri debut, coming on for Ricci and taking up a position in the heart of midfield to dictate the pace. It was the Croatian who, following a Chelsea corner, forced Sanchez into a save. Milan deserve credit for continuing to play despite the deficit, and Fofana, well served by Leao, misses a chance to make it 2-1, thanks to an unintentional obstruction by Bartesaghi. Chelsea scored through a penalty by Delap after a naive foul by Musah on Estevao. Fofana made it 3-1 on an assist from Saelemaekers, but before the final whistle, there was more glory for Delap, who scored his second goal of the game to make it 4-1. It was a heavy punishment for a Rossoneri side that was down to ten men for over 70 minutes but managed to show its best side when it was a man down. Not everything in the match at Stamford Bridge was to be discarded.

The defeat against Chelsea was clear, especially in terms of the score, but Massimiliano Allegri is not discouraged after the loss to the Blues. “I’m disappointed with the result,” he began, “and because when you lose, you can never be happy, but we knew it was a difficult game and the incidents made it even more complicated. Now we have to prepare as best we can because the result on Sunday will be important.” The Livorno coach continued his analysis with a calm demeanor: “We haven’t had any injuries in a month of preparation, and that’s crucial. From Tuesday, we’ll be working toward the Coppa Italia, and the guys who arrived later will have time to catch up with the others.” He then returned to the defeat against Chelsea: “With ten men, we were more organized than when we were eleven. We should have been more careful with the first two goals we conceded, but in general, the team has improved defensively compared to the past. It wasn’t easy to stay compact here, especially given how the game unfolded. Of course, we should have avoided the goal from a set piece that made it 1-0 and the second goal we conceded in that manner, but it will serve as experience.”

Transfer market—  Allegri also spoke about Thiaw’s departure: “He was an important player and we’re sorry to see him go, but the club is doing well. That’s the transfer market and we’re ready for it. Do we need a defender more than a striker in terms of numbers? We have Gabbia, Pavlovic, and Tomori, so that’s enough for next Sunday…” In reality, De Winter will most likely be there despite Allegri not mentioning him. On the other hand, the former Juventus coach spoke about Bari: “It’s the first do-or-die game of the season and we want to be ready after a week of good training. We want to do well and move forward. Modric? He had half an hour in his legs and instead played 45 minutes. He’s an important player and will do well.”