Milan-Siena Review: Three games, only one point..

By: Matthew | October 30th, 2008

Firstly I’d like to apologise for not having written a preview for this game.. With three games this week it is not only the players that are suffering!

The trip to the San Siro is always a big game regardless of the club, and this holds true for Siena. After 10 days that has seen La Robur playing good open attacking football, but only taking home a solitary point. Now as a fan there is nothing that you wish to see more than your team to be playing attractive football which doesn’t consist of bulking up the backline and sitting on your own goal line waiting for a counter attack that may never come: and Siena are that team. It rings true since the years of Berreta’s reign that we are an attacking club and teams have to be on the top of their game to take away anything from la Robur. Well, perhaps there is one thing that fans would wish to see more, and that is winning consistently, even if it means that the club has to sacrifice playing attractively.
Milan had a selection headache on the cards as they added Ronaldinho and Mathieu Flamini to their injury list which already included Andrea Pirlo, Philippe Senderos, Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze. But Siena too was feeling the strain as the impressive Gianluca Curci was suspended and Massimo Maccarone was rested.

The reshuffling of Ancelotti’s squad led with Pato and Inzaghi starting upfront for the first time this season, and defiantly starting the brighter of the two teams Milan were made aware of Siena’s attacking intentions early on when a Del Grosso kissed the post from a dangerous free kick. However, from there Milan found their rhythm and their flair players began to give la Robur’s defence the run around. Pato came close from two identical corners from the left with one even slamming onto the foot of, reserve ‘keeper, Manitta’s post. However, around the half hour they were justifiably rewarded after a splendid passing move involving Gattuso was buried by Inzaghi. There was a sinking feeling of continued poor away form from Siena but they came out in the second half firing on all cylinders. Despite no changes to the squad the Siena took it up an gear and began applying all sorts of pressure to Abbiati’s goal and it took, il capitano, Simone Vergassola to draw them deservedly level 9 minutes after the restart. However, it became a serious case of déjà vu from the weekend when Milan was awarded a penalty for Inzaghi sneezing in the area (or perhaps he tripped over his laces?), Kaka stepped up and just squeezed it past the debutant Manitta in goal. The remainder of the match continued with flowing attacking football from both sides as both managers made attacking changes. Gattuso had a great chance cleared off the line and shortly after Codrea saw his free kick brush centimetres wide with Abbiati rooted to the spot.

It was a defeat that was hard to swallow for Siena fans who saw their heroes fall to their 11th game on the road without a win. Marco Giampaolo confirmed the professionalism in which both him and his squad possess by stating that: “It’s an invented penalty. But I don’t want to protest. We will not make a noise. To lose after a performance like this is positive, but it still hurts,” Giampaolo added. “We deserved a different result, but I hope that this performance keeps the morale of my players high.”
As for Milan, it was their third win on the bounce and one that not only sees them into third but also sees them leapfrog their bitter rivals Inter in the table.

In this post I have tried to rise above lamenting about ‘penalty’ decisions that have very much gone against i bianconeri this week, but just because i am ‘rising above it’, it doesn’t mean that it is not starting to get under my skin! … Please tell my why with all the millions of Euros, the glamorous squad list in which anyone in that squad would walk into the Siena starting line-up, the European pedigree, the huge fan base and one of the most famous stadiums in the entire world; why on earth did they deserve a helping hand from an incompetent referee to help defeat Siena in Milan?! Granted that Milan are currently the flavour of the month at the moment with the Beckham rumours and their great form after a stuttering start, but few people who watched last night’s match can deny that Siena were more than worth a point.

Milan: Abbiati; Antonini, Bonera, Favalli, Zambrotta; Gattuso, Emerson (Ambrosini 71), Seedorf; Kaka; Inzaghi (Shevchenko 77), Pato

Siena: Manitta; Rossettini, Zuniga, (Rossi 56) Portanova, Del Grosso; Vergassola, Codrea, Jarolim (Galloppa 62); Kharja; Ghezzal, Frick (Maccarone 77)

Ref: Celi (dickhead)

Goals: Inzaghi 31 (M), Vergassola 54 (S), Kaka pen 65 (M)