Frustration

For full disclosure, this post was written immediately after the AC Milan-Bari game.

After watching a game like this, I can now understand how and why soccer fans become so crazed with passion. For the past 90 minutes, Milan was frustrated by themselves to the last place team in the league, and were only saved by wonderkid sub Cassano with a garbage goal in the 82 minute. There was no team cohesion, passion, or and type of discernible game plan coming from the bench. 11 individuals happened to put on the same red and black uniform of AC Milan today, and acted as if a win would simply fall into place. The only decent performance was turned in by Mr. Emotional himself, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibra managed to create 2 goals by himself only to have them overturned on highly debatable and unexplained decisions from the ref. Predictably after the 2 overturned goal, his infamous temper got the better of him as he punched/pushed a player on Bari, earning himself a straight red card.

At this point in the game I had lost all faith in not only today, but for the rest of the season. After an astoundingly boring Champions League rematch versus Tottenham resulted in a 0-0 tie and Milan's UCL exit, one would imagine that some sort of fire would be lit in the players, or by the manager. It looked as if the complete opposite took place, with each player exhibiting the demeanor of a hibernating bear. Milan certainly has more then enough talent to win the Italian league this year, but their mental toughness seems to decrease at every available opportunity. As a fan, you want to run on the field and physically push you team to run down field, slide for the loose ball, push them to rise a bit higher to win a header. You want to see anger when an easy opportunity to score is missed, or grit when trying to defend a 2-1. Simply going through the motions and with stoicism at all times is unacceptable.

Yes, Milan is still 5 points clear of the its cross city rival Inter Milan, but a meeting 2 weeks away looms incredibly large. Whoever wins that match will almost certainly win the league, with a 6 point swing hanging in the balance. It frightens me to think what will happen to Milan if they face a team that is known for its fierce and aggressive style with the same attitude displayed today. A serious shift in attitude needs to take place, and the sooner the better.