San Siro awaits Arsenal in the Europa League and it could not have come at a worse time. The Rossoneri are fresh, on form and rejuvenated and despite the warnings from their coach, Genaro Gattuso, they will be supremely confident. It hasn’t been it hasn’t been like this for the entire season however and Milan are far from unbeatable, but they are also a far cry from what the confused bunch of individuals they were early in the campaign. The Gunners will no undoubtedly find this one of their toughest challenges so far this term.
Milan started the season feeling supremely confident, the new backing from Far Eastern owners had seen an arrival of eleven new players costing a combined 200m Euro and it seemed that they would now eventually emerge from their slumber. The likes of Andre Silva and Franck Kessie captured the imagination of the local populous and there was a belief in the club again. This hope was evident as 60,000 fans turned up to watch their team play in the qualifying round of the Europa League the story however soon went sour.
The Rossoneri’s then coach, Vincenzo Montella, could arguably have bee seen as unlucky. Employed during the Berlusconi era, he was charged with creating a team with little to no finances being available, instead he had to look to the youth team for potential young starlets. It was to his credit that in the season before they qualified for Europe with the Primavera players forming a good part of his squad. This gave Milan an identity again and the fans associated with the team. The problem was however, that instead of adding four stars, the influx of new players eventually caused a problem. Montella could not settle not a first eleven and the constant churn of ideas and formations eventually saw Milan looking unsettled as the starts failed to shine.
Montella was eventually dismissed and fans favourite Genaro Gattuso arrived to steady the ship. Immediately pigeonholed as all ‘blood and thunder’ rather than being tactically astute, at first it seemed as though the media were right, as Milan embarrassingly drew with bottom club Benevento. The lowly club equalised in the final minutes against their much more illustrious opponents, the final indignity was that the bottom club won their first points, with the goalkeeper netting at the death.
Gattuso didn’t panic, he settled on a lineup and worked on the defence. The results slowly started to come. Since Montella was sacked in November, the Rossoneri have won seven, drawn three and lost just twice. In all competitions haven’t been beaten in 13 games, they have only conceded four goals in his time and have kept six clean sheets in a row. The ex-midfielder has also started to see his team play attractive football, the last two games against Sampdoria and Roma are testament to that. Moreover, he has found a way compensate for the misfiring Silva and Nikola Kalinic as youngster Patrick Cutrone has dragged his boyhood club back into the Champions League race. The boy from Como may not be the most talented but his robust style makes him incredibly dangerous, he has five goals and an assist is his last eight games.
Arsenal’s main worry is not that man for man they lack quality, nor is it the fact that San Siro will be as intimidating as ever on Thursday night, it isn’t even their well-drilled defence that certainly brings memories of years gone by, it's their attitude. Gatusso’s Milan mentally could not be further from Arsenal if they tried, they are on two different psychological plains. The Rossoneri will arrive with a game plan and a desire to win the Europa League that will once again return European glory to the city.
Arsenal do have the quality to test Milan, especially if they can play to the levels they are capable of, but the danger is very evident. The Europa League matters to both club’s seasons and Gattuso will make sure his players leave everything on the field. What is more after the tragic death of Davide Astori, the Derby Della Madonnina was cancelled meaning that the team are fresh after last playing in their Coppa Italia win against Lazio last week. This is a meeting of opposite mindsets as much as it is players on the pitch, for Arsenal this a game of gargantuan magnitude and Gatusso’s Rossoneri are perhaps the most stubborn bunch to face who are also developing a fluid style Arsenal would be impressed with.
