The future can wait: Stefano Pioli signed. Even if names have been pouring in for some time for his succession and the last hot track leads to Conceicao. Even if Pioli’s prices for the Napoli bench go up.
“I’ll pay attention to the real things: I’m focused on the lot of work to be done until May 26th. Then we’ll decide together with the club: I still have one year left on my contract. Before that, I won’t talk to anyone else.”
Deadbolt, in short. Also on a culinary level, on the possible future of Naples: “What if I like pizza? I like cappelletti in broth, because I’m from Parma. But Pecchia can rest assured.”
On the field, however, quite the opposite: offensive choices, born of will and necessity. Today at 6pm the attack of the last victory against Lecce, a month ago now, will start: Chukwueze from the start and Pulisic centered on the three quarters, with Leao and Giroud. Without Maignan and Loftus-Cheek (muscle problems, they will be re-evaluated at the beginning of the week), in addition to Calabria and Musah disqualified, with Kjaer and Jovic still injured, there will be two run-offs: Thiaw-Gabbia and Adli-Bennacer.
San Siro will observe in silence: in the sights will be the club called to invest and choose the right coach. So cheer strike: no chants or banners. “A position that must be respected, we must do everything to win. Many times I have returned home from the stadium with a heart full of joy and gratification, when for the people I was ‘on fire’. Now the atmosphere has changed: it is normal that I am sadder. When there is a lot of love it is like this: I have enjoyed a lot and suffered a lot.”
The team is also suffering: three defeats (Roma in the Europa League, then the Scudetto derby) and two draws (the last against Juventus, before the 3-3 comeback against Sassuolo) in the last five matches. And only two goals scored in the last three, always useless and always scored by defenders (Gabbia and Tomori).
The silver medal remains, with a five-point advantage over Juventus playing at the Olimpico against Roma, while former Gilardino’s Genoa are already safe and with Gudmundsson struggling with the flu. In short, an opportunity to try to close the second place case almost definitively: perhaps the future can wait, but the present cannot.
Probable lineups.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Florenzi, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Adli, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Giroud. All. Pioli.
Genoa (3-5-2): Martinez; Vogliacco, De Winter, Vasquez; Sabelli, Thorsby, Badelj, Frendrup, Martin; Ekuban, Retegui. All. Gilardino.
Referee: Prontera from Bologna.
TV: 6pm Dazn, Meazza stadium.
