If even those who strongly wanted you in Turin asking for a conspicuous sacrifice from the economic club beat you, urging you to adjust your attitude under penalty of being unable to express your full potential, some questions should arise. The person called to reflect is Ivan Ilic, a former Verona player who also disappointed against his former team, as had already happened too often in previous matches. On Saturday the opponent will be Milan: looking at the first leg, at that substitution at the end of the first half decided by Juric out of exasperation – terrible, the Serbian’s first half at San Siro (it was the second of the championship) – and comparing those times with the current ones, it is clear that Ilic’s parable was anything but ascendant.
Ilic, what’s happening?
The midfielder’s season started badly, and continued along the same path: rare were the occasions in which we saw the midfielder really fired up, in his plays and even more so in his intensity.. And the problem seemed to be mental rather than physical, namely a lack of ability to sacrifice, to run to call for the pass: he has the foot to make the ball run, but he doesn’t support this skill with sufficient dynamism. Limits reiterated at the Bentegodi, in a less than brilliant match played by the Granata, yet concluded with three points that still keep Toro hooked on European hopes. An insipid performance, which for the return match against Milan – the penultimate match of a year that will end in Bergamo – puts Ilic in a run-off with Linetty. The Serbian’s setter skills are precious, but if they are not put at the service of his teammates, then why not rely on a precious interdictor such as the Pole (moreover against a team that has technical qualities in abundance, in the middle of the pitch)? This is the question Juric is asking himself. Coach looking for a success against Milan which, in Serie A, Ilic has never achieved. In five previous matches (four with Verona and one with Toro), the midfielder has drawn one match, his first wearing the yellow and blue shirt (2-2), and has lost four.
Sixteen million doubts: Serbian disappointment in midfield
The parable, or rather the flat line that reflects Ilic’s progress leads to bitter consequences. And he made it even more so by returning to the starting point, to those 16 million allocated and invested by Cairo to buy the card from Verona. Well spent judging the first Ilic granata, the one who together with Ricci should have led to the leap in quality, and instead completely excessive when looking at the player who later became involved in Toro. A company that will be willing to negotiate his exit in the summer, provided that any offers do not lead to an excessive capital loss: it is difficult to sell him to a Serie A competitor, at certain figures, but who knows whether from England or from the countries Arabs cannot get the right proposal.
In the meantime, there are two games left, and from the start or during the match Ilic will have his playing time at the San Siro. In fact, Tameze should be confirmed in midfield – with Vojvoda as his right hand – while alongside the Frenchman from the 1st minute it will be the turn of one of Linetty or Ilic. Gineitis is injured, while Ricci has to raise his center of gravity to take the place of Vlasic who ended the season early due to the injury to the adductor longus tendon in his right thigh. Pellegri’s goal against Verona demonstrated that even through a single flash you can contribute to the team’s destiny: Ilic has shots, and against Milan one would be enough, as long as it was decisive, to fuel the chances of going to the Conference.
