Milan leave the Olimpico unbeaten, after a game of ups and downs against Lazio. Let’s start with the positives. Not losing a game like this after being 2-0 down at half-time is already something. In the second half, to get back into the game, Milan seemed driven by an indomitable spirit that had not been seen before. There was undoubtedly a rage and an enormous desire to fight back. All of this was complemented by brilliant performances from substitutes Pulisic and Moreira, who managed to do what seems unknown to some of their teammates: run, shoot, and deliver a decent ball into the box.
Why always playing catch-up?
All very well, but at this point one has to ask: why does it always come down to chasing an unlikely comeback? Why are this energy and this intensity only shown in a situation like this?
I’d like to believe that the credit for the comeback goes to manager Amorim, because to get his players running like that after a dreadful first half, I imagine he must have delivered some fiery words at half-time. But again, why do those words only come out in a moment like this? Why, instead of putting the team in the right conditions to perform from the start, does he stubbornly persist with players who are not up to the task?
Mistakes have names and surnames
The defensive errors and offensive sterility of the first half have names and surnames. Estupinan and Loftus-Cheek continue to prove themselves as harmful elements for a team that, despite its difficulties, has shown it has an idea of how to approach matches. The mistakes may be theirs, but ultimately because someone insists on playing them (and who failed to bring in quality alternatives during the summer).
Hope for the future
In light of all this, the hope is that the Portuguese manager can both learn from his selection mistakes and continue to fuel the fire that drove the second-half comeback. Because if not, it will have all been much ado about nothing.
