Champions League Semifinals Second Leg: Inter – Milan

Milan have reached a new crisis point. Losing to two early goals to Inter in the Champions League semifinals first leg pushed Milan deeper into a messy end of season. The team followed it up by losing to Spezia by the same score. The so called necessary rotation in this busy stretch has exposed the team’s weaknesses even more than would be expected. Players like Origi and De Ketelaere have shown next to nothing and continue to rank high on any flops list.

Leao is said to be fine and could return for this second leg and his presence is hoped to be the catalyst for a comeback. Overturning a two goal deficit would be one of the most unexpected outcomes but Champions League in particular can be the stage for a Milan surprise. Having said that the chances of not making the final and finishing outside the top 4 in the Serie A are the likeliest scenarios as of right now. The focus has certainly shifted on management and Pioli’s shortcomings and mistakes. One such issue remains the status of Adli. His solid cameo appearance at Spezia added to the many selection questions being asked in recent weeks and months. All in all the team needs a lot more quality if it expects to compete at a higher level. Talk of signings never go away but will accelerate in the coming weeks. If Milan is to miss Europe’s biggest tournament all of the rumours will come with an asterisk attached.

Inter’s form is of course much better than Milan’s and they could run up the score unless the old Champions League DNA thing rescues Milan. Not many line up changes are expected and Milan should be facing Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez once again. It remains to be seen if Leao vs Matteo Darmian, Denzel Dumfries and co. will end up in Milan’s favour.

There is always more about this match and others on the forums.