With all the hype surrounding this match I was kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing display of talent... but what happened to Napoli and more importantly, where was Edinson Cavani??
The match started off very free flowing and open but Napoli did spend most of the time playing in their half. But with all the pressure and possession that Milan had, they still couldn't score. This game saw Milan field Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho as the front three, Allegri must have one eye on the Champions League as he knows that he can't have Cassano so he must try and encourage Zlatan and Pato to work together. This was starting to work well but... you could see that Zlatan would get annoyed with Pato if he didn't get the pass just right and they both were a little selfish. It does beg the question.. will Ibra's constant whining and complaining put him in bad waters with the team... because there is only so much you can tolerate.
The second half saw Pato get a yellow card but more importantly, it saw the first goal. A cool and calm slotted the ball past the keep from the penalty spot. The keeper did get a fingertip to it but it was just too powerful. After that goal Milan were in their stride and were on the hunt for the second. With Inter just three points behind them at the time, they couldn't afford to let an equalizer sneak in. That did not look to be the case as the Rossoneri were in control with 59% possession, Napoli on the other hand had a mere 41%, but more to the point, they didn't test Abbiati once through the whole duration of the match.
On the 77th minute an increasingly confident Pato got the ball to Kevin Prince- Boetang, who came on for Robinho, and he got the second goal- and then was subsequently given a yellow card for taking his shirt off in celebration. But the game was far from over, pato who was now brimming with confidence had yet to score. And score he did on the 79th minute,this was great counter attacking play by Milan, and it saw Pato run halfway up the pitch, with only two Napoli defender ahead of him and eventually Zlatan came in support, but he was not needed, as Pato lobbed the ball over the keeper to make it 3-0 to the home and game over for Napoli.
Now as I am a Juve fan, I just hope they have spent some time on target practice, because they do get themselves in good position only to be let down by the final ball. And with a side like Mila who seem to be on fire right now, that is not a good idea. Another thin The Old Lady needs to work on is their defence, they have to stay sharp and alert if they are to beat the Rossoneri and to get some pride back.
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