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December 2017
Donnarumma: 'Happy at AC Milan'
31.12 || webmaster
Gianluigi Donnarumma shrugged off transfer speculation after his 100th appearance for Milan. “I have a four-year contract and I’m happy.”
The 18-year-old goalkeeper returned from injury and made several crucial saves in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso: 'AC Milan could've won it'
31.12 || webmaster
Gennaro Gattuso believes Milan “could even have won” after their first comeback of the season to draw 1-1 at Fiorentina.
Until today, the Rossoneri had lost every time they’d conceded the opening goal, but at the Stadio Franchi Hakan Calhanoglu wiped out a Giovanni Simeone header.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Serie A: Fiorentina 1:1 AC Milan - match report
31.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Simeone 71 (F), Calhanoglu 74 (M)
Hakan Calhanoglu wiped out a Giovanni Simeone header within three minutes, as Milan clung on amid controversy against Fiorentina.
The Rossoneri hoped their midweek Coppa Italia victory over Inter would represent a new dawn in this dire campaign. Gianluigi Donnarumma missed that match, but returned for his 100th appearance for the club, while Nikola Kalinic was injured against his former teammates. The Viola went out of the Coppa to Lazio on Tuesday, but had rested several players who returned to the line-up here. However, Federico Chiesa was not at 100 per cent, so benched in favour of Gil Dias.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Coppa Italia: AC Milan 1:0 Internazionale - match report
27.12 || webmaster
Scorer: Cutrone 105 (M)
Milan needed extra time and a Patrick Cutrone strike to knock Inter out of the Coppa Italia after losing both first choice 'keepers and face Lazio in the Semi-Final.
Both came in on the back of two consecutive Serie A defeats, though the Rossoneri were in a more difficult situation, especially after losing both Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marco Storari to injury, so Antonio Donnarumma was given his first ever senior appearance for the club. The Nerazzurri missed Joao Miranda and Danilo D’Ambrosio, giving Joao Mario a rare start.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
The Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 2018
26.12 || webmaster
There’s nothing bigger in the world of football than the World Cup. 2018 will see the 21st World Cup tournament, which is taking place in Russia. Interestingly, only 8 different nations have ever won the championship so far. Brazil has won a record of 5 times, with Germany and Italy following close behind with 4 titles each. The current champion is Germany, and it will be exciting to see if they manage to defend it.
How the World Cup Is Set Up
The World Cup qualification process has already been completed. Before each world cup, FIFA hosts a series of tournaments to decide which teams get to participate. There is a total of 32 teams, with talks of expanding that number to 48 in the future. The host qualifies automatically; the other teams must compete for the remaining 31 spots. Interestingly, the winner of the previous World Cup does not automatically qualify, but in this case, Germany is part of the roster for the original 32 nations.
At this point, the 32 competing teams are already in place. Now, it’s time to decide which teams will compete against each other first. For the first round, the 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of 4. Within these groups, every nation must play 3 games and meet up with every other team once. These games don’t have to be decisive, which means there could be a draw.
Depending on the outcome of the game, the teams are awarded points. There are 2 points for winning, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for losing. The two teams with the highest points move on to the next step of the World Cup. The World Cup will take place from June 14th through July 15th with a total of 64 matches in 11 different host cities in Russia.
 Source: Wikipedia
It’s Time for the Final Draw
The outcome of the final draw has a lot to do with which team advances after that first round. To make it fair, the teams are sorted by their ranking according to FIFA. As the host, Russia will occupy the top position in Group A. The other 3 teams in Group A were added through the final draw. The other groups labeled B through H also had the first team in place while the other 3 teams were drawn. Here are the results from the drawing on December 1st:
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Korea Republic
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
There were several top teams that didn’t make it to the World Cup this time, including the United States, which hadn’t missed a game since 1986. Chile, Cameroon, Netherlands, and Italy also failed to qualify. Cameroon only won one of their five qualifying games, although they have previously attended 7 of the last 9 World Cups. Both Italy and Holland had been relying on older players, some of who are now retiring—for example, Arjen Robben from Holland. This opens up the possibility for finding new teammates, who may turn things around for these teams.
Who Will Win?
This is where it gets exciting, because nobody knows ahead of time who will emerge victorious. There are always favorites, and there are many games with evenly matched teams. Finally, there are various options for betting on these matches, in addition to betting on the winner. For example, you can bet on which team scores the first goal, which team is ahead by half time, and which player scores. If you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of sports betting, you can use this detailed online guide to football bets to get started.
AC Milan consider Montella return
24.12 || webmaster
Milan are considering bringing back Vincenzo Montella if they sack Gennaro Gattuso, according to reports.
L’Aeroplanino was sacked by the Rossoneri last month, with youth team coach Gattuso elevated to the top job.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso at risk at AC Milan?
24.12 || webmaster
It’s reported Gennaro Gattuso’s Milan job could be at risk if they don’t get good results against Inter and Fiorentina.
The midfielder took over as Rossoneri Coach after Vincenzo Montella was sacked, but he’s managed just four points in four Serie A games.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
AC Milan end ritiro
24.12 || webmaster
Milan have confirmed that the squad’s ritiro will end - despite yesterday’s loss to Atalanta.
The Rossoneri were placed into a punitive training camp after being beaten 3-0 by Verona, but they were still beaten at home by the Orobici yesterday.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Serie A: AC Milan 0:2 Atalanta - match report
24.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Cristante 32 (A), Ilicic 71 (A)
Milan’s training retreat had little effect, as they were well-beaten 2-0 at San Siro by Atalanta, including ex-Rossoneri man Bryan Cristante.
They spent all week in a training retreat, trying to put the humiliation of the 3-0 loss to Hellas Verona behind them. Hakan Calhanoglu returned from injury, but was only benched in favour of Patrick Cutrone, with Alessio Romagnoli and Suso suspended. Gian Piero Gasperini fielded ex-Milan men Andrea Petagna and Bryan Cristante, eager to build on their four-match unbeaten run.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso threatened resignation
18.12 || webmaster
A Mediaset journalist claims Gennaro Gattuso threatened to resign after Milan’s defeat to Verona yesterday.
The Rossoneri were thrashed 3-0 by the relegation strugglers, and the squad was placed into ‘ritiro’ today, essentially a punishment training camp.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Kaka confirms retirement
18.12 || webmaster
Milan legend Kaka confirms his retirement as a professional player but wants to continue working in football.
The Brazilian midfielder said he would take time to consider his options following the end of Orlando City’s season in Major League Soccer.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Mirabelli: 'Mortified for Milan'
18.12 || webmaster
Milan director Massimiliano Mirabelli was “mortified” by a 3-0 defeat to Verona, but “would make the same decisions on the transfer market.”
The Rossoneri were flattened 3-0 by relegation contenders Hellas Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi, just three days after a 3-0 win over the same team in the Coppa Italia at San Siro.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Serie A: Hellas Verona 3:0 AC Milan - match report
18.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Caracciolo 24 (V), Kean 55 (V), Bessa 77 (V)
Milan were dealt a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Hellas, as the Stadio Bentegodi proved to be ‘Fatal Verona’ yet again.
The Rossoneri were building up a head of steam since scrapping the three-man defence and moving to 4-3-3. Curiously, these two sides already met on Wednesday when Milan progressed to the Coppa Italia quarter-final with a 3-0 victory at San Siro, but both line-ups changed considerably with Alessio Cerci returning against his former club. Mohamed Fares and Matteo Bianconeri were on the treatment table.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
The Quest for a New Permanent Manager
18.12 || webmaster
It is obvious that things aren’t moving in the desired direction for AC Milan in the 2017/18 season, but is everything as bad as some fans think?! Yes, everybody at San Siro hoped for at least Champions League qualification in 2018, but the season isn’t over yet. Moreover, the club still has the rest of the season in Liga Europa to look forward too.
Those who are into online betting know that Milan are one of the favourites to claim the title in League Europa in 2018 and, as you probably know, the winners of League Europa automatically qualify for the Champions League.
Process of Squad Rebuilding
Milan signed 11 players this summer, many of which were expected to take on important roles in the club. But the problem with new players is that they don’t always adjust to the new environment and the new club immediately, and sometimes they cannot play up to their full potential in the first few months or even half a season or a full season.
Marco Fassone admitted that the club both too many players in an interview in December 2017, but he still stated that he would’ve bought all of the 11 players had he been given another chance to do so. He also stated that adjusting so many new players to the squad and the team takes time.
Will Conte Leave London?
Montella looked pretty promising at first, but then one bad result followed another and it was clear that he had to be replaced. Gattuso was appointed as a temporary solution and while the adjusted expectations for the 2017/18 season are much lower than what was originally expected, the new Chinese owners, Fassone and the rest of the leading personnel will have to think better before deciding on a permanent manager solution.
Montella looked pretty promising at first, but then one bad result followed another and it was clear that he had to be replaced. Gattuso was appointed as a temporary solution and while the adjusted expectations for the 2017/18 season are much lower than what was originally expected, the new Chinese owners, Fassone and the rest of the leading personnel will have to think better before deciding on a permanent manager solution.
Ancelotti still Hailed as a Legend at San Siro
The ideal manager candidate will better be someone who has experience in Calcio, and preferably someone who has led one of the leading teams. Milan changed 7 managers during a 3-year period and it is obvious that if the club wants some success both at a national and at European level, they will have to find a permanent manager, somebody who is going to stay at the club for at least 4 or 5 years.
Ancelotti was the last successful manager of Milan, hailed as a legend by most of the club’s fans, and that’s why it is not surprising that many consider him to be the best option. However, we are yet to see if Ancelotti is available and if he will accept to lead a team which is in a process of rebuilding and reorganisation.
Serie A: AC Milan 2:1 Bologna - match report
10.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Bonaventura 10, 76 (M), Verdi 23 (B)
Jack Bonaventura bagged a brace to give Milan their first win under new Coach Gennaro Gattuso, despite Simone Verdi’s strike at San Siro.
Gattuso had one point from his two competitive games in charge, earned against bottom of the table Benevento, so scrapped Vincenzo Montella’s three-man defence for a 4-3-3 formation. Alessio Romagnoli was suspended with Lucas Biglia, Hakan Calhanoglu and Andrea Conti injured. The visitors had Andrea Poli banned against his old club and Federico Di Francesco still sidelined.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Bonaventura: 'New AC Milan beginning'
10.12 || webmaster
Jack Bonaventura hopes the 2-1 victory over Bologna can be “a new beginning for Milan” and their Coach Gennaro Gattuso.
“What mattered today was getting the victory, as we were coming off a period of intensive work without the results to show for it,” the midfielder told Mediaset Premium.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
PSG resume Donnarumma talks
10.12 || webmaster
Sky Sport Italia claim Paris Saint-Germain have resumed talks with agent Mino Raiola for Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The shot-stopper had already been on their radar over the summer, along with Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester United, before he decided to sign a new contract.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso: 'Embarrassing AC Milan loss'
7.12 || webmaster
Gennaro Gattuso gave an impassioned Press conference after their “embarrassing” defeat to Rijeka. “We have a desperate need to change mentality.”
The Rossoneri were beaten 2-0 in the final Europa League group game, following on from Sunday’s 2-2 Serie A draw with bottom of the table Benevento.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Europa League: Rijeka 2:0 AC Milan - match report
7.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Puljic 7 (R), Gavranovic 47 (R)
Milan’s crisis intensified with a shock 2-0 defeat away to Rijeka, failing to get a shot on target and ending their Europa League unbeaten run.
Gennaro Gattuso made his debut on the Rossoneri bench in Sunday’s shock 2-2 draw with bottom of the table Benevento and needed a confidence booster here, having already secured top spot in the Europa League group. Rijeka had Josip Misic suspended, but Milan were still unbeaten in Europe this season with seven wins and two draws, including the preliminary rounds.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Bonucci: ‘Immense disappointment’
3.12 || webmaster
Milan captain Leonardo Bonucci says he feels ‘immense disappointment’ after today’s dramatic draw at Benevento.
The Rossoneri led Serie A’s bottom club 2-1 with moments remaining, only for goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli to head home from a free-kick in the sixth minute of injury time to earn Le Streghe their first point of the season.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso: 'Stabbing less painful...'
3.12 || webmaster
Gennaro Gattuso admits “a stabbing would’ve been less painful” than Milan conceding a 95th-minute equaliser from the Benevento goalkeeper.
The 2-2 draw on his debut came just days after replacing sacked Vincenzo Montella on the Rossoneri bench.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Gattuso: 'Cannot reproach Milan'
3.12 || webmaster
Gennaro Gattuso “cannot reproach Milan players for anything today” after a shock 2-2 draw with Benevento, earned by a goalkeeper’s goal.
Jack Bonaventura’s opener was cancelled out by George Puscas and Nikola Kalinic took advantage of poor defending to restore the advantage. Alessio Romagnoli was sent off for a very harsh second yellow card and the Rossoneri became increasingly pinned back.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
Serie A: Benevento 2:2 AC Milan - match report
3.12 || webmaster
Scorers: Bonaventura 38 (M), Puscas 50 (B), Kalinic 57 (M), Brignoli 95 (B)
Benevento made history with their first ever Serie A point, earned by a last-gasp header from goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli on Gennaro Gattuso’s Milan debut.
The Rossoneri made their bow under Gattuso, having sacked Vincenzo Montella on Monday, and he moved to a 3-4-3 formation with Lucas Biglia dropped for poor form and Andrea Conti injured, but Fabio Borini returned from an ankle problem. Benevento were shattering records, failing to pick up a single point in the opening 14 games. Amato Ciciretti, Pietro Iemmello and Achraf Lazaar missed out with Fabio Lucioni suspended, so ex-Inter youth team striker George Puscas was picked.
Read the rest on Football Italia.
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