AC Milan’s inexperience shows in Juve loss

Juventus never really looked in trouble as they cruised to victory against AC Milan, showing just how far this young Milan team has to go.

It’s always special to watch a match at the San Siro, but when AC Milan face Juventus, it’s on a completely different level.

Unfortunately, the AC Milan fans who did their best to make the stadium as hostile and atmospheric as possible witnessed a real gulf in class between the two teams. It was always going to take a monumental effort for AC Milan to stop the Juventus machine from winning, but fans would have been hoping for a closer game than the one that ensued.

As soon as Juventus took the lead early on, they never looked like they would give it up. Milan bossed possession after going down, but were very safe in their passing. Too often attackers would choose to pass the ball sideways rather than take on their man, and it was this lack of bravery that eventually cost them.

On the surface, it’s easy to criticize Milan for their performance. They tried hard, but didn’t take risks when it mattered, and when the going got tough, they capitulated.

Juventus were simply miles better. It’s this gulf in quality and collective experience that separated the two clubs on the night, and will continue to do so for the rest of the season.

The good news is this Milan side is very young. Their captain is 23-year-old Alessio Romagnoli, who has popped up to score stoppage time winners in recent weeks. Patrick Cutrone, who has been in and out of the team, has also scored crucial goals for Milan throughout the season, is still only 20. Assist leader Suso is only 24. The list goes on.

Under manager Gennaro Gattuso this young team has really come together. They’re back in Europe, and have been fighting to claim the last Champions League spot for the last couple of years. He has also developed a strong family-like mentality among the players, and you get the sense they all really respect him.

But against Juventus, their frailties were exposed, and you could see just how much further they have to go. While Juve were calm and composed on the ball, Milan panicked and rushed. When Juve endured a bit of Milan pressure, they had the sense to see the wave out. Their collective experience told them that it would pass, and it did. Milan, on the other hand, got frustrated when they couldn’t break Juventus down, and eventually imploded.

Gonzalo Higuain, who had a night to forget, completely lost his head, getting booked twice in the space of 30 seconds. The Milan players knew the game was over, and slowly but surely things started to get tetchy all over the pitch.

In many ways, the Milan players reacted exactly how their manager would have. An intensely passionate man, Gattuso used to leave it all on the pitch whenever he played. But he’s also very smart. He has shown that he has the tactical nous to coach, contrary to what many thought, and has had Milan play some of the most beautiful soccer in all of Italy this season. His emphasis on short passes along the ground, along with third man runs has led to scintillating goals.

But Milan weren’t allowed to play that way against Juventus. They players tried, but there was a distinct sense of naivety to their play. In contrast, Juventus were calm and composed throughout. Even when the penalty was given against Juve, not a single player lost their head. Wojciech Szczesny looked extremely cool as he faced Higuain and pulled off a relatively comfortable save.

As the match fizzled out you got the sense that Milan were playing at a schoolyard, a frustrated teenager who hasn’t got his way, while Juventus were war veterans, seen it all, done it all.

Milan are bound to improve under Gattuso, but it was clear that at this point in time, Juventus are still far ahead.