The result between AC Milan and Atalanta at the weekend was surprising when you first saw it, but it also represents what has happened between the two sides lately.
Milan are completely stuck in their attempts to rebuild, they have an average squad with some older players who aren’t performing, and a change of manager hasn’t made a difference either.
Compare that to Atalanta, who bring through multiple young players, play exciting football and have some good players in the team. The fact that they beat Milan 5-0 shows just how far ahead they are right now.
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It does make you wonder where Milan go from here. They need to have some kind of long term plan to get back to where they were, but they probably need some short term fixes to turn their season around. According to this from an Italian journalist, they have made further contact with Zlatan Ibrahimovic after their weekend humiliation:
#Milan, ripresi i contatti con #Ibra dopo il pesante ko di Bergamo, ritoccando leggermente l’offerta. Il club prova a convincere Zlatan, lo svedese prende tempo ma dovrebbe dare risposta definitiva entro qualche giorno.
— Antonio Vitiello (@AntoVitiello) December 23, 2019
In many ways this will be seen as a panic move and that’s probably a fair assessment, but it could also make sense. Zlatan’s goal scoring record in MLS was sensational and he’s well known for being fit and looking after his body. He might not be the player he once was, but his personality and aura might help drag the team through the rest of the season.
The tweet suggests Milan have adjusted their offer after the Atalanta defeat (you would think adjusted means improved) but it’s expected he will take a few days to answer.
Obviously if you lose 5-0 then that shows there’s more problems than just having a poor strike force, so the fans will be hoping that he isn’t the only signing in January.