AC Milan, Berlusconi gives it a go

Rossoneri patron to speak to the players in Milanello on Friday. But Allegri has to contend with injuries and suspensions going into the Napoli game

Silvio Berlusconi has decided to take matters into his own hands. After giving Massimiliano Allegri yet another vote of confidence, the AC Milan honorary president will make an appearance at Milanello on Friday before the squad set off for Naples, where Walter Mazzarri's side await the Rossoneri on Saturday evening. A fixture that was a title clash two years ago and that brought the best out of Maradona and Van Basten in the 1980s. The club patron will try to inspire the team, although you might reasonably ask how much hope there is. Quite honestly there seems to be little chance of AC Milan overturning the form book when they travel down south. The proof is in the standings and the fact that the Rossoneri have lost whenever they've taken on one of the bigger sides (Udinese, Inter, Lazio, Fiorentina) this season. Besides coming a cropper at home against Sampdoria and Atalanta.

SCALING THE HEIGHTS

 

Without wanting to get ahead of ourselves, how could Allegri's charges come back from the San Paolo with three points in the bag? Football is of course an unpredictable sport, but reality is a little less so. After the midnight summit meeting with Galliani and the coach, who has officially been given the club's backing, it remains to be seen how the club would react should the Rossoneri come unstuck against Napoli and then again against Juventus. Between K2 and Everest lies Anderlecht, a team that in bygone times might have been a laughable proposition, but as things stand represent a very real pitfall on AC Milan's path to the Champions League last 16.

FROM JANUARY 1989...

 

Berlusconi will try to encourage the lads. He'll speak to them one by one, a paternal pep talk to try and figure out what's going on in the mind of each of them. The club's website announces the news with "The president arrives" and recalls the previous visits Berlusconi has made to the Milan stronghold. Starting as far back as 1989: "In January 1989 Milan were reigning champions of Italy, but had just lost to Cesena thanks to Holmqvist’s goal. The president stayed at Milanello for the week ahead of Milan Como (which finished 4-0 to the rossoneri). He was on hand to talk to players and staff during the week," reads the article on acmilan.com. The president's last visit was in October 2011 before the trip to Juventus. It didn't bring them luck though, as the Bianconeri won 2-0.

SELECTION PROBLEMS

It's a move that may well provide a psychological lift. Restoring morale to certain players – Boateng and Robinho for example – is just one of the first steps the club needs to take. Pato in particular has plummeted into a deep crisis, as seen by his missed spot kick against Fiorentina. His charges up the pitch that culminated with the net bulging seem light years away. But in fact it was only just over a year ago, on 13 September 2011, that he burst through the Barcelona defence at the Camp Nou with 25 seconds on the clock to give the Rossoneri the lead (it finished 2-2, Thiago Silva netting a last-gasp equaliser). Now it's tough times indeed, and they have been exacerbated by the inevitable bad luck. The rearguard, trying to plug a Thiago-sized hole, is already without Bonera and the suspended Ambrosini (who has proved useful in front of Abbiati), while Abate and Antonini remain sidelined and Yepes and Zapata won't return from Colombia's friendly against Brazil until Friday. There's not much for Allegri to choose from, awaiting January reinforcements to help prevent the unpredictable from happening. The countdown to Napoli begins minus seven international players, but between now and Saturday Allegri will have the time to motivate his players and lay the best tactical plans possible. Hoping that his team have already touched the bottom.