The Rossoneri marched back to the top of Serie A with a thrilling win in a nine-goal classic at Parma
Filippo Inzaghi and AC Milan look to be on course to serve up some of the most swash-buckling football in Europe this season, with Sunday’s 5-4 win at Parma giving a perfect snapshot of the Rossoneri’s various positives and negatives.
The difficulties at the back which hampered them for much of last season remain, but they still looked more likely to score than concede even after going a man down during the second half such was their insistence on covering their short-comings with thrilling forward play.
They may have sold their star centre-forward Mario Balotelli, and they had to make do without the Italy striker’s replacement, Fernando Torres, due to an ankle injury, but they showed that even without a number nine they have what it takes to grab goal after goal.
And that, in large part, is thanks to Jeremy Menez. The France international was in superb form as Inzaghi’s men served up a treat in Emilia-Romagna, scoring twice and having a hand in another against a Parma side that continually refused to lie down.
He was ably supported by debutant Giacomo Bonaventura, who opened the scoring, and Keisuke Honda, who himself rose high to head in the Rossoneri’s second.
Watching Milan has been very difficult for the past 18 months or so. Under first Massimiliano Allegri and then Clarence Seedorf, they were one-dimensional, lacking in ideas, too easy to defend against and hugely frustrating in the final third.
But the early signs under Inzaghi suggest that even if they do not return to the Champions League at the first attempt, they will at least have people sitting up and taking notice.
The 4-3-3 shape Pippo has adopted is very similar to that employed by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona when they were gaining accolades for being one of the most eye-catching teams in football history. And while the Rossoneri are nowhere near that level, they look set to deliver their own brand of entertainment this term.
Not every game will finish 5-4. Indeed, you’ll do well to see another such scoreline all season anywhere in the Italian football leagues. But a rocky back line combined with a liquid forward department makes Milan a far more digestable prospect than was the case when Balotelli led their line and unwittingly stifled their creativity.
Bonaventura’s clever shift of body weight set up the shot for the opener, but Antonio Cassano was left free to nod home an immediate equaliser. The Rossoneri took a lead they would never relinquish when Honda was left free to head home Ignazio Abate’s cross from a fabulous Menez through-ball.
Menez won a penalty he probably shouldn’t have had on the stroke of half-time, placing the ball high into the centre of the net, but Parma hit back when Felipe Dias turned in a skewed effort from the unmarked Cristobal Jorquera.
The shock of all shocks came next, Nigel de Jong dispossessing Cassano before racing through to slot under Antonio Mirante despite Daniele Bonera having just been sent off for a second yellow card. But the gap was narrowed to one goal again as Alessandro Lucarelli headed home from a corner, though Felipe was soon sent off himself.
The match culminated with the sublime and then the ridiculous. Menez pounced on a defensive error by Stefan Ristovski, rounded Mirante and then audaciously backheeled past the scrambling defence when turned away from goal.
That deserved to be the final say, but Diego Lopez’s bizarre air-kick from Mattia De Sciglio’s backpass made it 5-4 and had Milan holding on for six minutes with an injured goalkeeper.
It was a brilliant game of football, littered with errors and controversy. But it also had hope.
Every time Parma looked out of it, they were thrown a lifeline, while for Milan there is the hope of more unpredictable, positive, enthusiastic football to come.
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