Parma vs. AC Milan: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game
Milan's fantastic start to the Serie A season continued with a 5-4 victory over Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday.
An absolute circus of a game, typified by Mattia De Sciglio's back-pass rolling into his own goal, as Diego Lopez hobbled after it with a torn hamstring, caused more than a few managerial palpitations on the way to another Filippo Inzaghi victory.
Here, we pick out three winners and three losers.
Winner: Jeremy Menez, Man of the Match
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Jeremy Menez had his second superb match for Milan since signing in the summer, notching two goals and one assist during the victory over Parma.
".@acjimbo: "If Menez is a false 9, does that make him a Phantom Menez?" #BTEFS
— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) September 14, 2014"
He's playing as a false nine, giving him the keys to the attack, and he's reveling in the freedom. He created Keisuke Honda's goal with an incredible, searching pass to Ignazio Abate from a deep position.
Menez is a week-to-week gamble, but he's excelling so far. That backheel to seal the win? Woof!
Loser: Fernando Torres, Who's Got One Hell of a Job in Store
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At this rate, and if Filippo Inzaghi is fair to his team, Fernando Torres isn't getting anywhere near this setup.
Jeremy Menez is bossing from the false-nine position, and although normally a central player, Keisuke Honda has two goals in two games from the right-wing role.
So long as they continue in this vein, Torres has no right to get a look-in. Milan have eight goals in two games, and as long as Menez ticks over, the Spaniard is surplus.
Winner: The Viewers, Who Were Treated to a Classic!
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Nine goals, two red cards, two penalties, a Nigel de Jong golazo and a Jeremy Menez backheel.
It's very fair to say Parma 4-5 Milan is a contender for the most ridiculous and most entertaining match in 2014, pushing Brazil's demolition at the hands of Germany this summer all the way.
Some say Serie A is boring. Filippo Inzaghi and Roberto Donadoni disagree.
Loser: Milan's Defensive Coaching
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Clear the ball.
Just clear it.
Lump it skyward if you have to.
Milan conceded just moments after opening the scoring following several hashed attempts at clearing the ball. Antonio Cassano's header to level things was a product of the Rossoneri's uncertainty in clearing their lines.
All night, Inzaghi's men struggled to clear their lines and deal with balls into the box. Cassano continued to threaten with low balls and even Diego Lopez looked rattled.
Winner: Filippo Inzaghi, Who Has Started the Season Superbly
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Milan looked a bit rough over the summer as the Filippo Inzaghi era struggled to take off, but the Rossoneri have only served to reinforce the inverse of the point learned with Manchester United.
Preseason means little, if anything at all.
Two games, two wins, eight goals. Jeremy Menez is responding to the promotion of chief striker, Stephan El Shaarawy is back and Pippo has the dressing room with him.
Loser: Daniele Bonera, Who Should Not Have Started
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Daniele Bonera was a surprise start for the game, with Cristian Zapata dropping to the bench, despite beginning the win over Lazio in Week 1.
The stalwart's evening ended very early indeed, securing a second yellow card for a deliberate handball outside of the penalty area.
All in all, he played quite poorly. Central to the clearance issues and a liability under the microscope, it was a relief for Milan fans to see him leave, despite the knock-on effect.
