MILAN OPINION: Man of the Match Montolivo deserves to go to Euro 2016
Though they would come away losers, AC Milan achieved something at the Olimpico yesterday: they could leave with their heads held high, their good performance a welcome contrast to the mediocre offerings of the past few weeks.
One man in particular comes in for praise, and one who has been targeted by the fans: Riccardo Montolivo. He appeared to have returned to his Mihajlovic form, making a number of key tackles and preventing Mario Mandzukic from scoring with a last-gasp intervention.
And to think that he had declared before the game that the Coppa final was the "last call for us to prove that we're Milan-calibre, you don't answer with words, but with performances on the pitch".
As good as his word, the Captain was both an example for his team-mates and their driving force, helping Milan at least put up a decent show.
We're not just saying that Monto deserves to have his contract extended (something that is likely to happen in the coming days, as we have reported on numerous occasions), he also deserves to go to Euro 2016. With Claudio Marchisio and Marco Verratti out and Daniele De Rossi hardly an impressive option, why not go for the former Fiorentina man, who has good feet to boot and a good record with Italy?
This, would, obviously, require him to recover from his calf strain, something Conte and his staff can evaluate in the coming weeks.
Federico Albrizio (@Albri_Fede90), translated by @EdoDalmonte
