Milan Obsession

Recorded on Sunday after the first Lazio match, there was plenty to talk about on and off the pitch. With three straight wins, something we haven't seen since the beginning of the season, that elusive optimism has popped up once again for Milan fans everywhere. It may not last, but for now we have something to smile about.

This fan podcast wouldn't be a podcast without Francesco, aka the Other Pope. You can follow him on Twitter @FrancescoPetra8. We chatted about:

• News of the Week: New Milan baby, Yonghong Li speaks, Diesel rocks, President Weah, speaking out against cyberbullying, political zombies, FIGC elections
• Season Update: update on Serie A matches
• Wisdom from Maldini: speaking about the current Milan
• VAR: new stats and quotes from the referee designator
• Coming up: Upcoming matches

Thanks again to Francesco for more fun convo about Milan. Give him a follow on Twitter @FrancescoPetra8.

The late winter break is only really good for one thing: talking about the players and the season to date. So we took full advantage of the opportunity and hashed out every player in the squad just for you. You're welcome.

One of the few Milan fans I could talk an hour about Milan with and not get bored is Pete. You can follow him on Twitter @PDAcquaviva for all of his wisdom about Milan and more. This time we talked about:

• News of the Week: Gattuso getting old, new partnership in China, GPS, Mirabelli speaks, Bacca assessment
• Player Ratings:

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Strikers

Gattuso

• Coming up: Upcoming matches

Thanks again to Pete for spending so much time haggling numbers with me and making me laugh. Follow him on Twitter for more thought provoking tweets and humor @PDAcquaviva.

We watch them play on the pitch each week, we support the club they own, but who are these people, really? Are there things we should know about them that we don't? These were some of the questions we tried to find answers to, along with some of the more tangible things to discuss at Milan these days.

How fitting that for this 100 th podcast, I should go back to the beginning. I invited Milan Obsession co-founder and original podcast guest Jovan to join me for this discussion:

• News of the Week: King George, centennial matches, music video, fitness trainer
• Season Update: Serie A update
• Injuries and Mercato Update: Latest news
• Coach Gattuso: Do we have the right coach?
• Refinancing: The latest on Milan finances
• Calhanoglu: Man of mystery

• VAR: First half of the season update
• Coming up: Upcoming matches

Thanks again to Jovan, lifelong Milan fan and wise beyond his years, for more great discussion about all things Milan. If you enjoy his brilliance, you'll probably also enjoy his writing, such as this classic about Savicevic and Boban.

The constant turns and twists of Milan's fate can be difficult to keep up with. We look to every game with hope in our hearts and are rarely rewarded. Off the pitch there is even more craziness, and if you are truly looking for answers, social media is definitely not the place. But as fans, if we stick together and wade through the rumors and critics and cling to reality, we can perhaps find some answers together.

The stars aligned so that I could have Susy on the podcast to chat about all things Milan. Follow her on Twitter @SusyCampanale and also follow @FootballItalia, where she is the brilliant editor for the amazing English speaking Serie A site. A little known fact is that despite her neutrality on the site, she is a devout Milanista. So we chatted about:

• News of the Week: Hall of Fame, retirement, Milan birthday gift, Montella's new job
• Season Update: Serie A,Europa League, and Coppa Italia update
• Donnarumma Saga 2.0: fan douchebaggery
• Gattuso: highs and lows
• Milan's Future: still looking for answers
• Coming up: upcoming matches

Thanks again to Susy for her fantastic insights. Follow her on Twitter @SusyCampanale to get more brilliant insights and also follow @FootballItalia to get up to the moment Serie A news in English.

With the long overdue yet surprise sacking of Montella and the unfortunately predictable promoting of Gattuso from the Primavera squad, fans are dealing with yet another change at the club. And not a change for the better. Despite making a coaching change to improve results, management have chosen a coach who is least likely to do that. It seems the club have lowered expectations.

Battling late nights, technology glitches, and having to talk about Gattuso, David truly was a Legend this time around. Follow him on Twitter @DavidLSwan out of pity alone. And while you're following, listen to what we talked about against all odds:

• News of the Week: Change in fortunes, change in kits, worldwide fans, congrats Oddo, Milan class
• Season Update: Serie A & Europa League update
• Montella: regrets
• Gattuso: regrets
• Ownership: questions, FFP, refinancing, #WeAreNotAfraid
• VAR: regrets
• Coming up: upcoming matches

Thanks again to David for his wisdom and his patience. Follow him on Twitter @DavidLSwan to take advantage of the money back guarantee offered.

Milan are playing poorly, and mentality seems to be suffering. With three losses in seven league matches, everyone is getting stressed out. The players are under scrutiny. Montella particularly is under scrutiny. There have already been crisis meetings with Fassone and Mirabelli. But one solution has been largely overlooked, and this podcast reveals it: Borini for Captain.

The genius behind this solution is Vinny. Formerly of Red Card Weekly on YouTube, Vinny and his partner in crime are now the voices of @MilanWeeklyPOD, the English podcast for Radio Rossonera International. In addition to solving all of Milan's problems, we discussed:

• News of the Week: New sponsor, Niang love, Injury recovery, earthquake slam, new look Italy, Montella honored
• Matches: a quick recap of games
• International Break: highlights of Milan's players on NT duty
• Mentality and Montella: discussing Montella's & Milan's situation
• Derby predictions and coming up: upcoming matches

Thanks again to Vinny for a great discussion about everything Milan. Follow @MilanWeeklyPOD and tune into Radio Rossonera International to hear more of his brilliant wisdom.

Milan fans are pretty happy these days until there is a loss. Then it is an end of the world scenario. But not everyone wants to sack the coach after a poor 90 minutes. It's important to keep looking forward and having healthy discussions about where the club is headed.

I always know I can count on Jovan, the co-founder of Milan Obsession, to speak practically even after a tough loss. Licking our wounds after the Sampdoria match, we talked about:

• News of the Week: Injury Tuesdays, Conti's surgery, Golden Boy, new partner, contract improvements and extensions, cleaning up at Juve
• Matches: a quick recap of games
• VAR: pros and cons, grade so far
• #Montella Out: discussing this social media movement
• Fassone: discussing his words and transparency
• Coming up: upcoming Europa League & Serie A matches

Thanks again to Jovan for the great Milan conversation. Let's wish him the best in his travels this weekend. May he bring us all luck!

Serie A is underway, and Milan qualified for the group stages of the Europa League. With some exciting wins, fans were excited, but now with a massive loss to Lazio in the league, there are a lot of doubts flying. So I think we can say officially that Milan are in the trenches.

When the framework of a rebuilding starts to take shape, you need someone who has been in the trenches. So obviously, I asked Christian to join for this convo. You can follow him on Twitter @CLumia and also check out his new Serie A account, @Calcio_Bros. This time we talked about:

• News of the Week: Suso sizzles, transparency, Liedholm prize, Ambrosini talks captaincy
• Matches: a quick recap of games
• Mercato Report: who came and left
• Europa League: our group stage draw and matches
• International Break: a brief recap of players who played
• Sports Marketing Course: a journey to Italy
• Coming up: upcoming Europa League & Serie A matches

Thanks again to Christian for the great convo and relaying his travel adventures. Definitely follow him on @CLumia and also his brand new Serie A account @Calcio_Bros.

The team has been renewed. The preseason matches have been played. And whether or not Milan is ready, the new season is upon us. There is plenty to talk about, plenty to try to predict, and more than enough excitement in preparation for this much anticipated season. How this ends, only time will tell. But either the Devil is coming back, or we are in league with the devil.

Gearing up for a new season, I needed someone in the know, so I asked Pete to sit down for a chat. You can follow him on Twitter @PDAcquaviva and read his blog at pdacquaviva.com. This is what we talked about:

• News of the Week: New CFO, season ticket sales, Europa League attendance record, injuries, new stadium for Atalanta

• Europa League qualifying and Friendly: a quick recap games and VAR

• Mercato Update: who is leaving

• Changing of the Captaincy: the greatest moment of justice ever

• Financial Fair Play (FFP): update on Milan's FFP status

• Season Predictions: Europa League, Serie A and Montella predictions

• Coming up: Europa League playoff round and Serie A week 1

Thanks again to Pete for allowing me to be on his podcast again. Give him a follow @PDAcquaviva and read his blog pdacquaviva.com.

Some people suffer from a serious condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is not to be taken lightly. Milan fans have also suffered over five years of trauma, and in some ways we may have our own version of PTSD. Nothing brings the flashbacks and anxiety back like talks of funding or deadlines, and there has been some talk about those things lately. However, there is football being played now, and still so many good things to talk about that we can still enjoy being a Milan fan better than we have in a long time.

Nothing says fan podcast like a guest who was born in Milano and is a second generation Milanista. That is, of course, Francesco. You can follow him on Twitter @FrancescoPetra8. This time, we chatted about:

• News of the Week: Season tickets, killer kit, Mr. X returns, Gattuso, Serie A schedule for this season

• Friendlies and Europa League qualifying: a quick recap of recent games

• Mercato Update: who is staying and going

• Biglia and Bonucci: the mystery behind them not playing

• Pallotta's Comments: financial smacktalk

• Coming up: Europa League qualifier second leg

Thanks again to Francesco for a fantastic conversation once again. Give him a follow to see how the new signings affect the health of his liver: @FrancescoPetra8