Serie A

Monza have finally won a match: the 0-1 snatched in Turin in the Coppa Italia, with a heavily rejuvenated team, has given some breathing space after a catastrophic start to the league season. The match statistics confirmed the Brianza side's superiority, with 1.95 expected goals against 1.05 for a Granata side who did not manage a single shot on target. Ivan Jurić stressed that his young players stood up to theoretically superior opponents. The fact remains that the league still shows no points and seven goals conceded in two matchdays.

Ivan Jurić publicly cleared his board after the cup qualification: “The club did what it promised me when they took me on,” he said on 2 September, ending the “total emergency” message he was still using on the eve of the match against Udinese. He praised the mix between the young players and the experienced ones who came from Napoli, Ngonge and Folorunsho, and personally claimed credit for spotting Robinson in Southampton's reserve side. The club, by contrast, chose not to replace captain Pessina in the market, a decision the head coach has not publicly disputed.

The Brianza public, still without a single satisfaction in the league, has seen its team take a first away win in the cup and qualify for a prestigious last-16 tie at San Siro against Milan. That fixture is, in the short term, the club's main commercial and popular argument. Institutionally, the Berlusconi chapter is definitively closed: Fininvest has sold its last 20% to Beckett Layne Ventures, and the tifosi's historic identification with the former ownership gives way to American governance led by Lauren Crampsie and Mauro Baldissoni. The trip to Parma, against opponents also on no points, will be scrutinised as a test of credibility.

The Coppa Italia win momentarily eases the pressure on Ivan Jurić, whose defence remained the most discussed subject after seven goals conceded in two league matchdays. The Croatian framed expectations himself by publicly setting survival as “a great result”, a way of recalling the real level of a squad rebuilt with thirteen signings. He must, however, find a balance without captain Pessina, operated on his knee, with Ciurria unavailable and Varela doubtful. The trip to Parma, between two sides without a point, is the first match in which a result is expected.

Survival remains the sole objective and Jurić stated it bluntly: “If we stay up, it will be a great result.” The club, which closed a window of thirteen signings, chose not to replace Pessina, preferring to rely on squad depth and on integrating young players. The Coppa Italia has become a secondary but real objective, with a last-16 tie at San Siro against Milan at stake. In the league, the immediate priority is to take a first point against opponents from the bottom half.

No open tension is reported between the head coach, the dressing room and the new ownership. The most sensitive subject remains captain Matteo Pessina's long absence, operated on his right knee and expected back between late October and early November, in a group short of reference points and leaders. The pile-up of muscle problems, with Varela suffering an adductor injury and Ciurria unavailable, also complicates the stabilisation of an already heavily rebuilt team. Fininvest's definitive exit closes an era without causing any apparent rift.