Let’s say you just finished a grueling ten-month project at your job with moderate success. Then imagine a manager from another department informing you that instead of joining his legendary team at a star-studded event which would present you with the opportunity to show your skills to the world and potentially earn a nice raise and a better position, you instead have been passed over and will trudge to the basement to complete some busy work for two weeks, a task that barely anyone will realize you’re completing, let alone care is being done. Something tells me you’re not putting in a whole lot of effort down there.
So while much was made over A.C. Milan captain Clarence Seedorf’s “Well, we’re not motivated. We’re just not motivated,” remarks before last night’s match against D.C. United (and as much as we’d like to be outraged), it’s hard to disagree with the sentiment.
Between participation in last summer’s World Football Challenge friendly tournament, the Serie A, the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Champions League, various friendlies, and now this swing through North America, A.C. Milan has played approximately 60 matches at the highest levels of competition since July 22, 2009. That number doesn’t include games in which Milan players may have been with their national teams during international breaks or FIFA tournaments, like last June’s Confederations Cup. Being a modern footballer is now a 365-day-a-year job; and regardless of the accuracy of the public’s perception of a European footballer’s charmed life — girls, parties, mansions, champagne and caviar — they still, after all, are just people. And people have a tendency to prioritize their efforts.
United, in the midst of the worst season in club history, certainly wasn’t going to help Milan’s interest level, either. Putting Seedorf to the coals for stating the obvious seems harsh. Besides, if having a completely uninterested opponent is the way for United to start playing like they did last night over the remainder of the MLS season, let’s start scheduling more unmotivated sides, shall we?
