AC Milan did not manage to pick up three points against Atalanta at San Siro on Sunday night, but the performance was certainly a positive one.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes how Rafael Leao showed the best version of himself during Milan Fashion Week with a wonderful goal and glittering creativity.
Also beautiful was the suit that the tailor Stefano Pioli cut for Milan, retouching the midfield and putting Gian Piero Gasperini’s side in crisis. Milan attacked and kept the ball well against a team that generally demands it.
Yacine Adli had a very good game as a deeper-lying playmaker, which really leaves just ‘one stain on the gala dress’ which was that the Rossoneri had many shots but just one goal and thus they had to settle for a point.
It was a wasted opportunity to stay close to Juventus and put Bologna further behind, but the performance – also from an athletic point of view – is one that gives hope.
Atalanta can be satisfied for not having interrupted their unbeaten streak (eight games now, with six victories), but certainly not with the performance.
Carnesecchi was the best player on the pitch for them as the goalkeeper, while they had under 30% possession in the first half and just above that in the second, plus no shots in the second half.
Leao’s goal was a thing of beauty, as he got between Holm and Scalvini and whipped a shot inside the far corner, celebrating with a Qua Qua dance, as if to say: ‘You talk, I score’.
Of course, if he didn’t let 155 days pass (23 September, Verona) between one league goal and another, people would talk less.
La Dea reacted instinctively as they had good chances in the 12th and 16th minutes through De Ketelaere and Koopmeiners, but they then struggled due to the poor performance of too many individual players and Milan managed the lead calmly.
Only one episode offered Gasperini’s side the opportunity to equalise. Holm went down after a challenge from Giroud inside the box; for VAR it was a penalty that Koopmeiners converted.
Milan should take the positives from a good performance, because by playing like this and keeping Leao in form, they will be able to get some satisfaction.
Penalty? What penalty? Oh you mean the gift by Milan-hating Orsato?
“Inzaghi starts without 7 first choice players in Lecce and dominated”
From another media. Inter won 4-0. That shows the insanely huge quality difference between the Milanese teams. Unfortunately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm4BcXxckx4
horrendous defending
Well, disregarding the feud Milan-Inter, if you are unbiased fan of the game, Inter currently is probably a worldwide Top 3 team. Very efficient, dynamic, consistent. They did what Napoli did last year – took opportunity of the big lead in the table and decided to end the discussions before CL starts. Now they can focus entirely on the mid-week matches.
Bad for us as Milan fans, but good for Italian football at least. If other teams, including us, demonstrate entertaining football in Europe, then viewership of Serie A will go up as well and eventually investments will follow.
Even though Italian football is condemned by everyone as dying and distancing from EPL/Primera, I think it is actually in resurgence. We have several excellent academies, the teams are investing in a sensible way out of necessity but still manage to get good results in European competitions.