After managing two wins in a row following the loss in the opener, Milan fell short against Inter as they were outplayed by the city rivals. In fact, had it not been for Donnarumma, the scoreline could have been even uglier.
Marco Giampaolo surprisingly started the game with Leao and Piatek in attack as this marked the Portuguese’s player first start of the season. The likes of Hernandez, Paqueta, Bennacer and Rebic were left on the bench, which was questioned by many both before and after the game.
The Rossoneri’s new manager has only been in charge for four games, but fans and management are already starting to question his decision-making as the performances have been abysmal so far. Here are five things we learned from the game.
1. Conti isn’t ready yet
As a result of Calabria’s suspension, Conti finally got his chance from start. However, he didn’t meet expectations as the Italian full-back performed poorly in defence while not adding anything in attack. Obviously, his nearly two-year absence doesn’t help the situation, but we have to say that Davide Calabria offers way more defensively, at least.
Milan had high hopes when they bought Conti, but the two injuries set the Italian way back, and even if he manages to return to his form from Atalanta, he surely has much work to do as he never was a solid defender but more of an attacking full-back.
2. Biglia to step down
A lot of Milan’s problem came from the midfield as they failed to handle Inter’s players. One of the main reasons behind this seemed to be Lucas Biglia, who was picked ahead of Bennacer once again. Giampaolo is concinved that the Argentine provides more safety, though this resulted in him not creating anything, rather playing it safe with back passes.
The lack of creativity and pace didn’t help Biglia, who only seemed to cause trouble for his teammates. Meanwhile, Bennacer joined Milan as a very succesful midfielder and in this moment of time, he is exactly what the team lacks: aggressiveness and sharp passes to direct the play.
3. Time for Hernandez to start
After his injury in the pre-season, Theo Hernandez finally came back into action against Inter and managed to put his mark in the game. In fact, he hit the woodwork after a brilliant run on the left flank, and him coming on to replace Rodriguez was the best thing of the game.
The Spaniard showed good chemistry with Lucas Paqueta, and the two look like they can cause trouble for the opposition if allowed to play more in the future. Furthermore, Theo looks to get the edge over Rodriguez in the defensive phase as well with his speed and physicality, making life hard for the opponent to beat him.
4. Donnarumma deserves his renewal
Despite the Rossoneri ending up on the losing side, things could have been much worse had their goalkeeper not made several crucial saves. At the age of only 20 years, Donnarumma is undoubtedly one of the best shot-stoppers in the world and has the potential to grow even more.
Thus, if his desire is to stay with Milan, which he showed throughout the summer, then the Milan management should make the renewal happen. As it seems, the negotiations are underway, though it most likely won’t be easy as the player’s agent is Mino Raiola.
5. Piatek to be benched?
After scoring a penalty last time out, Piatek ended his goal drought. However, against Inter, he failed to score once again and hardly didn’t make any impact. His poor ball control and dribbling results in him losing possession most of the times, which only makes it harder for him to contribute.
While people may argue his strength lies in the box, it’s difficult for the Rossoneri to get to that point if he isn’t involved in the build-up. With Ante Rebic and Leao waiting on the sideline, Giampaolo has more than enough players to field instead, both of which offer more in terms of speed, physicality, versatility and technique on the ball.
READ MORE: AC Milan struggling to score; one goal from open play in four games