After a very busy few days at the end of the transfer market, AC Milan had to turn their focus to the Coppa Italia where AS Roma awaited them in the quarter final.
Sergio Conceicao opted to only field one January arrival, Kyle Walker, whilst also being forced to leave Rafael Leao on the bench with the winger not fully fit – Alex Jimenez instead started the game which saw Christian Pulisic shifted to the left.
Up front, Tammy Abraham led the attack which seemed like the logical choice, given Gimenez had only joined a couple of days before.
Milan seemingly have their sights on the Coppa Italia, but going into this game they had to prove they were up for the challenge against a Roma side that have also struggled this season.
That being said, the game was, without a doubt, the best first half under Conceicao with two goals for Abraham at the half-time mark. The Rossoneri dominated the first period, excluding around 10 minutes where Roma tried to get back into the game, barring that though, phenomenal.
In the second half, the Giallorossi managed to scrape a goal through Dovbyk, but the two goal advantage was restored swiftly with Joao Felix picking up his first goal in red in black on his debut night with Santiago Gimenez providing the assist – which has greatly impressed the management and San Siro.
Milan continued to be in control following the third goal and could’ve scored more if we’re being honest, but 3-1 was more than comfortable enough for the team to secure their spot in the semi-finals. Here are five things we learned from the game.
1. Walker a no-brainer?
The bar for the right-back spot has been low in recent years, but seeing Walker in that spot is so refreshing.
In the two games, he has not given the ball away cheaply, compared to Emerson, who for example gave away the ball multiple times per game, is a huge improvement, and this is without considering his general intelligent and composed manner.
We also, again, saw the right-back instructing his teammates at the back, and the defence looked very tidy. Furthermore, against Roma, we saw more of him going forward, even hitting the crossbar after heading the ball following a corner kick.
Bringing Walker to the Rossoneri seems brilliant at this stage and the question now is how long he can stay at this level given his age? A potential deputy could be needed in the summer, even if the Englishman continues to play well.
2. English duo follow Walker’s example
The right-back wasn’t the only Englishman to impress as Abraham and Fikayo Tomori fought for our Man of the Match award. However, we gave it to the former since that brace in the first half pretty much decided the fate of the game.
Abraham was composed with both goals and showcased his aerial strength on the first goal, and whilst the second one was a tad easier, he made a good run and kept his cool to bury the chance.
Santiago Gimenez’s arrival certainly makes things interesting, and now it must be seen if the Roma loanee can continue in this fashion and fight for that starting spot.
At the back, Tomori was also crucial, making a huge block in front of the goal and multiple interceptions further up the pitch balancing the aggression just right. The centre-back has responded in style following the rumours about a potential departure, but now the mission at hand is to find the consistency and do it week in and out.
3. Theo continues the uptrend
Needless to say, it hasn’t be the best season for Theo Hernandez so far, and following Conceicao’s arrival it hadn’t been much different.
The Frenchman played well in the Supercoppa Italiana, but then followed that with some very questionable performances in the league and in Zagreb.
Against Inter though, he had a big part in the goal and was defensively solid at the back. On Wednesday, he continued the trend against Roma with two assists for Tammy whilst pairing that with a solid defensive display.
Really good from the left-back who has finally started making his signature moves forward again, it’s evident straight away how much of a threat he can be.
4. An enigma
Musah is another player who has had ups and downs this season. Of course, the poor result in Zagreb was a major low as he earned himself a silly red card, but he has responded well following that game and against Roma he did very well.
The American was full of energy and covered a lot of ground as he was constantly on both flanks or going through the middle. He brought a lot of intensity and aggression, and he was at the heart of the second goal, retrieving the ball and finding Theo with a perfect pass.
He also seems to be enjoying Conceicao’s playing style, seeming comfortable playing these one-twos and using his pace to carry the ball forward as well as showing that he can beat his man easily too.
A really intriguing display by the midfielder and if he can play like this and improve further then he has a very bright future ahead given he is still just 22 years old.
Fans want to see responses after events like that in Zagreb and Musah is delivering.
5. Dream debut for Gimenez and Felix
Santiago Gimenez and Joao Felix started on the bench, as expected, but were introduced to the San Siro around the hour mark and the first signs are promising, to say the least.
Felix was comfortable on the ball and it was refreshing to see someone more technical like him behind the striker. He dropped deeper to get the ball and played some good passes in between the lines, whilst also managing to get on the scoresheet after a lovely finish.
The assister was none other than Gimenez with the Mexican showing promising signs too. In contrast to Felix, he played less with the ball, but he made some good runs in between the lines and got another assist for Jimenez. Unfortunately that was ruled offside, so he’ll have to make with just the single assist for now.
In 30 minutes the pair have showed they are a huge upgrade on the likes of Noah Okafor, Alvaro Morata and Luka Jovic. As a result, Milan fans have several reasons to be excited since the overall performance was brilliant and the new signings are all having immediate impact.
Leao is still lazy and predictable, but that’s not something new.
He will never have the right mentality. At this point, he just a younger balotelli.
I disagree with any Balotelli comparison. Even with a lot of work to do he already works off the ball more than Balotelli, is much more supportive of his teammates, and is a lot more even-tempered – he may get frustrated when balls are misplaced but he doesn’t lose us games because of his attitude, his attitude is often in response to other players losing us games. Also he is much better running with the ball instead of just a finisher. Leao has been running for 2 years for a team that doesn’t get him the ball at the right times and with players he knows are inferior skill sets to him – it has to be frustrating. He suddenly has more equals on the team (pulisic, Reijnders, Theo, Felix, gimenez) so I would agree the rest of the year he has no excuses. His spot is at risk with Felix and the team has lots of gifted players who should get him the ball at the right times if he makes the runs. Conceicao also will not tolerate no effort, so he helped win us a Scudetto, he has now had ups and downs, but by the summer we will know who he is.
Last season he had 29 goal contributions in all competitions, the season before that he had 30 goal contributions and the season before that he had 26 goal contributions.
He is already on 15 goal contributions this season.
He is NOT lazy.
He is a champion who can do better with encouragement from the fans, coach, and a stronger squad.
“He is already on 15 goal contributions this season.
He is NOT lazy. ”
That’s the thing about g+a stats. They don’t tell you whether you’re lazy or not. You should look e.g. distance covered. Leao has been throughout his career in the middle of that table for Milan. Even almost twice as old Giroud covered more ground each match than Leao! As a fckng CF! Wingers and midfielders are usually the ones who run the most. But not someone who wears the #10 jersey here.
1. I learned the woodwork bends the knee to Conceição.
2. Reijnders very intelligent player, great with the header.
3. Walker spits water out of his mouth like Professional wrestler, very intimidating.
4. João was tired after his goal and wanted sleep.
5. Álex Jimenez is not natural blond.
🤣🤣🤣
Nice one 😂
Best comment of 2025 so far.
What did we learn ? Quality wise this one is so different and so much better than anything under Conceição that it’s hard to see if we learned something.
Also with so many new signings and so many departures we still have to see more of it.
I guess what we’ve learned is that the midfield is still a liability and if it wasn’t the great performance by our defenders (especially Tomori, but all of them did well) we might have suffered a lot more.
So for me not a lot to learn but a lot of hope.
Yeah midfield is still a huge concern, especially in CL.
With Bennacer gone and Bondo not on the list we have No options.
I agree with this. Also it was a cup game and can’t be sure Roma actually went for it or not. Inter got beat 3-0 today in the cup so maybe Roma’s ambitions is top 4 and not the cup.
That was a league match today.
I just saw that, thanks for the correction.
I don’t understand why people think highly of Musah. He is like any other ‘engine’ player, except he doesn’t score, and he loses the ball regularly. Saelemaekers, Krunic, and Castillejo were better, as well as Florenzi.
I think he has his moments (like his defensive work against Real Madrid), but he consistently waits too long to play a pass — or decide which pass to make — and tries to dribble past defenders that he cannot dribble past… which, to your point, causes him to lose the ball regularly.
None of the players you mention can carry the ball forward like him as well as operate out of tight spaces. Yes, his passing needs work but the improvement is there (albeit slower than we’d all like).
I would say most here consider him deadwood.
Musah’s only 22. He’s improved since the start of the year. ‘Deadwood’? Please. Then how come Conceicao is leaning more and more on him? He fits the system – thinks about going forward first (unlike Bennacer, who passed backward 99% of the time), he’s good on the ball, he covers more ground (12k vs Roma) than almost anyone else. Oh, and he’s versatile and can play multiple positions….
Gang, I said most here, I didn’t say I think that.
And they’re not wrong either.
People see hard work and determination and overlook the constant bad positioning, turnovers, misplaced passes, taking too many touches and overall low football iq. Most ppl never touched a football in their life so they barely know or understand what they’re watching.
Not sure how you can watch him play and see any comparison with those players. Musah has explosive pace, very technical dribbling, physically very strong. Can carry the ball very well, along with the motor. He has much better physical/athletic attributes than all those guys, but really terrible decision making still. But he has the raw ability to be a much much better player than any of those guys.
Personally I think he needed another year or two at a smaller club before coming to Milan, he’s still too raw and unrefined of a player.
I think it’s about the potential he’s got. He is very young, good with the ball at his feet, and very energetic.
Even though – he makes a lot of silly decisions on the ball sometimes.
I learned that the writers on Sempre Milan drastically overreact to every match. 1 win and everything has turned around. Drop points in the next game and the sky is falling again.
Honestly I was not impressed with Gimenez. He had some good opportunities but was kind of clumsy on the ball, not making the most of it.
Great assist and he is coming back from injury. New country new team new coach new language; give the man a break and have some faith! For someone who joined 3 days ago and was even injured, already collecting a gorgeous assist is already very good.
When Felix and Gimenez went on the field we looked like Real Madrid for 20 minutes. Felix’s pass to Theo, Reijnders and Felix combining, the goal … it was a real joy to watch. The hype is real.
On a side note, Walker seems more like a CB to me so far. He had a few really bad first touches in the first half when we were attacking. And he really can’t go up from corner to corner for 90 minutes. He’s definitely an upgrade to what we have, but still not what need. I think Bellanova should be our number 1 target for the summer.
Bellanova can’t get the gig to clean Walker’s boots…
Lol. Bellenova is better going forward with the ball, Walker can probably mark better, and is better in the air. But we need something more like bellenova rather than another rcb. And he’s Italian which is most likely our next purchase due to the lists etc …
Regarding point number 1:
Where are SJF and Ian who were screaming about what a stupid move it was to go after a washed up player like Walker?
Hello
I was against walker getting signed on 2 1/2 years contract given he is 35 in May.
Im happy enough with the loan/option to see how things go.
Saying that i would envisage him being a backup in years to come if he stays.
He did get done for pace a couple of times v Inter and seems to be playing more of a RCB role which makes sense (though Kalulu would have been a long term solution)
“In the two games, he has not given the ball away cheaply, compared to Emerson, who for example gave away the ball multiple times per game, is a huge improvement, and this is without considering his general intelligent and composed manner.” Uh oh…meltdown from the Emerson lovers incoming …grabs popcorn 🍿🍿🍿
It’s really hard to overstate how bad our RB situation was. Calabria was very mediocre but all his heart, hard work, and history. Emerson is lost unfortunately, I think he would be happier at a mid-table side or in a mid-tier league. I hate saying that about players, but he just doesn’t look comfortable at this level and it was the same with Spurs.
Wait…there’s emerson ‘lovers’?
K for one. Huuuuuge man-crush.
Fio just trashed Inter. It’s going to be a tough race for 4th against them, Lazio, and Juventus…
Yep – I get a warm glow seeing inter get hammered obviously but it’s a pity it came from Fiorentina.. we’re so far behind 4th it’s getting silly..
Well if our game in hand is a win, we are only 4 behind and we play bologna in a few weeks. Lazio has Napoli and Inter this month. Atalanta have a bunch of injuries and have inter/juve/fiorentina plus UCL games coming up. Fiorentina have inter/napoli, atalanta coming up. Over that stretch we have empoli, verona, torino, bologna, lazio, lecce, and como before Napoli. Without spending my whole life imaging how every single game left goes, we could enter April in 4th, in the last 16 of UCL, and in the semi-finals of the Coppa. Most importantly, Inter had their worst lost in a long time today so that’s nice.
Indeed. And looking at the number of games remaining in the season, it’s totally premature to say that we are too far behind from 4th. We have a good shot if we find consistency. It’s up to the players at this point.
Took their eye of the ball, thinking about our new front line..
Thank you Conceicao. Milan always needed a coach who can get into the heads of both the players on one side, and the management on the other. Both sets needed to be ‘pushed’, judging by the summer choices made.
Forza Milan!