AC Milan 4-0 Venezia: Five things we learned – shift in attitude and attacking optimism

After a disappointing start to the season, two points in three games, the international break came at the right time for AC Milan. And as the referee blew for full-time in the game against Venezia, it was clear that they used it in the right way.

Indeed, Milan started the game against Venezia with a high tempo and bagged the opening goal after just two minutes. Theo Hernandez responded to the criticism after combining with Rafael Leao, another player who has been questioned in recent weeks.

After that, things continued to click for Milan and they doubled the lead in the 16th minute, with Youssouf Fofana getting his first for the club. This put Venezia in shock and the home side made the most of it, with Tammy Abraham winning a penalty in the 25th minute, calmly converted by Christian Pulisic to make it 3-0.

Four minutes later, in the 29th, Leao showed off his skills which resulted in him winning the second penalty for his side. It was converted with ease by Abraham as the Englishman also picked up his first goal in the red and black shirt. After that, Milan saw out the game.

Below are five things that we learned from the crucial win…

1. The team looked rejuvenated

Despite a lot of players being absent due to international duty, Paulo Fonseca managed to motivate his players during the break and the preparation for the game. Indeed, we saw a squad that was sharp and ready to go at it from the first minute.

In the prior three games, even when disregarding the results for a second, it’s fair to say that energy was lacking from the Rossoneri and some of the players looked unbothered. An attitude that obviously doesn’t work when you wear the Milan shirt.

Against Venezia, however, it all seemed different. The left-hand side was very energetic with Hernandez and Leao putting in a lot of work. The Frenchman was lively going forward, as evidenced by the fact that he picked up a goal, but he was also solid defensively – covering for his teammates and letting nobody through.

Leao also put in the work when his team was defending, which is exactly what Fonseca wanted to see. However, it wasn’t just these two as more or less all players did well in the pressing and above all, looked like they had fun on the pitch.

2. Theo and Leao leading the way

The duo have been heavily criticised since the start of the season as they failed to lead the team to more positive results. Having said that, whether or not that was entirely their fault is out of the scope of this discussion.

Against Venezia, the duo responded in great fashion with the Frenchman being a pillar at the back and also grabbing a goal at the opposite end. Leao was a constant threat going forward, got an assist and won the penalty that Abraham scored with the striker even confirming that ‘Rafa’ told Pulisic to give it to him.

In short, everything that they showed last night is the leadership that Milan need, especially in the games scheduled for next week.

3. Not great, but better from Emerson

Emerson Royal was solid defensively as he clearly focused more on his positioning, and not so much on his attack against Venezia. It’s still fair to praise him for that tactical discipline given how much he struggled in the previous couple of games.

The next step for the Brazilian will be to continue in the same fashion at the back – keeping it tight and not committing sloppy mistakes – and then he will need to do more going forward. Because whilst the latter wasn’t needed against Venezia, it will be needed against tougher opponents.

Nevertheless, a positive outing for the full-back and one to build on.

4. Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek swap did wonders

Following a stellar international break for Tijjani Reijnders, during which he played in a more advanced position and managed to score two goals, Fonseca took note of that and decided to shake things up a bit.

This time out, it worked really well with Ruben Loftus-Cheek dropping in the double pivot alongside Youssouf Fofana, while the Dutchman had more freedom in front of them.

In the first half, the former AZ man picked up the ball in dangerous spaces and showcased his dribbling as well as passing skills. He was unlucky not to get a goal or an assist for his efforts, but he did help set up the first penalty that Milan won.

Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, was enjoying the fact that he had little creative responsibilities. The midfielder used his physique to help shield the defence and was then very good at getting on the ball and carrying it forward.

The fact that he started from a deeper position meant that when he did carry it forward, he had at least three players to pass to, all more creative and dangerous in front of goal. Ultimately, this resulted in a stellar first-half performance by the whole team and an energy-saving second half.

5. Striker issue solved?

For a few years now, Milan have struggled with quality in the No.9 spot. While Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic did well, it’s fair to say that both struggled to be at the top of their game consistently.

That wouldn’t have been such an issue if there had been depth in that position, but Milan simply didn’t have that with Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor not quite living up to the expectations. Now, assuming that Abraham and Morata can stay fit, that seems to be solved.

The Englishman started the game since Morata had only just recovered, and he really impressed. On top of scoring a goal and winning a penalty, he really exploited the space between the lines giving options to his teammates.

He also wasn’t afraid of dropping deeper and playing with the ball. To top it off, his word-rate was fantastic as he pressed high but then also put in a lot of effort to drop back and help his team in the defensive phase.

Then there is Morata, who managed to score in his Serie A debut but then wasn’t available for two games because of an injury. Against Venezia, he was introduced in the second half and despite the big lead he was constantly looking to cause trouble, pressing the opponents and trying to get on the ball.

Unfortunately for him, Milan seemingly dropped the pace in the second half but it was good for him to get minutes before the big games against Liverpool and Inter. Both have started well with the goalscoring, but their style of play will also allow teammates to get into more goalscoring areas.