Massimo Ambrosini criticised Rafael Leao for the reaction that he showed after being taken off during AC Milan’s loss to Lazio.
In the DAZN studios after the Lazio-Milan match, there was a lot of talk about Leao’s substitution and reaction in the 65th minute. The Portuguese forward was angry after Christian Pulisic didn’t attempt to find his run with a through ball in behind, and he certainly didn’t hide it.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
There has been divided opinion on whether he was right to show he cared or if the reaction was petulant. Ambrosini didn’t mince his words when assessing the behaviour of Leao though, stressing that he should be showing his anger on the pitch. Tribuna relayed his words.
Ambrosini: “I think the anger he shows when he comes off, the disappointment… He needs to show it in the minutes he’s on the pitch. We’ve been talking about Leao forever: he always gives the impression that he lacks that competitive spirit…
“He’ll never have it, and that’s a matter of debate, but he needs to show that anger on the pitch in one way or another. By the 34th minute, he’d touched the ball four times, one of them a header. Maybe it [the ball] didn’t find him…
“I still think he’s a player you have to keep on top of, because he doesn’t get going very often. So let’s get back to the tactical discussion: as a centre-forward, he takes a lot more breaks than when he plays wide.”
Leotta: “He touched the ball for the first time in the 14th minute.”
Ambrosini: “Honestly, I wouldn’t have changed him today. Milan changed several formations and ultimately played Pulisic wide. I would have kept him and played him on the wing.”
What didn’t help was that Milan lost the game at the Stadio Olimpico as well. Gustav Isaksen was the one who scored the decisive goal, and it saw the gap at the top widen to eight points instead of being cut to five.
Exactly what I thought on the formation change.
Yes, Leao had a horrible game and I would have substituded him as well for the 3-5-2, but Allegri changed the formation to a 4-2-3-1, so why not let him play in his position for once? It’s not like Pulisic is in a better form anyway.
Maybe from LW Leao could have made a difference.
I wouldn’t. Leao is not a striker and he doesn’t know how to play with his back to goal. That’s why he often loses the ball with his back to goal.
Allegri should have subbed Pulisic who for some reason refuses to pass the ball to Leao. That’s was intentional and stupid.
Allegri should have move Leao to the left, Fullkrug in the center and Nkunku playing from the right.
Pulisic form since January has been horrible. No goals and no assist. He was the player that should have been subbed.
“Allegri should have subbed Pulisic who for some reason refuses to pass the ball to Leao. That’s was intentional and stupid. ”
And all the times Leao didn’t pass the ball to Pulisic? FFS, you people are absolutely ridiculous! 😀 😀 😀
“Allegri should have subbed Pulisic who for some reason refuses to pass the ball to Leao. That’s was intentional and stupid. Yes Allegri should have taken out out of form Pulisic, he was playing out wide and wouldn’t even pass the ball, we are loosing, we need goals not who score or some selfish play, which I have noticed in his game especially with Leao, someone should remind him that assist counts as well as the goal scored
😂😂😂😂
“We’ve been talking about Leao forever: he always gives the impression that he lacks that competitive spirit…”“He’ll never have it,
“I still think he’s a player you have to keep on top of, because he doesn’t get going very often. ”
This is the player who this club decided to put as the center of their project for the last 4 years.
He’s also asked to play a position that doesn’t suit his best strengths. He’s a winger and that’s it. He’s not a striker and if Allegri decides to play him in a 352 then it makes more sense to play him with another striker like Fullkrug or Gimenez.
Pulisic is not a striker and playing him alongside Leao is not working.
‘We’ve been talking about Leao forever:”
“Pulisic is not a striker and playing him alongside Leao is not working.”
Could also be written as:
Leao is not a striker and playing him alongside Pulisic is not working.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would keep Leao on the field over any other attacker be it 3-5-2 or other formation, in 3-5-2 our wing back are non existence, look at Inter, they play 3-5-2 guess who has the most assist in the League, Dimarco a wing back……
Now to formation change 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and you keep the most deadly player on the bench to bring in Nkunku, Fulkrug and keep out of form pulisic playing wide, running around and selfish.
The reaction- was Leao right to show his frustration? IMO yes
Should Maignan run towards him?…No totally unnecessary, he should have done better on the goal conceded rather than worry about Leao
Allegri clearly clearly does not have the defensive reassurances he needs in a 4man backline to be able to field 3 upfront.
I fell like he needs to level with Leao and let him know that the only way he’ll consider moving him out wide is if he tracks back to help defend EVERY SINGLE TIME.
That would make Leao’s reaction interesting.
Sell Leao as soon as possible. He is to lazy and we are playing better without him. We need to accept even if he got the talent to become the best, he will never reach that level. He doesn’t have the hunger and he will never have it.
Interesting statistics: For Leao the player with the most assists to him: Theo (12), Giroud (8), Diaz (6), Tonali (5), Rebic (4), Pulisic (3).
For Pulisic: Reus (8), Sancho (5), Abraham (4), Mount (4), Leao (2)
Clearly, Leao was most dangerous playing down the left flank with Theo, and Pulisic gets little service from any of the Milan players. He’s left on his own to find them.