Massimo Ambrosini was once again working as a pundit covering the AC Milan game last night, and he provided his thoughts on the draw against Lazio.
The Rossoneri made the perfect start to the game at the Stadio Olimpico as Strahinja Pavlovic – making his second start for the club since arriving from Red Bull Salzburg – rose at the near post to head in a corner and make it 1-0.
Goals from Taty Castellanos and Boulaye Dia inside five minutes turned the game on its head in the second half, until the substitute Rafael Leao scored an equaliser which Tammy Abraham was also involved in.
Despite the drama from the game itself, it is the ‘cooling break saga’ which has been dominating the media headlines and the social media feeds of Milan fans since last night’s game, with Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao at the centre.
Ambrosini covered the game for DAZN and he provided a reflection at full-time, starting with the images that have gone viral showing Leao and Theo on the other side of the field during a team talk.
“There’s no point in beating around the bush, the unease is evident and it manifested itself, let’s say, in a fairly strong way with the image of the players who don’t go there,” he said (via Radio Rossonera).
“It was not nice to see. Regardless of the fact that they were justified because they had just entered and clearly did not need to drink. However, Tammy Abraham, who had entered with them and Musah, was with his team-mates encouraging them and asking for information. They were not.
“The discomfort is something more than a simple exclusion. Now, it is perhaps not nice and friendly to talk without knowing things , nor to make allusions of any kind. However, what we saw today is something not nice and to be justified even for a team like Milan.”
This is why Ambro was the captain after Maldini retired, and these 2 should never be allowed to put the captains armband again.
Regardless if you don’t like the coach, you should be there with your brothers.
Agreed. It’s a sign of bigger problems at Milan. The team isn’t taking to Fonseca and his ideas and keep making the same basic mistakes at the back.
Team players will be team players, right? 🙂
I don’t understand the need to say they shouldn’t wear the armband, may be they also shouldn’t have contributed into scoring the equalizer as well, it’s wrong to conclude without hearing from them. There exclusion from the beginning was a mistake in my opinion cos their replacement were trash. The difference was noticed in 2mins that’s how important they were. Chukwueze,RLC,Emerson were all poor in the first 2matches yet they were not excluded.
It’s indeed an awkward situation, to say the least. Unless a veritable miracle occurs in the scope of few days – resounding triumphs against Shinter and Liverpool etc. – I have a feeling, deep down an almost certainty, that Fonseca is already a ‘dead man walking’ as AC Milan coach.
It was a bold decision to bench both it backfired especially as the equaliser came from Leao. It’s easy to see why Pioli put up with Leao and to some extent it’s understandable. It’s like asking Lionel Messi to press although Leao isn’t Messi but he’s probably the star player for this team.
Sadly, there’re those who want to see Fonsy fail so they can gloat and say, “I told you so.” if he’s sacked early, the management will look incompetent if they don’t already. How did we get here: from winning the scudetto to being on the verge of a return to the banter era. I hope I’m wrong though
How did it backfire?
They got benched because they were lazy. When you bench someone for lack of effort, you putting them on notice that they need to bring better effort next time they get called up, which they did, for 2 minutes. But then they made it worse by distancing themselves from their teammates. They could have acted as leaders during the cooling break, push the rest of the team to use the momentum after the goal to win the game, but instead they killed the momentum with their act.
What did either of them do, or for that matter the whole team, after the cooling break? They did nothing. There were 20+ minutes left.
It did backfire Leao didn’t just score the equalizer it was combination of the 2 with a touch from Abraham. That goal is all Leaos. Benching them was an error cos they delivered
That is why pioli got fired because he had put up with leao garbage he is a coach killer with leao you don’t win nothing
Backfire? Leao scored the equalizer coming off the bench, now didn’t he? I’d say mission accomplished. And even Theo ran to defend in one occasion. That’s more than he has done in the previous two matches.
I always want to see my team winning, regardless of the ‘political’ context. But fact is that Fonseca is really turning the whole situation the more and more unbearable.
I’d bench them again but for the whole game. Jimenez on rb, Bartesaghi on lb.
We keep down this path and we will have no choice but to sell him and Leao… Then back to mid table mediocrity we go, because sadly they are the two best (most talented) players we have …
What’s the alternative? have those stars toy with every coach that comes?
Which is the very reason Fonseca was a bad appointment. Star players need an elite coach..not one who wakes up thankful every morning wondering how he ended up with the job. Redbird even said we don’t feel the need for an elite coach….who do they revere now? Maldini has gone..Zlatan? People talk about Zlatan like he’s a Milan legend…he isnt, he was an elite player but not our most successful period in history. He doesn’t lace them boots of Sheva or Van Basten.
We need a top coach, someone to kick their ass into gear, someone like Klopp or Zidane. yes they cost money, but so does changing coaches every summer, paying off their contracts and losing all the time….
Tuchel is still available. And would be a good option to motivate these players.
We need a sporting director that ties everything together. The players coming in feel disjointed.
And yes, its obvious we need a better coach, somebody with a record who commands respect.
Well, if Milan sell those two and use the money to buy other top quality players, it is not that hard.
Ultimately you’re right mate, a proper sporting director will get the right pieces in place. I agree about the incoming players too, none of them seemed to address the issues at hand. Emerson is beyond me and probably everyone here, not sure what Fofana is and what issue he addresses…I don’t know why we needed Tammy and Morata, that is gonna cause headaches when both fit because from the 25 minutes saw of Tammy, he looks lively and dangerous, probably with a point to prove..Pavlovic is the only signing I think has genuinely answered an issue.
@ Flo- Tuchel would be a great move, sadly we won’t pay his wages unless he agrees to a massive drop.
Man, you cannot bench Theo and Leão on this Milan side, unless both are down to one fvckin’ leg! They are by very ‘intergalactic’ far our best players, even a blind owl can see that.
yes you can. Those stars need a little humility soup
This
Exactly. They are killing the team spirit.
You most certainly can. And it worked. Those 2 were virtual traffic cones last game before this, and lazy af. If benching them humbles them and makes them try, it’s the right move
Ah, some coaches have big cojones! Marcelo Lippi at some time benched a fully fit Roberto Baggio!! Il Divin Codino!! Don Carlo himself refused the offer of Baggio at parma and Conte has just played without Osimhen and won. If a coach takes such “gambles” it better pay off. that’s where Fonseca dropped the ball, his gamble flopped.
Fonseca out ,you are not good for Milan. Go out out out
I’d bench them again honestly. There’s no automatic starters here. If you’re lazy, you dont play. Hopefully being humbled lights a fire to try harder, because we will get nowhere with those 2 only showing up once every 4 games…
It’s really disappointing, this kind of kindergarten bs. Sometimes the biggest talents are not leaders and certainly we see that here. Question is, where do they go from here?
I have NO issues benching players if they play lazy the game before. Call ups based on merit. 100%
BUT
If we go down this path there are two outcomes speaking of Theo and Leao: they shape up or ship out.
With the lack of good subs for any of them (particularly Theo) this situation can go in either:
-a/ Leao and Theo will never start or never play for the club until they admit they shouldn’t behave the way they did, but it cames at a big cost since we can’t win without them (we barely win even with them !!)
-b/ The management and the coach will favour the results and both players will regain their starting places and can act all mighty and be lazy as much as they want.
Both a-/ and b-/ are bad and I’m sure which scenario is worse for us.
In any case, regardless of whom you think is in the wrong or right here, september barely started and we can confidently say that Fonseca has already lost the locker room.
Both Leao and Theo had plenty of lazy games. Yet Pioli kept starting both, game in and game out because he understood that they make the difference. That’s the mindset they probably still have.
Fonseca is trying different things to which they seem to be resistive so far? Let’s see how that plays out.
When you play 90 minutes twice a week I’m not sure you’re lazy, maybe you’re just tired sometimes.
We can say what we want – truth is Leao and Theo are probably just tired of the way this team is being. We all know Fonesca is not much of an improvement over Pioli. I will still back him because of how early into the season it is, but the team is not showing any promise. Now with all the “they do not deserve the armband” – lets be careful with that matter because I feel like its enough to push them over the edge. I know for a fact even if we get the money from them that owner will still take the profits and will prefer a “moneyball” strategy.
Benching them is appreciated only if we had right replacement. Theo – Leo to Terra – Puli is not a smart move plus what RLC is an utility player can’t be a starter always.
Benching them was the right move. The only problem I had was they should have been subbed in at half time or at 55 when Lazio was on the ascendancy.
Why is it Leao and Theo’s fault for not joining the rest of the players and it is not the fault of Fonseca and his staff for not calling them to come, where is Paulo Ferreira if Fonseca didn’t see this.
I am surprised everyone is blaming the players and not the manager and his staff.
Just remember how many times you have heard Pioli yelling Rafa and you will see the difference.
players are not supposed to be “called” for a team huddle. they come as its their responsibility, they can then decide whether to pick up a bottle of water or not. the pep talk was compulsory, the water was not.
if u want to bench captain is 4 someone better not 4 that Royal “the master of blunder” he cost us 3 goals already
leao and theo should have realized they were under the spotlight.
should not have done what they did.
if they wanted to press home their point, they should have done the extra and won the game, at the point, the question would be: ” who was the dumb idiot who benched them in the first place?” at this rate the body language of both players show that they would not care less if milan actually lost.
That team spirit was transmitted from management by reason of their actions in the trasnfer market and their recent utterances.
What a mess this management team has lead us into…
The inexperience and incompetence is disturbing but not exactly surprising
Disgraceful
I have always been the advocate of the sale of Theo and Leao. The duo are are more problem to Milan than solution. They play anytime they feel like and when one is not playing the other won’t play well with the substitute of the other. Too bad.
@Olumighty what is there not to understand?
that they performed woefully against parma and needed to be benched so as to motivate them to work harder?
or the coach giving information and encouragment and everyone went there to listen and they stood apart, where even new substitutes like them also went there to also ecourage and ‘ginger’ the team?
for crying out loud they are senior figures in the dressing room and the younger players and even the new ones look up to them and listen to tem when they speak. being with the coach during the pep-talk would have shown solidarity, togetherness and pass a good message to everyone allround both to the other players and fans too. so help me understand what is it u said u dont understand
Guess Fonseca and staff also should have called them to join their colleagues, they are entitled to react in the best way that soothe them. At least the last I check they just saved the coach’s job or postponed the day of recogning for the coach