AC Milan have scored 13 goals in eight games this season in the league and netted twice against Pisa in the last round, but the attack is a problem.
As Corriere dello Sport report this morning, Milan have gone from standing alone at the top of the table to third place behind Napoli and Roma. It was a disappointing weekend, especially since they dropped points to the bottom-placed side and missed the chance to go four clear for the time being.
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Massimiliano Allegri’s side now finds themselves trailing behind, and that’s certainly not a prospect the coach is pleased with. The disappointment of drawing 2-2 against Alberto Gilardino’s side is still palpable, and the coach made his voice heard in the dressing room.
He explained to his players that a different attitude is needed to be at the top of the table in March, and home games against newly promoted teams – like those against Pisa and Cremonese – cannot be thrown away. Instead, Milan took just one point from six.
Turning point needed
Milan now want to regain the points lost at San Siro immediately in Bergamo against Atalanta. It won’t be a walk in the park: in fact, in the last two years, the Rossoneri have lost 3-2 and 2-1 at the Gewiss Stadium, so it hasn’t been a happy hunting ground.
After facing La Dea, the Rossoneri will host Roma on Sunday night. Much will be revealed about Milan’s season in a five-day stretch, when the team will play against two tough opponents for different reasons.
Against Atalanta, the atmosphere will also play a role, while in the match against Gian Piero Gasperini’s team it will be a match between two teams that are focusing entirely on defensive solidity.
After fixing the defence over the weeks, the Rossoneri coach will have to find a solution for the attack as well. The forwards continue to fail to score, and this will be a major obstacle to securing crucial points in the long run.
Santiago Gimenez is stuck on zero goals in eight appearances, while Christopher Nkunku is without a league goal even if he has played for around 90 minutes so far. Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic have kept the team going, along with goals from midfielders and defenders.
Overall, the absences of key players like Adrien Rabiot and Pulisic are being felt. One is responsible for balancing midfield and is Modric’s ideal partner in both phases of play, while the American is responsible for the attacking production.
Pulisic, with six goals and two assists, decided many Milan matches until his injury. His recovery is progressing well and he could return before the break, but he will certainly be missing against Atalanta. Modric himself will be forced to work overtime, in a tough week.
To be fair though, fixing the defense is much easier than fixing the goal drought of striker(s).
And I guess we’ll be Leao-dependant again this week in both matches but I don’t think it’s fair or realistic to expect him to keep scoring for 4 matches in a row since I don’t think he has ever managed to pull that off. Gimenez HAS TO score. Or Nkunku but I’m far more optimistic about Santi scoring than Nkunku. Oh well… Prove me wrong, would you?
To think both Giménez and Nkunku costed over 30M€ each…
Yes. Honestly this window Milan spent 36M on Nkunku and 39M on Jashari. If they took 75M and bought a striker we would be top of Serie A with maybe even 100% wins.
And realistically both are not necessary or won’t play a lot this season.
Nkunku had the word “FLOP” written all over his face for the role he was bought for.
I demand Allegri stop playing like a coward every match.
After dominating the first half, Coming out in the second half and parking the bus against Pisa, the worst team in the league, rather than keeping your foot on the gas. Shameful and they deserved to be punished for it.