The decision to make big changes to the starting line-up will always raise eyebrows after previous precedents, and Stefano Pioli has once again ended up in the dock for his choices.
As this morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews) recalls, an assessment of the result against Monza last night must begin by looking at Pioli’s initial choices as he chose to rotate heavily.
The coach gambled and his risk did not pay off in the slightest. All this was already very clear at the end of the first half, so much so that the Milan coach himself immediately retraced his steps.
He sent on Tijjani Reijnders in midfield in place of an immobile Yacine Adli, plus Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on the flanks for the very dull Samu Chukwueze and Noah Okafor.
Pioli of course made the changes with an eye on the calendar and the many close games together, but the attitude of the ‘reserves’ must also be questioned because they were waiting for their opportunity and yet none of them really took it.
Yesterday the worst on the field was Malick Thiaw, who returned to the starting line-up after more than 80 days and who only had a short stint against Rennes with the match virtually over.
It was decided to risk him from the first minute and he was also left on the pitch for 90 minutes after a period of inactivity of almost three months in total. Another gamble by Pioli, the one that turned out to be the most disastrous.
Thiaw had a negative impact on three of Monza’s four goals, the decisive ones. The penalty foul comes at the end of an action where he commits three errors in rapid succession which highlight the German’s total lack of match rhythm.
From there he went into a tunnel: he was skinned by Colpani before the second goal and he did not hold the line on the occasion of Monza’s third goal. Thiaw is guilty, yes, but perhaps he shouldn’t have been thrown into the fray in this way.
