Matteo Gabbia went back into the side on Sunday afternoon as AC Milan won and kept a clean sheet against Hellas Verona.
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Milan returned to winning ways at the Stadio Bentegodi after two defeats in a row against Napoli and Udinese, with zero goals scored and four conceded. The three points earned coincided with the return of Gabbia, back after an operation to resolve a hernia.
The Gabbia factor
Gabbia’s presence wasn’t just symbolic as his importance was evident in two key moments of the match. In the 75th minute, the Rossoneri thought that they had doubled their lead when the centre-back headed in, but Santiago Gimenez was adjudged offside in the build-up.
A few minutes later, the No.46 was then decisive in the defensive phase, with his sliding tackle preventing the ball from going into the net after Edmundsson and Orban were targeted with a low cross.
What’s truly impressive is the win-loss record when he’s not on the field. With him on the pitch, Milan have lost only once in the league, managing to win 15 games and draw nine. Without him, the Rossoneri have won four of eight matches, losing the remaining four.
The average points haul in matches where Gabbia is present is 2.16, while in his absence the figure drops to 1.5. After the game, though, he denied that he has any kind of talismanic presence in his interview with Sky.
“The defeats without me are definitely a coincidence. Today’s match wasn’t easy, and things are always tough on the pitch. Today it was important to get back to winning ways, get the three points, and we have to be happy about that.”