GdS: From RLC to the centre-backs – five big positives for Fonseca after Milan-Venezia

The 4-0 win against Venezia did not magically fix all of AC Milan’s problems, but there were at the very least some positives to take and try build on for Paulo Fonseca.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write how ten magic wands waved at the same time would not be enough to solve all of Milan’s issues but there was certainly some movement along the right path, especially given the Liverpool and Inter examinations that follow.

The first positive note is Matteo Gabbia, who was hastily recalled from Villarreal in January during an injury crisis and became one of the most consistent performers. Fonseca thew him in against Venezia, partly because he trusts him anyway and partly because of the need to rotate, and he responded with a great performance, even (almost) celebrating a goal.

Paradoxically, Strahinja Pavlovic is one of Gabbia’s problems, because he has settled in quickly and already seems to be an immovable starter. His aggression and physicality are why Zlatan Ibrahimovic has nicknamed him the ‘animal’ but it must be channeled in the right way. After being erratic against Parma and Lazio, he was certainly much more composed against the Venetians.

Then there is Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has alternated between playing in the double pivot and as an attacking midfielder this season. Alongside Youssouf Fofana, the Englishman helped build a solid wall in front of the defence, adding size and the ability to drive play forward with his runs. This could be vital against Liverpool and Inter.

The fourth positive is Christian Pulisic, who remains decisive. Having been tried down the middle the USA international is now back on the right and has continued after a debut season with 26 goal contributions. He got an assist from a set piece and a goal from the spot, also giving a second penalty to Tammy Abraham.

Finally, and speaking of Tammy, he has arrived initially with the role of being Alvaro Morata’s deputy but knowing he would get chances. Against Venezia – after a positive debut vs. Lazio – he showed a willingness to sacrifice and assist his team-mates, also moving smartly to free up space. If this continues, he will be knocking firmly on the door.

Tags AC Milan Christian Pulisic Matteo Gabbia Ruben Loftus-Cheek Strahinja Pavlovic

21 Comments

Add a Comment
  1. The problem of this Milan is that the standards are set against the lowest teams. Most key players in that team never achieved something significant against top teams. Last season Milan struggled against every top team they played. Statement games come against Lecce or Salernitana, or the summer friendlies and Venezia this season. But let’s continue to believe that Loftus-Cheek is the new Ballack or that scoring penalty kicks are huge achievements for strikers. Jerry said that winning is boring, this Milan surely is entertaining like the biggest rollercoaster out there.

    1. Or we could continue to b’tch and whine about everything – including how people react to winning a “must win match” with adequate performance. I’ll pitch in and say Cardinale is a d*ck. And Moncada should be fired. Who’s next? Come on people, don’t be shy! It’s time to b*tch and whine! Every day is a b*tch and whine day!

        1. “Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.”

          Your sh*t has no effect on me though. 🙂

    2. Yeah, Bart’s the real Milan fan. He doesn’t watch the game then comes in here to leave negative comments after a 4-0 win. Milan needs more fans like Bart.

      1. Can you please buy the 20 000 tickets remaining for the Liverpool game? Because your fainted heroism by insulting other fans here is not helping your beloved Milan. This website is worse by the day. People insulting each others without any football related comment and then crying for gaslighting. Ridiculous. I wish it was required to have 18+ to comment here.

        1. ANd your negative comments about the players, the management and the owners after every single match, win or lose is really what our beloved Milan needs. Like I said, you didn’t even watch the game, then come to the comment section to leave negative comments about the players, coach and ownership after a 4-0 win in a week where we gained points on both Juve and Inter. If you can’t even be a little happy about that I’m sorry to say you may not be a Milan fan. When you get more upset when the team wins than when they lose, you may not be a Milan fan…

          1. Is it a negative comment to say that Milan is good against poor teams and bad against top teams? Or is it the reality? The fact that every usual idiot arrive in pack to insult me instead of trying to prove me wrong speaks volume. Just live your life, there will always be people who disagree with you.

          2. I’ve proven you wrong time and time again Bart, but you still keep spewing the same nonsense. Even this last comment that Milan is good against poor teams and bad against good teams is inaccurate. Under Pioli, Milan’s record against the top teams was rather good and they would drop a lot of points to the bottom table teams. So that’s inaccurate as well. Every comment you make has some negativity directed at a player or coach, and always no matter what the article is actually about find some way to work in a shot at the owner. So yeah, here we have an article called 5 positive things and of course the first comment is a bunch of negative things directed at RLC who was one of our best players in the game and of course the owner who you are obsessed with. If you are angry when the team loses and angry when the team wins, you might want to find another team. It’ll be better for your mental health.

        2. Make it 21+ and throw in that Tequila we partnered up with. Would make this place a hell of a lot more fin!

          B, you gonna have to bring cheese for that whine 😉

        3. Make it 21+ and throw in that Tequila we partnered up with. Would make this place a hell of a lot more fin!

          B, you gonna have to bring cheese for that whine… 😉

    3. Oh, and once again Bart spreads the same lie he keeps saying even after I pointed out to him that Jerry never said “winning is boring”. Must have been the voices in your head again. Another one of these drama queens that were screaming that the Scudetto was out of reach after three games. Meanwhile Juve just dropped points to Empoli and Inter has already dropped points to Genoa and Monza this season. Keep spreading the lies and hate you toxic troll. That’s what Milan needs.

    4. A big ole’ American rollercoaster. Theme park stadium with mickey mouse serving Coors Light at the beer stand. The stadium named something like “National Liability and Fire Insurance Co. Field”. Cheerleaders. A McDonalds every 20m in each concourse. 80’s rock music to introduce the squad. Fireworks before and after the game. What did I miss?

  2. So let’s recap – we just thrashed Venezia 4-0 while Inter drew (plus Fratessi who only cost 40 mil) with Monza and indestructible Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest…. Things are looking up. Although our holes in midfield and another Royal/Calabria sh*tshow could change all that.

  3. This was a positive game. Wasn’t pretty, but these low block teams always give us problems. The counters kill us everytime.

    That did not happen this game. That’s a positive.

    Something to build on. Tweaks are needed with focus on mid field defending. Our midfield recovery needs to move forward faster. The hold up play is allowing teams to reset to much. We don’t have Giroud as a target man anymore. But we do jave players that can move around fast and well.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.