Rafael Leao was an unused substitute when AC Milan hosted Udinese, and there have been questions about whether Paulo Fonseca will bring him back into the squad on Tuesday night.
Leao has been an interesting topic this season, with him struggling to perform to his best level, and the limelight has often been on him for reasons other than positive performances – which has been the growing case for the past year.
However, his quality is undeniable, and whilst Fonseca opted to leave him on the bench against Udinese, he knows that this cannot become a theme for Milan. Nevertheless, he has sent a message to the winger that he is not untouchable.
From this, Fonseca hopes for better performances, and Gazzetta dello Sport calls the relationship a ‘chess match’. On Saturday, his team and Leao’s replacement showed fight, effort, and sacrifice, which the winger needs to show more of.
The report continues suggesting that there is a dilemma facing the head coach – does he start Leao from the first minute? Doing so would allow the forward to show he is centred and ready to help the team.
Alternatively, the head coach could look to reward Saturday’s performers with another start, which has been rare.
Fonseca stated that he needed Leao after the game this weekend, which suggests he wants him present from the first minute. If this is to be the case, the No.10 must show his value throughout the game, not just in spells.
My guess is he starts Leao on the bench and brings him on as a sub in the 2nd half if they need him. I liked the energy of the xi vs Udinese, especially Pulisic in the center of the park and Okafor on the left.
There is no dilemma. Rafa will start 100%. Highest paid player etc etc
Rafa is going to start. It was easy for Fonseca to bench him after the international break and Rafa not training Thursday. Only problem created is Okafor stepped up. This gives Fonseca leverage but Rafa will start.
We will see him on the bench regularly this season before big games.
I don’t think he will start – Milan played like a team without him so it is up to him to prove to the coach when he comes off the bench, that he is worthy to start.
Talk about overreaction. He rested Leao for a match. That’s it. Okafor did well but he didn’t do anything Leao doesn’t do every single match, including shooting the ball a mile into the stands. I’m glad he played well and it’s good if we can give Leao a rest every once in a while but it’s nothing more than that.
Only Fonseca knows if he’s going to start or not but based on the performances of his last few starts and the performances of the starters in his absence ,he shouldn’t start. Every other measures are irrelevant to me.