Rafael Leao, for better or worse, always seems to be the centre of attention at AC Milan and that certainly applies to the game against Rennes last night too.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write, Leao is like a human switch. No player like him forces a Milan fan to have four, five, six mood swings in 90 minutes: desperation and joy, annoyance and celebration, desolation and admiration, all blended and served cold on the Brittany evening.
Stefano Pioli gave him 62 minutes and Leao for 57 was among the worst. Then, within thirty seconds, he made the play that this game will be remembered for, picking the ball up inside Rennes’ half and surging into the box, bundling past Mandanda and slotting into an empty net.
In one action, there was everything that Pioli asked of him at the beginning of the season: running with the ball, getting into a good position and showing the kind of composure that a player with his talent should have.
For a few months now there has been a repeated cycle on social media about a player who burns intensely for a few moments, then goes out. Frankly, it is early – very early – to give up because Leao remains one of the players with the most room for growth.
One of the areas he can get a lot better is with his finishing. In Rennes, Rafa wasted two huge opportunities at the start of both halves, the first one a shot straight at Mandanda as he came out during a one-on-one, and then he squandered an even better break by waiting too long to decide.
Leao finds himself in that situation more and more often, and almost always shoots the same way: falling over with a weak shot on his right foot. It’s impossible to know if he stays to do shooting practice long after training, but the rumours from Milanello suggest he could do it more.
Pioli saw the glass full at the end of the match: “Rafa was happy with the passage to the next round and with the goal. The goal is very important for him.
“How happy am I that he scored after recovering the ball? Very, very much. I am very happy with his attitude, he is a strong player who has to work and believe in himself.”
At 24 the definition of being a ‘strong player’ is fine. In five years, if Leao remains that and not one of the best of his generation it will be a defeat for everyone. For him, above all.
