AC Milan closed out their tour of the United States with a third win in three games, this time against Barcelona on penalties in Baltimore after a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes.
Luka Jovic and Christian Pulisic scored early on for Milan but that lead would slip away when Robert Lewandowski fired in a brace either side of half-time, but Lorenzo Torriani was the hero in the penalty shootout. La Gazzetta dello Sport have picked out the best and worst performers.
Rafael Leao: The winger made his preseason debut and caused havoc down the left side. It’s partly his natural talent, partly the work done with his coaches before arriving in the USA, but when he accelerated he got past his man every time.
The good news is that, even in Fonseca’s system which is less tied to transitions, he was getting the ball in his favourite position and attacking as he knows how to: by going at his man, weaving between spaces and getting deep into the box.
Christian Pulisic: Milan’s build-up was different yesterday compared to the first two games but Pulisic was precious as a spark in the attacking midfield. He combined with Samuel Chukwueze and Leao, bringing his quality and intelligence.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that when Fonseca moved him further forward as a false nine Milan stopped being dangerous. Chukwueze can celebrate too because if Pulisic continues to play well in the centre, he has a spot on the right, and the pair have already been linking up well.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: The ‘champagne formula’ of Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao and Morata together moves Loftus-Cheek back 20 metres into the double pivot and his performance against Barcelona was split into two halves.
In the first he used his size well and used a couple of nice body feints to start transitions, but the second half was difficult as Barça managed the pace of the game as they pleased. There are things to work on and it is possible his position will change throughout the season.
The defence: It certainly wasn’t a game for the defensive purists. Alexis Saelemaekers played right-back and really struggled against Raphinha, while Malick Thiaw made two great blocks but in a pair with Fikayo Tomori he suffered.
It is logical that the rearguard might suffer given they did for the whole of last season and a new coach – with new attacking and defensive ideas – takes some adjusting to. Strahinja Pavlovic could come in straight away, while Matteo Gabbia’s stock must be on the rise.
Lorenzo Torriani: La Gazzetta save the ‘fairy tale’ for last. He could never have imagined that Sportiello would get injured and he would play for 90 minutes against Manchester City, Real and Barcelona, saving shots from Haaland, Endrick, Raphinha, Lewandowski and two penalties.
Fonseca has already predicted a bright future for him and fans on social media in the last few hours have talked more about him than about Leao. The next few weeks will tell us where his immediate future is.