AC Milan went into the break in the right way after beating Fiorentina 2-1 but it is certainly going to be a useful period of rest for Stefano Pioli’s side.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have published ratings of each Milan player for the 2022-23 season so far, a campaign that still keeps alive the double objective of competing for the Scudetto and qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League which has already been achieved.
Starting with Mike Maignan, the goalkeeper gets a 6.5 out of 10 having been plagued with muscle problems but showing positive signs. His deputy Ciprian Tatarusanu had to step up and he gets a 6, as the Romanian ‘never gives the impression of security that someone like Mike can guarantee’ but has generally been ok.
Fikayo Tomori gets a 6 because he has been inconsistent, alternating brilliant performances with ones where he looks off the pace. The same can be said for Pierre Kalulu who gets the same score too, with some unusual blunders arriving but consideration given to the fact he has been split between centre-back and full-back.
Matteo Gabbia received a 6.5 as he has been quite reliable when called upon and scored his first ever goal for the club in Zagreb against Dinamo, while summer signing Sergino Dest was ‘catapulted into the fray perhaps a little too soon’ and gets a 5.5.
Davide Calabria gets a 6 but his season was interrupted by the muscle issue in the Empoli away game that ended his 2022 prematurely. Malick Thiaw – another summer arrival – started the last two games against Cremonese and Fiorentina, showing promise and earning a 6.5.
Theo Hernandez has been captain for a long time due to Calabria’s injury, and while he didn’t always keep his nerve and must continue to improve, he still finds ways to be decisive so gets a 6. Simon Kjaer is awarded a 6.5 as the Dane has ‘resumed his place in the centre of the Rossoneri defence, with his usual authority’ as Pioli manages his playing time well.
Fodé Ballo-Touré has been given a 6.5 as he scored an important winner against Empoli and is clearly eager to carve out a role, while Junior Messias’ goals against Sampdoria, Torino and Salzburg get him a 6.5 but in truth there could have been more if it weren’t for injuries.
Speaking of injuries, Alexis Saelemaekers gets a 6 for his goals in the Champions League against RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, but a left knee issue sustained in Empoli cost him a place at the World Cup. A 6.5 goes to Rade Krunic who also scored in the key match against Salzburg at home, playing multiple positions and always giving his all.
Yacine Adli arrived from Ligue 1 after a loan at Bordeaux at gets a 5 but in truth it is only based on the one disappointing start he made against Verona, the rest is because Pioli is clearly not convinced enough to pick him.
Ismael Bennacer gets a 7 as the Algerian ‘is now the technical leader of the Rossoneri midfield’ while Sandro Tonali gets the same for being a leader too and because of the trend of scoring important goals.
Tommaso Pobega is a new face so to speak but has shown that he does have a role in midfield and his athleticism is important, but he must mature so gets a 6. Brahim Diaz has been given a 6.5 in what is a ‘season of truth’ for him given it is the second year of his loan, as the Spaniard has scored important goals but has also shown familiar inconsistency.
Charles De Ketelaere was bought from Club Brugge in a €35m operation over the summer and it seems the efforts of Maldini and Massara to close the deal are weighing on the 21-year-old’s shoulders, who has so far been inconsistent in terms of numbers in attacking production. Patience is needed, but a 5 is awarded.
Aster Vrankx gets a 6 but on little evidence so far given his only highlight is the cross that propitiated Milenkovic’s own-goal, but the 20-year-old Belgian starting to get useful minutes and seems to be holding up well.
Rafael Leao is ‘the star of the team’ and has also proved to be so in these first months of the 2022-23 season. The red card in Genoa and a few empty games don’t stain a season made up of accelerations, goals, assists and a good willingness to work hard, so he gets a 7.
Olivier Giroud gets a 7.5 as the Frenchman has appeared ‘dominant, aware, spectacular in his ideas and solutions’. Having been forced to work overtime, the 36-year-old held up perfectly even from a physical point of view, scoring some important goals.
Ante Rebic’s start to the season suggested greater after his brace against Udinese in the first round of action, and also after the pre-season in which he appeared fit, concentrated and eager to leave behind some difficult months. He has struggled to find rhythm though, and gets a 6.
Divock Origi gets a 5, but the extenuating factor is the repeated series of physical problems that delayed his entry into the group. So far, however, only one goal has come and it was against Monza, in the midst of many unexciting minutes. It would be ungenerous to attack him now, but his disappointing 2022 cost him his participation in the World Cup.
Finally, Stefano Pioli gets a 6.5. Milan ahve two points less than the same stage last season but the Champions League group stage has been overcome. There have been some worryingly lacklustre performances but injuries and fatigue weigh, while the other problem is Napoli’s ridiculous pace, something Pioli can do very little about.
