The international break has not started in the best way for Rafael Leao as he was brought off at half-time in Portugal’s win over Croatia last night.
Leao was named in the starting line-up for the game that took place in Lisbon at Benfica’s ground, and the first half went well for Portugal but the decision was made to bring the winger off after just 45 minutes.
Their head coach Roberto Martinez was asked about whether he had a physical issue or if it was a purely tactical change, with his comments to A Bola relayed by our colleagues at Football Italia.
“Rafael was substituted for adjusting the positions and for being able to play with Nuno Mendes higher up. It’s part of it. We have two games in 72 hours, so using our energies is important, and that was the reason,” he said.
Nuno Mendes started as a left-back behind Leao, but the PSG defender was used in a more advanced position after the break and there has been the suggestion that the duo do not have much chemistry.
“I disagree. It’s true that when Nuno and Rafael play together, they need to occupy different spaces, so when Rafael plays, for us, it’s better for him to play wide,” Martinez responded.
“Connections between players are different, but I think that in the first half, we need Rafael to have a player on the wing higher up, while in the second half we needed a wide player lower down.”
The performance of Milan’s No.10 was rather lacklustre in the eyes of A Bola, who gave him a 5 out of 10 in their player ratings.
“Too intermittent. The backheel touch with which he isolated Ronaldo in the 22nd minute was the best he left in the game. He came off at half-time and left everyone sighing for more. He clearly lacks confidence.”
The guy is just lazy a.f., and unfortunately he plays in Milan. He’s been lazy for years now, get rid of him, and buy a decent winger. Lazy for Milan and for his national team…useless
agree 100%. He is not team player and if some want him we need sell him at january.I think no one will take him more then 50m now
Maybe another rap song or a modeling gig would give him that necessary confidence boost. And if that doesn’t work, a few thousand likes on Insta or twitter will for sure.
Precisely. His head just isn’t in the game. We’re not the only ones seeing it. If Chelsea don’t even come in with a 100m offer or Saudi, it means no ones interested and that really he’s a 40-60m player.
Please Leao alone. Haba, these heavy criticism is too much and way over-load. Yes, he lacks something but he contributed more than any other player in last 4 years. Let’s just accept him as he is . Let him be in peace.
Take Leao and bring him at your home,just i hope he moved from Milan
I would love for you to start your own business and have an overpaid employee that is supposed to propel the company forwards. And while he did that for a year or two, now he is doing a bare minimum and your company failing to meet yearly goals and stagnating instead of growing because of that. Even losing potential contracts.
I would love to have this conversation with you after that, to see if you would still be saying “oh let him be, he is too sensitive, he did earn his paycheck 3 years ago, that gives him the right do slack off now.” Or would you kick him on his ass.
See having a bad week, a bad month an bad half season, even an entire season is fine. It happens. Having 3 in a row while doing nothing to change that other than going nuts on social media and making rap songs? Yeah he is getting awfully close to becoming Balotelli 2.0
It’s one thing. Change/Improve or accept criticism or go.
He has overstayed his welcome, he is not playing whole heartedly like chiesa in juve, juve still soled him..so who is leao, he shd go and see vini junior or Rodrigo…
At this point, lower the release clause from 175 to 100, and I think most would take that. We can effectively strengthen 2 key positions with that much, move pulisic to the LW where he played most of his career at, put Chuk of Okafor on the R, give minutes to guys like Traore, and if need be bring in another proven winger who has hustle. Then get a CM who isn’t a box to box. Trying to keep a player who’s heart is no longer in it never ends well…
So Rafa did nothing in the last two games for Milan? He produced 75% of our only goal in one game, and scored in the other one. Rafa last season was the second most prolific forward in Serie A, with 28 goal participations adding assists to goals. Only Lautaro Martinez had more (30). You guys want Rafa (and Theo) gone for supposedly being “lazy.” Theo reportedly is already talking with Real Madrid, because he is upset at Fonseca, believes that Fonseca is not competent enough to manage Milan (and Theo is right about it).
Once you guys get your wish and Theo and Rafa leave, you’ll regret it, because Milan will be much worse without them.
And before you say that Rafa was disrespectful in the cooling break episode, remember that Rafa himself was strongly disrespected by the administration, when the CEO said that he’d personally pack Rafa’s bags. How in the hell does an administrator say something like this about a player, and one of our best players?
Theo is unmotivated because not only he sees that Fonseca is horrible, but also Theo is a world class left back who was never compensated as such at Milan. He generously stayed with us instead of earning twice as much elsewhere, but now he is understandably fed up. And Rafa will be too, soon enough.
He lacks condition.
He need to improve his work in the defense and definitely needs to improve on 1-1 situation as he might win 1 out of 10 situation. He needs to get working and forget his other stupid things he focuses his time at, and stop telling to supporters to be quiet 🤫
I would bench him day in day out if he really don’t show team work.
I have been saying so many times that our biggest problem at the moment is the formation as the players are not doing enough on defensive duties.
I would go for a 3-5-2 with Theo and Calabria as wings on the middle.
France 4-2-3-1- Italy 3-4-1-1, game yesterday proved once again that you need to have a strong core in the back to be able to win.