GdS: ‘Without peace’ – Leao struggles again despite assist with substitution reaction highlighted

Rafael Leao set up the winning moment against Hellas Verona on Sunday, but his afternoon was far from smooth again.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, it was another unwelcome substitution in another goalless match and a mixed performance, saved only by the assist for Adrien Rabiot. Leao didn’t shine at the Bentegodi, failing to break his 50-day goal drought, and he came off in a disgruntled manner again.

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Before leaving the pitch, he also shot a couple of puzzled glances at Massimiliano Allegri. When he crossed the touchline, with his hand over his mouth, he asked him why he was being substituted. There was a brief exchange, with the Livorno coach seemingly reassuring him.

Rafa certainly wasn’t reassured, and he went to the bench in a huff: there he spoke with Dolcetti, Max’s assistant, who explained the decision.

Tough patch continues

Leao also appeared unconvinced during the Lazio-Milan match on March 15, when he was removed from the pitch in the 22nd minute of the second half to be replace by Niclas Füllkrug.

His protest was even more vocal than yesterday, as he had walked toward the bench at the Olimpico, gesticulating and talking, prompting Mike Maignan to come out of his own goal to calm him down and reassure him.

Leao hasn’t scored since the away match against Cremonese on March 1, and despite being the club’s top scorer of the season (10 goals, including the Coppa Italia), he’s going through his toughest period since arriving in Milan in 2019.

Yesterday at the Bentegodi, he may have also been unnerved by the boos he received from the Verona fans. After the 1-0, his celebration with his arms outstretched, his gaze briefly directed toward that section of the stadium, making it clear he wasn’t happy.

Allegri’s substitution completed an afternoon (almost) to forget for the Portuguese, who nevertheless went onto the pitch after the final whistle to celebrate the victory with his team-mates, with his hair loose and a hint of a smile.

Why he came off

The reason for the substitution, a seemingly unanswerable question for Leao, is actually quite obvious: in 63 minutes on the pitch, Leao never managed to get a shot on goal, making 11 passes (Pulisic, who certainly wasn’t great either, made 34).

Leao neither crossed nor played, and he also led the field with three unsuccessful dribbles. However, he did have one major point that saved his game: the set-up for Rabiot. Adrien can boast of having collected two of Rafa’s three assists of the season.

This happened at Como, another win, and yesterday at Verona. It was a pass that allowed him to reach an excellent milestone: Leao has thus been involved in 50 away goals in Serie A. Since joining the Rossoneri, only Lukaku, Immobile, Berardi and Lautaro Martinez have more than that.

Furthermore, thanks to his nine league goals and the three aforementioned assists, Rafa has brought Milan 15 points, less than the 17 accumulated by Napoli thanks to Hojlund’s 13 (between goals and assists).