Sergio Conceicao’s decision to play Joao Felix over Rafael Leao from minute one against Napoli continues to draw scrutiny from the Italian media.
La Gazzetta dello Sport begin a report with some stats. Milan’s shots on target: 0 in the first half, four in the second. Total shots: five in the first half, 11 in the second. Expected goals: 0.49 in the first half, 2.17 in the second.
Something must have changed halfway through, and indeed it did: Conceiçao sent Leao onto the pitch and the game changed completely. There is a moral to this story: in the current Milan, it makes no sense for Rafa Leao to be left out, especially if the starter is Joao Felix.
The author of the piece, Luca Bianchin, calls it ‘the least understandable choice of the year’. It is no coincidence that Conceiçao sent the No.10 to warm up after 20 minutes: he had already changed his mind.
Conceiçao was asked about it last night: “In the afternoon they told me that Leao was feeling a bit of discomfort in his thigh, but we had already prepared the match without him. I’m not saying that he didn’t play because of what the doctor told me.”
The choice is inexplicable, and it was the 11th time this season that Leao has started a game on the bench. The fact remains that Milan often do not build properly from the back, do not have ideas with the ball and rely on individual plays. Leao, among the individuals, is by far the one with the most talent.
Rafa is partly to blame. For a couple of seasons he has been going through ups and downs, this seasn more than most. He scores less than in previous seasons – 10 goals so far, a year ago he got to 15, two years ago to 16 – and he hasn’t made the leap in quality that everyone expected.
From the Scudetto season where he was MVP to now being left out by tactical choice suggests a long steady decline. Leao has started four times on the bench in the last eight league games. It’s hard for him to find confidence like that.
Yeah, I bet Leao would have avoided those two silly goals. With him or without him, we are not a collective, but a group of individuals. His immature behaviour during the water break only made things worse for the locker room. He is capable of so much more, but refuses to grow-up and develop his qualities which seems to be a growing trend with contemoprary players. Conceicao is a goner and he messed up the lineup last night, but let’s stop with this Leao overhyping whenever he makes a dangerous play only to keep silent and blame everyone else whenever he plays badly (which happen more often than not).
How exactly is he the scapegoat? Objectively observing his lack of consistency and often times even desire is not scapegoating. He did well last night, compared to the rest of the team, so what? He has been a disappointment more often than not this season. It can even be argued that he was behind the Fonseca sacking, attempting to undermine him whenever he had the opportunity. A lot of other players are criticized for much less, so no, he is not a scapegoat, on the contrary.
Last chance is coppa italia.
Its good we rest Leao. And we can see how Gabbia Pavlovic is lowest quality pair.
Ok, Milan want to sell Tomori. Thats why he is on the bench. But last 2 games against Inter who has some injuries plus game against Munich, must give Milan players motive to give everything.
Winning coppa can save in many ways this team and season. Losing against Inter means disaster
Leao is Milan, good or bad he needs to play as long as he is fit excerpt from the righter “Leao, among the individuals, is by far the one with the most talent”.
Just play him for the whole duration, he been there brings the best out of the the “Timid” Pulisic, and Reinjnders, cos the whole attention goes to Leao and that allows others to thrive, non of this saviors can thrive without Leao that’s a fact
Sell Leao, nail him, kick him, bench him, slap him, he is this , he is that . Its there for everyone to see now. This is the match Leao ought to have played but didn’t. I guess Concecao plan to take short cut to Europe by witting coppa italia backfires. I really feel sorry for him. This situation reminded me of Anthonio Nocerino. He was shining when playing along Ibrahinmovic and we all thought we had gotten a gem, only for Ibrahinmovic to be sold and the reality became done on us when Nocerino started dropping by heaps and bounds. Leao is d soul of this team whether we accept or not.
Trying to crowbar Felix into this starting 11 is criminal at this point… Mendes, man….
I’m truly happy next season we won’t have any of his minions here outside of Leao.