Rafael Leao looks fantastic this season, and whilst he is still learning his new role, the future looks bright for the AC Milan star.
When Massimiliano Allegri first arrived – and before that, in fairness – Leao was the talking point. How would the Italian bring the most out of the Portuguese, who had previously not been able to unlock his best?
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Last season, both coaches tried a few approaches, but neither unlocked the best of the star. In fact, it seemed at one point like they could deter him from the club. However, he remained, and everyone is grateful for that.
Instant impact
Tuttosport, this morning, wrote that his journey up to now is intriguing, as MilanNews relays. The effects of Allegri’s treatment can already be seen, and he is firmly on an upward trajectory.
Leao is a bit of a unicorn player, someone who rarely comes along and can be a tactical headache. However, the work from the Tuscan coach is clearly having an impact. He is happy to draw fouls and make ‘pointless’ runs.
It displays his positive attitude towards the coach’s ideas, and as a result, he can be calmer when on the ball.
As a striker, a position in which he is not completely comfortable, he has had his best start to a Serie A season; he has scored four goals in six starts. It is his best goal-to-minute ratio, and it is thanks to Allegri.
I notice that he is more timid now with lower self-confidence
Interesting…He looks quite assertive to me, scoring goals, making good runs, drawing defenders and opening space for others. He loves to take on defenders as well, and you can’t do that if you are timid or lacking in confidence. Quite the opposite actually.
Leao still makes the runs drawing 3 sometimes 4 players with him, but that opens up the space for others. So these runs aren’t exactly pointless.