AC Milan are in two battles at the moment – namely one for the top four and the other for the final four of the Champions League – for which they need the best version of Rafael Leao.
MilanNews recall that Leao has not scored a goal for two months now, and for around a month and a half of that Stefano Pioli has been deploying him closer to the striker in a 3-4-2-1 system as opposed to the old 4-2-3-1 formation.
It is not only the lack of goals which are worrying but also the performances, with the most recent disappointment coming on Monday night against Salernitana, where Leao lost the ball only four seconds after kick-off and things only went downhill from there.
The new role he has is more central and it requires him to try and help create numerical superiority by targeting opposing centre-backs, something which might well be penalising the team and above all the Portuguese forward who much prefers to target full-backs and beat them to the byline, with cutting inside more of a threat than a go-to move.
After missing out on the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, the Rossoneri’s goal has now moved on to conquering a place in the top four which is fundamental for the future of the project.
It is useless to deny that Milan is very tied to the performances of Leao along with Giroud, so a turning point is needed after a poor start to 2023.
Milan needs to focus on the top 4 more than the final spot in CL. A top 4 guarantees Milan needs the money for next season.