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Official: Monza vs. AC Milan starting XIs – six changes from Rennes win

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has made a number of changes to the starting line-up for the game against Monza compared to the side that beat Stade Rennais in midweek.

The unavailable players for Milan are as follows: Davide Calabria is out with a muscle problem, Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori continue to recover from their respective issues while Tommaso Pobega will be out for some time yet.

Pioli has opted to make changes in every department with Malick Thiaw coming into the back four in place of Simon Kjaer to partner Matteo Gabbia. Alessandro Florenzi at right-back and Theo Hernandez at left-back complete the defence in front of Mike Maignan.

Ismael Bennacer and Yacine Adli are both back in the side after starting on the bench in midweek, with Tijjani Reijnders and Yunus Musah giving up their spot. Ruben Loftus-Cheek remains the attacking midfielder.

There are changes in attack too with Samuel Chukwueze playing on the right allowing Christian Pulisic to rest, while Noah Okafor is on the left over Rafael Leao and Luka Jovic is given the nod over Olivier Giroud.

Official Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan, Florenzi, Thiaw, Gabbia, Theo Hernandez; Bennacer, Adli; Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Okafor; Jovic.

Bench: Sportiello, Mirante, Nava, Simic, Kjaer, Jimenez, Bartesaghi, Terracciano, Reijnders, Musah, Pulisic, Leao, Giroud.

Official Monza XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Izzo, Pablo Marí, A. Carboni; Birindelli, Gagliardini, Pessina, V. Carboni; Colpani, Djuric; Dany Mota.

Bench: Sorrentino, Gori, Donati, Caldirola, Pedro Pereira, Bettella, D’Ambrosio, Kyriakopoulos, Machin, Akpa Akpro, Bondo, Maldini, Colombo, Zerbin.

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Tags AC Milan Monza Milan

99 Comments

        1. Leao lover, blind as a worm.
          You clearly don’t watch Milan games or you don’tunderstandanything about calcio…Leao is horrible, clumsy, lazy, predictable…basically a Niang bis.

    1. It some point it was looking like Pioli will never rest a player/give chance to a player., I almost give up on seeing Okafor or Jovi starting. Good to them starting together and Chuk too. They’ll not disappoint you Pioli. Forza Milan !

        1. Let’s try again with perhaps a bit less changes. Changes are necessary but Pioli will go from no changes to the lineup for months to making 8 changes in a match. I was obviously excited but you’d see I was surprised with the many changes. It’s like if mummy hardly gives you any candies then suddenly a lot of candles one morning! You’re not likely to say no thanks even if you know that much candy could be harmful.

        2. Pioli has disappointed everyone else. Don’t get it mixed up. His horrible tactics, his lineup, his refusal to rest players until the worst times. His failure

      1. Plus Adli. Thiaw only just came back too. Calabria has played more than Florenzi. Bennacer just came back. Chuk, Jovic and Okafor are basically a whole new front line I
        a game where can overtake Juve 🤦‍♂️. I like for Pioli to use more player but man this was alot and it shows so far. There’s zero chem up front.

        1. Sheesh it’s almost like a 6th sense with these things. Thiaw …wow buddy. Match sharpness. Hopefully folks realize why you can just throw players into the mix from injury or new ones for that matter.. familiarity matters

          1. Just like I inferred on the probable lineup post, IT DOES affect team chemistry.
            Pioli doesn’t seem to have learned anything about wholesale rotation . One doesn’t need to be a genius really. Juve slipped up and we could take advantage.
            Pioli always shooting himself in the foot

  12. Omg get Thiaw off.
    One thing misplacing passes but 2 terrible fouls leading to penalty is not acceptable.
    Pioli should have given him a few sub appearances to get him up to speed before starting him

    Up until that its one of the most boring halves I’ve seen this season

  13. Pioli makes all these changes. Why don’t you keep it all the same and change a couple of guys and take a lead then make your subs.

  15. No idea why there six changes… Monza aren’t pushovers…
    If you’re gonna switch oit the whole attack, do that, and keep the midfield and defense intact.

    Too much A or B lineup, and not enough player rotation, game in game out.

  16. What I dont understand is why make so many changes? 2-0 dow from a team we know are hard to olay against.

    Now we have a chance to go 2nd and Pioli does this. I think this is onenof his biggest weaknesses

      1. So? Whats your point?
        City play 3 games in 8 days with minimal changes, Arsenal play the whole season with more or less 15 players.

        Make couple of changes, secure the game and then oull them out not 6 changes

  18. Thiaw is f***ing horrible!!
    I always thought he is bad but I thought maybe I’m missing something.
    The red card against Juventus killing the game, 2 goals against Inter.
    Now two horrible mistakes.
    Omg he is the worst

      1. He is not fast enough, make too much mistakes we can’t afford, so what he is 22?
        He should be om loan in Spain make those mistakes, it’s killing our game.
        Also the second goal today was because the winger passed him between legs like he was nothing.

  20. Haha.
    Good from monza.
    Now pioli will start throwing kitchen sink at it (pioli usual fashion repeating the same lineup evreytime then boom!, big changes & drop points).
    Pioli is better making such big changes against Rennes, considering the 3-goal lead.
    Get that mf Thiaw off – he never learns from silly mistakes, Simic has never been this clumsy. OMG.

  21. I think the attack is the main reason why our midfield and defense is failing, simple no movement at the front and as a result our midfield and defense cant find them and give the ball away easy

  22. Milan do not have competent coach.

    Pioli hava blown the season already since October

    Pioli have blown the match vs Monza from the line up.

    Too bad.

    1. Right… because it’s Pioli’s fault Thiaw decided to foul twice in a row, get nutmegged on a counter then cause a deflection? LOL!!!

      Expert analysis. 👍🏻

  23. Adli and Samu poor so far. Thiaw…. Wow buddy. If at first you don’t succeed foul the second time… in the box. LOL!!! Pretty sure the ball deflected off his foot on the second goal.

    Soooooo Pioli rotated by popular request. Back to starters? 🙂

    1. The problem is he does not rotate or give minutes. That’s why they are not ready or in sync.

      You don’t just lump them all in together and expect it to work.
      Change little and often, not a lot all at one time

      we need to rotate with so many games

  25. I did mention in the previous probable lineups article that changing 2 of the three forward line is bad. yet here is Pioli changing 3. (1) Retain Leao and change him after 45-60 mins because Theo-leao was working last 2 games. (2) Puli and Giroud would have been correct not starting. (3) agree with prev probable with Simic starting (4) Why are you saving wholesale for Rennes (a) when we’re superior to them (b) were ahead 3 goals (cl we have good backups – IT IS NOT THE BACKUPS BUT THE WAY YOU USE THEM

  27. Chukwueze has never been a good player. I’m saying this has a Nigerian. He’s average at best. Pioli did the same last season and dropped a lot of points because he believed He would win the Champions League. The man is just crazy. Keep the same lineup then make your changes when you’re leading. But that clown never learned from his mistakes. He’s just too stubborn. I don’t see Inzaghi rotating that much with the Inter squad. He should be sacked at the end of the season even if we win the Europa League. We need fresh ideas.

  28. I would have started with Okafor on the right instead of Chuk that just came back from a competition he’s playing a game every 4-5 days. Started Simic over Thiaw that just came back from an injury. But what do I know. Pioli is dumb af. We will always have more position since we spend more time passing around our defensive box than actually playing some real ball. Pioli is the problem and will always be.

  29. So you people murdered Terracciano for commiting a penalty in his first game but Thiaw gets aways cause he “came back after a long lay off”.

    Two faced as usual, you are.

  30. Now it’s game over. I’m sorry for those who started the match.. Pioli will say they are rubbish and will never play them again.

  31. This goes to show pioli isn’t smart. I understand rotating a team, but who puts on 6 different guys with about 4 of them who haven’t played in months. You tried to rest up your players and now they’re going to be even more tired chasing a loss!! No brain whatsoever

  36. I hardly criticize pioli even if I sees his flows atimes but this particular game no one else to blame but him. I ponder for some minutes if the match was a fix match from the officiating to the line up is all suspicious how can you rest the win I g formula team and experiment God knows what it’s very insane

  41. 37 year old giroud is sprinting to win the ball back while leao is standing still watching him. Champion mentality vs loser mentality

  44. Honestly I don’t care what anyone says I’m so done with leao. Sell him for the 175m bring in Conte for all I care and build him the team he wants because he will win us something. It’s so sad to see giroud and pulisic running their legs off and leao has two feet planted firmly in the grass

    1. Monza 3 – 2 Milan,
      Monza last goal at 90+5 by Colombo assist by Maldini,
      and still when we criticize game like this, they so called “the true fans” will barking us to support another team

  53. I mean….. so many things went wrong here. Not much you can do with a man down for 45mns. Getting caught on counters.

    Thiaw not ready to start yet. Jovic with a silly red. These are all player errors and they need to be held accountable. Nothing Pioli can do about that.

    After that it was just disjointed. All attack then getting caught in transition on the counters. Players spent. Just an awful game though and through.

    Instead of overtaking Juve we took a step back. This one hurts.

    1. Pioli maybe could have not started okafor chukwueze thiaw and bennacer all at once. Guys who have played maybe three matches in the last two months.

      1. Because you think Kjaer would have done better?? Thiaw over Kjaer who played 3days ago is absolutely the right start.

        Don’t be ridiculous…

    2. This game is 100% on the PLAYERS! Not Pioli. Players need to be held accountable.

      Jovic red card. Thiaw atrocious today. 10 vs 11 for an entire half.

      Are. You. Serious?!

      1. it’s on pioli for putting so many different players in the lineup that 1-have no chemistry together and 2-barely played. Players didn’t help either with such stupidity.

  55. PioliOut ASAP for those that says iTs PiOlIs fAuLt ThAt ThIaW gOt ReD cArD.
    In some way yes ThIaW was out for good amount of time. For Terracciano case when he played for the first time I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a chance to do training Pioli just threw him for some reason. Change most of the team because they are “tired” no most of the teams/coaches doesn’t change the whole squad after CL UEL UECL no it’s just stupid way for Pioli to throw players that don’t play often to just give them minutes. The team started playing better when giroud Reijnders Leao got on . And also like I said before if Cardinale isn’t satisfied with the teams results well considering buy quality players and the more quality players are worth 35 maybe 40m+ not free transfer or 20m max. And consider a coach that can turn the game easily. Like Spalleti Conte Flick if our transfer plans don’t improve we aren’t getting any trophies anymore and be satisfied to just play cl without any progress just playing that’s it

  56. LET’S GET REAL. It’s either you’re GOOD ENOUGH or NOT GOOD ENOUGH
    Adli – Go back to the bench. SELL HIS AR$E. Gave you chance and you thought you went back to your old crappy ways
    Chuk – Never going to be good enough. Lacks natural talent or mindset. Send to mid-table team where he belongs. Scared little B*tch not even trying. Messias but new version. You will regret coming to Milan and being a chicken.
    Thiaw – Sorry we found a better one than you, Gabbia. You will have to go to the rubbish bin.
    Leao – Sometimes player. Sometimes spectactor.
    Jovic – Not first team player – Substitute.
    Pioli must be feeling betrayed because he trusted these guys and they delivered him rubbish in return.

  57. LET’S GET REAL. It’s either you’re GOOD ENOUGH or NOT GOOD ENOUGH
    Adli – Go back to the bench. SELL HIS AR$E. Gave you chance and you thought you went back to your old crappy ways
    Chuk – Never going to be good enough. Lacks natural talent or mindset. He is so LIMITED, we must send him to a mid-table team where he belongs. Scared little B*tch not even trying. Messias but new version. You will regret coming to Milan and being a chicken. Same thing with Nigeria. SORRY, NEVER GOING TO BE GOOD ENOUGH IN HIS LIFE.
    Thiaw – Sorry we found a better one than you, Gabbia. You will have to go to the rubbish bin. No brain, just muscle.
    Leao – Sometimes player. Sometimes spectactor. Not Balon d’Or material hahahahahah ARE YOU KIDDING. Fooling yourself.
    Jovic – Not first team player – Substitute.
    Pioli must be feeling betrayed because he trusted these guys and they delivered him rubbish in return.

  58. For those bashing Leao, do know that he’s got a calf injury and said to Pioli this morning that he wasn’t able to start. He wasn’t running around not because of being lazy like you say, but because he was injured. Before he got injured, he was one of the best players in the win against Rennes.

    Still, even though he couldn’t start Leao, Pioli did make too many changes against a team that is no push-over. This often leads to dropped points.

    Most other teams keep the same lineup to start games (that’s why they are called the starters, duh!) and sub them out for rest, once the game is won.

    Thiaw is still rusty which explains bad passes and missed duels, but this doesn’t explain the stupid PK conceded, and it’s not the first time he does that.

    Jovic was absolutely at fault for losing his mind and slapping Izzo on the face. He will probably be banned for 3 matches.

    Thiaw, Jovic and Pioli made us drop 3 points.

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