AC Milan clinched all three points after a second-half turnaround against Fiorentina, courtesy of a Rafael Leao brace. Several players impressed, including the No.10, and below are the ratings for the Rossoneri.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
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Starting XI
Maignan (6.5): Let’s be honest, he got very unlucky on the goal conceded as he effectively made the save necessary, but it took a deflection on Gabbia. Aside from that, he was very good in claiming the crosses and also had a nice moment in possession under pressure.
Tomori (6): All things considered, he did enough to get a pass here after winning some duels and using his aggressiveness to make sure his opponent didn’t get much time on the ball. That said, he could have been more composed in some moments.
Gabbia (7): Defensively, he was the best Milan player on the pitch as he always stayed close to Kean, winning every duel with him as well in the end. The deflection on the goal was unlucky more than anything, so it would be harsh to lower the rating for that.
Pavlovic (7): He didn’t really need to shine in defence tonight as aside from a few nice aerials won, he was mainly tasked with helping Milan in the build-up. And so he did in his usual fashion, driving forward with the ball many times. He got the ‘assist’ for Leao’s first goal by doing so.
Athekame (6): He only got about 60 minutes on the pitch, as Allegri subbed him off after Fiorentina’s goal, but it was more of a tactical choice than anything. All in all, the youngster had some good moments and looked much better than in previous games.
Fofana (6): Very much a mixed bag from him tonight. He found some good positions, as he so often does, but lacked the composure on the ball both in terms of passing and keeping possession. He can do better, even if it was enough to get a pass tonight.
Modric (7): While it might sound strange to say given he was important in possession too, his most crucial contributions perhaps came in the defensive phase tonight. He worked very hard especially towards the end to limit Fiorentina’s chances of scoring. It’s that type of leadership behaviour that makes him so valuable.
Ricci (6.5): The first half wasn’t good enough by his standards, with some silly misplaced passes and struggles to find his position on the pitch. In the second, however, things looked much better. Perhaps Allegri tweaked something, because he was more involved in better positions.
He set up Gimenez for the penalty won with a great outside-of-the-boot pass, while also covering the most distance by all Milan players. In short, it seems he can co-exist with Modric after all.
Bartesaghi (7): He has certainly stepped up in Estupinan’s absence. Tonight was another solid defensive display from him, but what impressed me the most was his crossing. We saw several good crosses from him, especially one for Gimenez which forced a great De Gea save, and his runs were also good.
Saelemaekers (6): It was pretty obvious that his role as an attacking midfielder behind Leao didn’t he drifted wide a lot and ultimately didn’t have much of an impact. Once back at the right flank, he did good but there was nothing that stood out, really.
Leao (8 – MOTM): After two goals scored, naming him the man of the match feels like a given. It was certainly a strong response to the recent criticism, following the misses against Juventus, and to see him convert a penalty too was a relief. He can make a difference, that’s for sure, and hopefully we can get more of this.
Substitutes
Gimenez (7): Most of us were screaming for him to come on already at half-time, but at least he came on eventually. The difference with him on the pitch was clear to see and he nearly scored with a great finish, which De Gea saved. At least he then managed to win the penalty, following a nice sequence inside the box.
De Winter (6.5): He came on and managed to find almost all of the aerial duels that were sent his way. Really strong in that sense, which is great since that’s exactly what Milan needed.
Balentien (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
The manager
Allegri (5.5): Yes, Milan won, but he needed to make the Gimenez substitution already at half-time. Saelemaekers behind Leao clearly didn’t work and it shouldn’t have taken a goal from Fiorentina for the gaffer to see that.
Not pretty on the eye but Happy to take the 3points. Fofona could have really helped had it not been for his poor shooting. With the side so decimated it would be good for others to chip in and score.
The critics on the allegri are kinda harsh. You would have played gimenez and leao from start, who would you then subb in?
Exactly right. With only two forwards available it would’ve been foolish to start them both.
this person rating salemakers seems to always hate him. nothing wrong said here but he was better than athekame for sure. athekame also is a mid player, but his crossing looks nice , hopefully we can develop him into something
I was fortunate enough to attend this game. First half Leao was terrible second half MUCH better. Leao isn’t fit tho. He kept asking Allegri to sub him off prior to the penalty. We must remember he was injured and just got back. Great result for a depleted team.
This article is poor, written in first person, criticising the coach and your ratings suck.
He is absolutely right, Gimenez should have started with Leao off him and Alexis at RB. We had enough problems with injuries without creating more in positions we were covered
Giménez was apparently not feeling too well before the game due to fatigue.
I have seen no reports of such and he looked pretty lively when he came on.
I was pleasantly surprised with Athekame. Task with starting a very important game with a lot of pressure after not getting much playing time all season. He did really well in my opinion. There’s a player there. Ricci struggled by grew into the game. Fofana the flop of the match. There’s no question about his effort, but his quality is lacking at times. Strikes from distance aren’t Rafa’‘s strong suit so it was nice to see him bang one in from outside the box. Our first comeback win against a team with a decent squads who desperately needed the points. No notes for Allegri in my opinion. With only two forwards available, it would have been foolish to start both Leao and Gimenez. DeWinter should get more game time.
Rafa doesn’t bang often from outside the box, but he does have a quality shot.
I think it’s a bit harsh to give Allegri a 5.5. Giménez wasn’t feeling well according to some reports, otherwise I think he would have started. Nevertheless, this idea/experiment with Leão as a striker has to stop, the man can’t play centrally. He’s good at hugging the toucheline until the ball reaches him and then drifting inwards where he can create his magic.
There was a silly mistake that lead to the goal, which is a bit hard to find someone to blame there, as Saelemakers was too short to catch it, althought he might should have taken more steps backs, Maignan did what he could and Gabbia was unlucky to be there. But aside from that, our defense entierly nullified who never managed to shoot on target.
The team seemed lost until Giménez came in and put both Leão and Saelemakers in their natural positions, allowing a more natural flow of the game.
The team clearly misses Rabiot and Pulišić and with all the other injuries, the starting lineup was pretty much forced onto Allegri, and we had almost no subs available, so whatever one thinks “asthetically” of this game, just take the 3 points, celebrate the win and first place and move on to consolidate it against Pisa.
Agreed. He had no option but go with the choices he made. Gimenez was reported to be too fatigued to start. He also played a lot of minutes for us going into the break.
Yep. 3 points. 1st place. Move on to the next one.
An excellent display and result, considering the dire circonstances – some terrible injury crisis.
Back at the top of the table.
Ugly but deserved win vs a very bad team.
Great last 30 minutes from Leao and the team in general. The previous 60 minutes, they were all bad.
Gimenez introduction changed the game and put everyone in their roles, Leao on the wing and Saelemaekers at wingback. Leao came alive after that with a great shot from the outside but I was more impressed that he actually stepped up to take the penalty. Hopefully, he shows up again next week.
The midfield, outside of Modric was awful. They were outplayed by Fiorentina’s midfield and couldn’t keep the ball. Fofana was all over the place and misplaced almost every pass, while Ricci is unable and unwilling to pass the ball forward. Id really want to see a stat, how many of his passes went forward. Rabiot, Jashari and even RLC can’t come back fast enough.
I wasn’t the biggest Gimenez fan but he is growing on me. He got an uncanny ability to always be at the end of a cross or a pass in the penalty area. He got a nose for the ball, all he needs is the put it in the back of the net. And he’s got nastiness and fight in him. Hopefully he scores soon. Great save by De Gea.
Another great game by Gabbia, Pavlovic was OK, while Tomori scares me just like Maignan scares me on every cross.
Fiorentina, now you can fire Pioli. You had a very good young coach and you fired him to replace him with Pioli and be in the relegation zone.
On to Pisa. Milan got to build a point lead over the rest of the contenders while they are still busy playing 2 games a week.
Napoli and Juventus are trash.
Player Ratings:
Maignan (7.5) – Good performance today, claimed high balls and bossed the box. Good reaction leading to Fiorentina’s goal as well, even if unluckily the ball deflected off Gabbia. Performance probably warrants a 7, but for me the Cruyff turn on Kean alone bumps it up, sue me.
Pavlovic (7) – Usual physical and gritty defending from him, despite the miss and the botched clearance leading to a corner in the first half. Dominant in the air as usual.
Gabbia (7.5) – Completely locked up Fiorentina’s strikers, aggressive and always composed. Unlucky deflection for Fiorentina’s goal, not enough to diminish his performance. Showed his maturity and leadership after the penalty, stopping Leao from taking off his shirt and getting carded. Future capitano incoming.
Tomori (6) – Clearly tactically important for Allegri’s setup when going forward, allowing the RWB to push up. That being said, he had some nervy moments especially towards the end and got carded.
Bartesaghi (6.5) – Largely solid, got beaten a couple times but still held up. Some good crosses into the box and a great block on Dôdo bump him up.
Athekame (6) – Nothing to really see from him, got a silly card and the team improved when he was taken off. Clearly still adapting.
Modric (8) – Simply incredible again, always making good passes, running nonstop and making crucial tackles and interceptions. Already the leader of this team and unbelieveably consistent.
Ricci (6.5) – Clearly doesn’t play at his best in congested areas further up the pitch, but showed his class when the game opened up in the secong half. A bit too conservative with his passing for a Mezzala.
Fofana (6) – Some nice tackles and physical holdup play, but way too sloppy with the ball and wasteful with his shooting. Terrible first half. Got a stupid yellow for dissent.
Saelemaekers (6.5) – Good work rate and dribbling as usual, end product was missing today. Improved after returning to the right flank.
Leão (8 – MOTM) – Anonymous first half, but magical second. Created the equaliser out of nothing, and stepped up for the clutch penalty, scoring it. Hopefully his injury at the end is not too severe, as he looked exciting alongside Gimenez.
Substitutes:
Gimenez (7.5) – Probably the most important player of all in regard to how the match played out, as immediately after coming on, he changed the entire dynamic of the team. Worked hard, good linkup, had a shot very well saved by De Gea and of course won the penalty. Absolutely made his case for starting despite the lack of goals, which hopefully will come soon.
De Winter (6.5) – Came on in arguably the toughest phase of the game, won every duel and got forward well, buying crucial time. Could maybe even warrant a 7.
Balentien (N/A) – Didn’t see enough of him.
We know Santi is a goal scorer, so it’s a matter of getting a goal now his confidence is improving.
I hope he starts next week.
I think what happened in summer and especially Tare’s remarks were just horrible on him.
We’ll never know how good he is until he is unblocked.
I think he could be very good
Santi deserved an 8 for his telenovela alone lol.
haha good one
The most valuable player on our defense is Modric, something I never really saw coming. He’s like The Dudes rug.
Don’t know what game I was watching but I thought Ricci was pretty good, better than Modric.
I feel like he was too scared to go more on the attack, but he was good, he felt scared to make the forward pass
He was a 6 playing 8. He was playing in a “don’t lose” system in the first half.
Thru that lens I agree with you.
Further as he floated back he became more and more disruptive to Fiorentina.
Top of the mother f_cking league yo!
Awful game, good result
Allegri made life difficult and waited too long to change back the problems he created.
Delighted for Leao, he needed that.
Santi played well and his shot was brilliant, as was the save.
In such circumstance it would seem playing Ricci at the base and Modric as mezzala would work better.
Fofana getting some heat and he gets it from me but he really did work hard tonight, so credit to him
It will be interesting to see how things pan out in attack given it seems like Leao/Puli/Nkunku are battling for a spot off Gimi
Allegri a 5.5 lol? Game was pretty solid… but yes I do agree Allegri needed to make the subs a little sooner. But we have an injury crisis. We did very good considering.
Gabbia is quickly becoming my favorite player on the team. He’s solid, quiet and a stabilizing force on the back line. I was very critical of Pavlovic early this season, but he’s really played well since week one. I think he, Gabbia and Tomori work very well together and have great chemistry. Happy to admit I was wrong.
Fofana should never take another shot. Ever. His player ratings would be a point higher every game if he only passed the ball and played defense.
Modric is so much more than a great passer. His hustle and game IQ are off the charts. He didn’t touch the ball much today, but his defense and field presence were awesome to watch. 40 years old my ass!😀
If this is how the team plays 6 players (and critical players too) down, this is going to be a really great season!
Good on you for changing your mind on Gabbia.
He’ll need all the support he can get when he’s the next captain!
Actually, I’ve always liked Gabbia. I continue to appreciate his growth. It was Pavlovic that I criticized earlier this season, but he’s played really well!
Ah sorry. I misread your post.
First of all I’m super happy with the three points. Don’t even care we’re at the top of the league, I’m just happy we’re in the mix. Because the top 5 teams right now are scary, and Juve and Atalanta can still have their say. I’m just happy we can accumulate points when things are going well as when it’s our turn for when the drought comes on, we can have some type of safety net.
Now for the game, please for the love of all things good, Fofana should never ever be demanding the ball for a PK wtf. If Fofana is in the six yard box with no defender on him and no GK, he should still pass. My goodness dude can’t shoot to save his life.
Great game by Leao. That should keep the articles at bay for a week or two. He had 60 minutes total before today and gets crucified by the media. Happy for the performance and happy he can step in Pulisic absence. I’d like to see both on the field in their proper positions …. That would be a treat! We have two excellent forward players, hope fans understand this!
Athekame for me I think he did well enough. He did create a couple of dangerous crosses. And Allegri..5.5?!? What a joke. Not all games we’re gonna dominate for a win. He has to work with what he had especially given the injury situations. Imo it’s at least a 7. And he got the sub, the most important thing. Time to rest up and hope we get some recoveries ahead of the next game
Let’s go team! Looking good!
Huge thanks to all the Milan players, coaches, and staff for bringing us back where we belong—at the top. Nothing but pure appreciation and respect.
A draw would have been fair tonight, but a sign of a good team is clawing out a result even when things don’t go your way. Decimated team, “Frankenstein’d” together, looked disjointed not much fluency, but even this team held up well together as you could see the Allegri effect.
I hope we carry on like this, getting results game in, game out even if we’re undeserving of it based on play. It’s what we praised Allegri teams for in the past – play ugly, score a goal and win.
P.S. I don’t know about the rest of you, but just about s**t myself when Leao stepped up to take that PK. It was a poor kick but in the right direction. I hope he doesn’t take any more of those.
I almost s**t myself when I saw Fofana holding the ball and standing over the penalty spot.
Amen Brother!
Ha. Me too.
I thought Rafa’s penalty was well taken. His body language was indicating that he was going to the other side with what would have been the easier option to hit the ball hard with that run up and angle of his approach. But he tucked it nicely into the opposite corner than the way he was facing.
Modric was the only player on the pitch who had any business taking the penalty. Puli, Rabiot, Modric would be my order of PK takers. I thought the ratings were exceptionally high for 70 minutes of garbage football with the exception of Allegri who was drastically low. What exactly was he suitors do with this bunch of players
“suitors” – supposed to do
Yet Allegri chose Leao and he sent the keeper the wrong way! brilliant right?
An ugly win, but a win- albeit against a poor team. Solid defense but no real quality chances created on offense.
Great to get a comeback win. The team looked much more dangerous when Gimenez came on and Leao & Saelemaekers were able to play more normal positions for them.
Modric defensive work was impressive. Agree that Ricci was better in the 2nd half.
Balentien should have come on immediately for Leao after the penalty was scored.
Great to get a win with such a decimated squad. There were only 3 players on the bench who were not youth players. And that included one of the two reserve goal keepers.
What does Allegri do when his best attackers aren’t set up to be their best in 3-5-2 but the defense is playing so well?
Leao is clearly the biggest threat to opponents but clearly better on the left
Pulisic has adjusted well
Santi isn’t scoring but it could be partly due to what he’s being asked to do
Nkuku looks like a goal scorer but not likely to win a bunch of back to the net battles. Maybe works better as an attacking midfielder where the threat from the midfield.
Formation changes could be tough with all the investment into the midfield. Curious how it all plays out.
The hate Leao gets in the comment section is totally confusing.
It’s not though. He has flashes of offensive brilliance but doesn’t get back defensively, rarely cuts off passing lanes, and often takes too long to make the correct pass. It’s not fair to just judge on this one game with a depleted squad but the offense seemed to be rolling with Puli/Santi which I attribute mainly to effort.
Forgot to mention about his failure to talk to/warn his teammates when they were about to be displaced of the ball. I thought Fofana was going to kill him at one point.
You also forgot to mention being a little bi*ch that can’t write a good sentence about Leao. But if insulting is the game you’re going big. 🤣🤣🤣
Gabbia deserve an extra half a point on his grade for being a real captain, a leader and stopping Leao from taking his shirt off after the penalty and getting an unnecessary yellow card that can cost him a game in the future.
I remember Calabria doing the same thing with Brahim Diaz after he scored the winning goal vs Spezia during the scudetto season.
You’re absolutely right! As I was praising Gabbia in an earlier post, I forgot to mention his intervention with Rafa. That was a smart decision and it really helped his teammate. Even more reason to appreciate him!
Great result especially coming back from a goal down.
I’m probably happier for Leao than if that was my own son!
The thing about really supporting players is you get to live and breath the moments with them.
I’ll admit to a great sense of relief when he scored as I wasn’t looking forward to having to defend him again.
It’s yet another game Milan have won because of him. That’s what he brings. Not to every game. Because it’s impossible to bring that to every game. But ENOUGH games.
Bartesaghi was great.
Gabbia was captain.
3 Italians in the Milan starting line up is something to behold.
Athekame first start.
Ricci first start.
Saelemakers playing out of position.
Leao playing out of position.
Gimenez fatigued.
No Puli, Nkunku, Jashari, Estupinan. RLC comes up hurt day before.
One experienced sub to change the game in attack. No midfielder subs with experience.
Allegri gets a 5.5 on a win where the first sub he made changes the entire game?
C’mon!
—-
Athekame can play and is a much better immediate addition to the team that I originally thought. Clearly a servicable backup with a nice ceiling.
Bartesaghi gets beat to easily by pacey wingers. But much like Gabbia is is always in the right place at the right time and boy can he put in a cross. An unlikely many who have to be in deep, he instead seems to be able to do it from 30yds and in.
Saelemakers either forgot he was a second striker or had directions to play as a fullback in the first half.
Leao looked unfit and often interested in the first half. Gimenez comes on and it’s very different for a short period of time. We need to remember he is still unfit and it’s going to be a few more weeks.
Ricci was also out of position. He is a 6 and we all wanted him for that exact reason last season while we were getting sliced open thought the middle. His job was to play 8 tonight. He did it well enough with no time to prep during the week (RLC was plan A)
Modric held the whole mess together on the field. Is there nothing he can’t do?
Gimenez … This guy is proof that there is so much more to the role than scoring. I’m still not quite a fan. He needs to show up in the big games and in the big moments. But I have much more faith that he will. Grinta … We need it and he is supplying it.
We won a game with the cards stacked against us. We won it not playing well for the first 55 min.
It’s almost funny we had a Pioli-like rotation that actually worked … Against Pioli. But it worked.
Are we competing for the Scudetto? Check the maths. We are competing for the Scudetto.
I think Santi will come in handy next year as a rotation and reserve striker if Milan qualifies for Champions league.
Not the best use of transfer money but that money is gone now and if he can keep contributing to winning then that’s all that matters.
Can we stop with this notion that a full back’s job is ‘not to get beat’?
There is no full back on the planet that doesn’t get beaten including Maldini in his prime.
A full back’s job is NOT ‘not to get beat’. It’s to put pressure on the crosser/shooter, and to slow down the attack.
Crosses will happen in football matches. It’s a thing.
Also players will cut inside and shoot. Again a thing.
If the search is for a full back that never ‘gets beat’ then Milan will be signing a new FBs every single season for the next 10 years.
Milan have been through 6 x RBs in less than 12 months including their former captain.
It’s a very stupid and unnecessary trope in football that people keep repeating for some reason is prominent for being the best in the world. We dont expect a striker to score with every single shot on goal.
If you were responding to my assessment of Bartesaghi, I both agree with you and stand by the assessment.
Basic fullback/wingback in defense is supposed to turn the winger into help. Barts is neither quick enough nor agile enough (yet?) but makes up for most of it in positioning when playing defense.
Personally I think he is misplayed on the outside and that he belongs in the back three. His discipline, detail and crossing would make him better at LCB with the notion he could be a real gem (like Bastoni).
What I saw today and against Juve is wings getting all the way around him. That’s getting beat. Even that can happen some times, but right now it is a weakness that needs to be tuned up.
I’m not saying bench him. I am in fact saying play him more. Just work on that one aspect. I like Bartesaghi b more that Estupinan at this point.
I like the idea of him moving to LCB.
He is quick though. I saw him accelerate in game and was surprised.
I don’t really care if full backs are allowing crosses in. The question is whether they’ve done enough in the build up to ensure the crosses can be dealt with. For example slowing it down to allow the CBs to get into position.
Getting beat is sliding in, missing a tackle, and opening up a 2 v 1 or getting caught in possession. That would be a problem and is something that has happened to Estupinan a few times including when he’s been caught on the ball.
For now I really hope we see Gabbia, Bartesaghi and Ricci establish themselves, and an Italian base to the Milan team.
If Maignan’s replacement is Italian (or even just Torriani). Get Camarda back and it’d starting to look like Milan!
Yea nothing says goal scoring prowess like scoring 1 goal in 8 matches like Camarda.
?? What is wrong with you? He is 17. Quit being a mo*on you are and support the kid.
Nothing says a fan of an Italian club like a person who hates Italian players.
Yeah nothing says id1iot like critiscising a 17yo kid who is starting out
Great result. Thanks to some clinical finishing by Leao.
5.5 is harsh for Allegri. He managed to guide the team to victory without Pulisic and Rabiot.
I saw the hunger for winning games.. and that’s all that matters
3 Italians in the starting XI. As for Nlunku, what kind of pussy misses a game with a finger injury?
Nkunku.
I would normally agree but this happened only midweek, so there is a good chance he had some sort of soft procedure done or is weakened after strong painkillers and did 0 training. Next week I fullly expect him. I am tiny bit worried though as we manage the squad good but only for 1 game a week competition.
Finger injury?
You mean a toe injury?
It’s his toe, not finger and he reportedly can’t even put his shoe on.
This is allegri style scraping results and getting points on the table. Have anyone noticed how compose our defense is. This milan is seriously making its self own to the league. The goals we were conceding are all gone. The defence is holding the Fort perfectly. Modric dictating the midfield the rest pieces all fall in its place. I won’t jump to conclusion but after derby we will get the clear picture where we stand. I hope modric remains fit.
Damn I had written out a bunch of thoughts on the game and somehow they got deleted before I could post. In short Rafa’s engagement, Allegri’s motivating, Modric’s long passing, the deputies all stepping up, and the back line playing the best any of them has played in the red and black. What a team this year. Forza!
The kind of games we’d lose if we’re talking about 1-3 seasons ago. That fact alone should tell us something. Allegri 5.5? C’mon, this is the kind of game he lives by, a specialist.
And not surprised if Pioli will be the first coach in Serie A that’ll be fired this season. Thankful for the Scudetto he won, but with all due respect I always said that it’ll be the only major trophy he’ll ever won.
Leao has his usual lazy and poor performance most of the Match and gets praised because of a GK error and a penalty… Horrible player
That is one way to say he scored two goals. The whining way.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I suggest you stop watching Milan since you’ll have to watch Leao. We all know you hate Leao more than you love Milan.
I said it before and I’ll say it again. He can be as lazy as he wants as long as he scored those decisive goals. What we can’t afford is him being both lazy and doesn’t create anything for the team.
You do realize Milan would not have won this game without Leao right?
The issue in attack is clear. We have one no. 9 (Gimenez), and three supporting types (Leao, Pulisic and Nkunku). All three supporting players play best in slightly different positions. Leao out wide with space to run into, Puli centrally and closer to the no. 9, Nkunku somewhere in between the other two. All have been or will be played out of position depending on the formation we use. When we use 4-2-3-1/4-3-3, Puli is out of position. In 3-5-2, Leao is out of position, as we saw tonight. And as we saw tonight, when Gimenez came on and he played less out of position, i.e. not as a no. 9, but more in a supporting role while still not quite as a winger, he became much more effective. Nkunku’s best exact position is TBD because we haven’t seen enough of him yet. All of this will need to be solved by Allegri/the club, and my hunch is that in the end Leao will be the sacrifice, games like tonight notwithstanding, due to him being the one of the three most out of position in the 3-5-2, and his replacement will be a proper no. 9 to alternate with Gimenez.
Props to Gabbia here for showing his captain qualities by stopping Leao to take his shirt off. That lad is the last of milanisti, he deserves the armband.
He’s so horrible… played horrible match… never mind the goal he scored and the penalty… horrible awful ghastly player – according to the peanut gallery here.
One key point: Modric and Ricci can play together.
I don’t like when they play at home in the 3rd jersey. Imagine saving money to be able to travel from another country to Milan to see your favorite team. And you don’t get to see them play in the classic red and black. I understand the business side of it but then use it at away games.
Good result but the attack is very flawed. We still need a no 9. The Gimenez faul would not be called in England or Germany. Also, he is getting a good score because besides that he managed to hit a ball clumsily with the only foot that he has instead of trying to get in a position and doing it right. Very soft. Very lucky win. I like the midfield set up. So far this season no one really dominated our midfield but we also need little more dept before cups next season.
Leao had the decisive moment but TBH it was a good all round team game but I didn’t think Leao shone other than that – he seemed a bit lost in the CF role and needed Gimenez to unlock more freedom for him.
Gimenez did well to win the penalty, but I’d dock him a score of 2 just for the rolling around clutching his face.
Agreed the play acting was embarrassing
I should add he was lucky not to be punished for kicking out at the defender when he was on the ground.
The var didn’t show that bit, luckily!
Could have been sent off
Ok, for one, the replay shows that Parrisi’s hand does hit his face first. Secondly, if you’re going to talk about Santi’s kick out, you can’t ignore that Ranieri slapped him twice screaming at him to get up.
Pioli finally coaching a team without a retiring 50 yr old superstar and he has shown how clearly tactically inept he is. Good fing riddance. The guy is such a clueless coach it blows my mind how we kept him for as long as we did. Hahahaha
Maybe it has something to do with him bringing the team its first Scudetto in ten years and finishing 2nd, 1st, 4th and 2nd again in the last 4 seasons, while never having and even top 2 roster. And they finished what, 8th in the first season without him.
Have a little respect. He may not be the best tactically, but he got the most out of his players and even lazy troublemakers like Theo and Leao had their best seasons under him.
Sure, but the flip side of the coin is: How many more titles could we have won with those players and a better coach? Look at how Allegri has us playing. The last coach that had us playing this organized was…Allegri in his first spell.
I would say none. Like I said, Milan never had the best squad. We won the Scudetto with probably the 3rd or 4th best squad in the league. He overachieved almost every season compared to the squad he had.
I don’t think Allegri has us playing that great. Yes, ten men behind the ball will improve the defense but take away Pulisic’s heroics this first month and where would this team be?
Salaemakers (7)
Leao is the right player for Gimenez , Pulisic no.
@Stephane Rene,
After Pulisic’s great performances for a few weeks and he’s out with an injury, you immediately insult him. Shame on you
Milan won the game! Thanks to clinical finishing from Leao and are now top of the league, despite numerous key players out injured! And still complaints about the matchwinner Leao are coming from the Twighlight Zone…Right on cue.
That’s because it doesn’t make sense. you can’t make sense out of nonsense!