AC Milan clinched three very important points against Lecce this afternoon as the attacking gamble paid off. Several players did well, including Yacine Adli who got two assists, and below are the player 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. Note: No MOTM named today, but let us know yours in the comments!
Starting XI
Maignan (6.5): He was actually tested a few times this afternoon and apart from one dodgy save, chesting the ball away, he made good stops to deny Lecce. He was also helped by the crossbar once, but that was more so his teammates’ fault.
Calabria (6.5): A good display from the captain who worked hard in both phases of the game. He always made sure to overlap, and to put Chukwueze in play, whilst winning back the ball many times.
Gabbia (6): Truth be told, both of Milan’s centre-backs could have done better today as Lecce actually created some half-decent chances. Then again, Gabbia won a lot of duels and imposed himself, continuing his good form.
Tomori (6): His positioning could have been better at times, but the speed helped him recover and it was a solid display overall.
Hernandez (6.5): Risky defending just before the third goal, and he struggled a bit sometimes with his positioning (or perhaps the balance between defence and attack). He did do well when going forward, though, with some nice combinations and he should have had an assist for Pulisic.
Adli (7): A commanding display in midfield, bagging two very nice assists (especially the pass for Leao). He was always available and was also bold enough to drive forward with the ball, opening up space for his teammates. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but very good indeed.
Reijnders (6): Apart from a couple of nice passes and moves, it was a rather average performance from the Dutchman as he seemingly struggled to find his position at times. Nothing bad, but we know he can be more involved.
Chukwueze (7): It was a brilliant start from the Nigerian, setting up Pulisic’s opening goal, and then showing off his great dribbling countless times on the right flank. With more composure, he perhaps could have had a goal but it was still very good from him to unlock the game.
Pulisic (7): A great goal, even though he got a bit lucky with the deflection, and he certainly showed that he can play in the No.10 role. He continued to do well after the goal and worked incredibly hard in the defensive phase as well, which was important for Milan’s balance. Had he scored the header as well, he would have been the MOTM.
Leao (7): The star winger was a bit quiet in the first half, as Milan attacked a lot down the right, but he came to life in the second half and got a really nice goal. He was in a great mood after that and certainly deserves a high rating here.
Giroud (6.5): A typical goal for him, finding the back of the net with a great header, but he faded a bit after that and his flicks were lacking. Still a good game, of course, but he can do more.
Substitutes
Musah (6): Nothing out of the ordinary from him, being very comfortable on the ball and driving with acceleration.
Kjaer (6): He wasn’t tested all that much and when he was, he did the necessary without shining.
Jovic (5.5): The Serbian missed a very good chance after being set up by Chukwueze and also misunderstood his teammates a few times.
Bennacer (5.5): A couple of sloppy giveaways from him which Lecce should have capitalised on. The Algerian can do much better.
Terracciano (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
The manager
Pioli (6.5): The attacking gamble paid off, it must be said, and it ended up being a comfortable game thanks to the red card. Milan still conceded a bit too many dangerous chances, though.
If Roma do not win today or Milan win the next match (against Sassuolo), the top 4 is mathematically guaranteed. The second place is within Milan’s hands. Way better than last season.
If Inter can lose/draw just 5 matches than mathematically we are have the second star in our hands… that would be way better than last season.
If Inter decide to give Milan the second star, yeah.
Bist du wirklich inter fan
He is one of the good ones and is always friendly and has some good comments as well.
I have been an Inter fan since age 6. Rest sure about that. haha
Or if there’s investigation into inter’s actions this season and 2006…
I’m almost sure he’s not even an Inter fan. Just uses the name to get his points across to avoid criticism and pretend he’s neutral so ppl don’t attack on him..f that
Oh please b*TCH stfu. Come here talking down on fans of a rival club hoping for Kumbaya. Your pathetic club “deciding” to give Milan their second star? . Maybe decide to give back Juve their Scudetto they won in 2006 first. These fake second star, paper Scudetto-having interistas are something else.
@Martin, no there aren’t any good Inter fans, sorry bud. Not after that farce…
😀 i didnt say he was flawless as he is indeed an interista but he is always friendly from what ive seen and spoken with him so i have no issues with him or in a need to mistreat him. I would look at it differently if he was trolling this site or mocked us after for example a defeat but ive only seen friendly responses from him.
Ha, yeh hadn’t thought he’s not an inter fan – you could be right.
As an Ac Milan fan, It would be an impossible dream😀
If Inter Di Merda wins 3 or 4 matches in a row, we will know who will stick scudetto in their as* 😀
We will beat inter and celebrate our second star
starting eleven all great
jovic tho, i slap my head a few times
That was a fun match
Good victory, great momentum that will hopefully continue with the derby and UEL coming soon. Though I don’t understand why we wear so often the ugliest jersey in the history of the club.
Ikr. We play at home. The opposition is white. No reason not to use the main jerseys. It’s Ac Milan identity after. Red and black.
Yea it’s odd how many times they’ve worn this jersey. Must be in the contract with whomever designed it. Especially at home, it’s a little disrespectful and it made for bad viewing on TV so not really any good to wear it in that context.
So so ugly
Agreed! Must be to win favour the liberal fantasists. Whoever approved that jersey should be put against the wall and shot.
I call them liberal fascists. Shooting them’s a bit harsh but I get your point.
Minds more progressive than ours…. Evolve.
I don’t love it. But at least it does blend in with the grass like last year’s 3rd kit.
The only thing i didn’t like was that Musa was played as an AM. He should have been put in Adli DM place an Adli could have taken the AM position to show of his atacking qualities even more. Other than that the game was fine. Where is Kalulu between ? Didn’t he recover from injury ?
kalulu was injured again and is out for a month or something.
4 x 7 ratings. Isak couldn’t decide an MOTM??
Good performance all around. Nice to be 2:0 up in 20 minutes.
Chukwueze is it
We need to build up the lead in top 4 in case they take away some points due to the ongoing investigation
Being undertaken by an Inter fan…
Frankly I don’t care what they decide I will be discounting it in my head.
In a world as mad and bad as this sometimes all you’ve got is what’s inside your head.
We wanted to see Pulisic as a CAM and boy he didn’t take long to show that this can work.
Chukwueze finally starting to level up to the hype surrounding him. If he continues like that, we will have less positions to consider this summer.
Leao took a nap in the first half, then when everything was settled, he seemed to want to have fun. I would have wanted to see Okafor coming in around the 75min mark and allow Leao to rest for the Roma game, but overall the coaching was also good today.
I don’t like Adli defensively but man those assists are gorgeous. Same for Reijnders but with less gorgeous passes.
Overall nice win against an overmatched opposition who played with 10 men a whole half. I feel like the referee was a bit soft with us and perhaps a bit too harsh on Lecce.
As much as I liked this idea of having Pulisic as an AM and Chukwueze as a RW, I think we should refrain from using it in the 5 upcoming games. Pulisic as an AM is basically playing a 4-2-4 and I don’t think it would be wise to play against Inter, Juve in Torino, Roma and even Sassuolo in their field with only 2 midfielders, especially considering how defensively weak our midfielders are.
I don’t know about the 4-2-4. Pulisic has impressed me all year with his defense. He’s responsible in his positioning and chooses his moments well to dispossess opponents with his exceptional quickness.
Same for me, but forwards can be tasked and are often tasked to do some defensive work.
I might be wrong and I hope I’m wrong but I think that Pulisic as an AM might be too light against Inter and maybe even Roma and Juve, especially considering who is behind him.
RLC, while not as good passing wise can at least physically bully his opposition.
I agree. They definitely give up some physicality with Pulisic as the AM rather than RLC. It’s still a nice trick for Pioli to have up his sleeve if Milan is chasing a game though.
Why give 6 to musah? He was abysmal with most of his last touches.
The team is already 3 goals off, was the show off for? Just keep the game simple and calm.
Same thing goes for Bennecer, too many touches and held the ball for too long.
Nice game from Leao Pulisic and Chukz. I’m loving the competition already.
And for Pioli, he’s beginning to be flexible.
Forza Milan.
MOTM: Pulisic
No Chukwueze
Agreed. He was involved the most and always looked dangerous.
Agreed
Wouldn’t want to say jovic missed the goal, it was a half chance & the GK did well on that occasion, Calabria is not a 90min man sadly, the moment he gets tired, he starts giving the ball away & running into opponents, Maignian was left flat footed once or twice & built the game from the back, I wished he had played those long kicks to the flanks since our wingera were on fire & we were a man up, I guess bennacer is the new scape goat, as he gets blamed on everything these days, i felt he provided cover when he came in, everyone did well, the coach was right with his tactics & changes im the end, forza milan
What game were you watching?
Calabria barely put a foot wrong.
I think you’ll find Calabria’s the new scapegoat.
As for Bennacer, a person’s not a scapegoat if they give the ball away two games in a row in front of the defence.
It doesn’t happen often that Milan’s players on the right side are much more active than the left side of the team, but I think we had the chance to see that today. I wouldn’t want to be too critical after a solid victory, but today we had a lot of unforced errors that a more serious team than Lecce would know how to punish! I also notice that after we stay with more players on the field, we lower the tempo of the game, as if with the fact that we have more players, everything has already been decided. We have to be more resolute in such situations. Three points.. next please!
This is probably the first time there is no MOTM! Actually no single MOTM.
Chuk Norris, Puli, Leao, Adli these all are MOTM.
Connection between defence and midfield was decent, so does midfield and attack.
I am seeing that electric Chuk Norris from la Liga last season.
Terraciano was also not bad. Jovic didn’t feel the rhythm a bit but had a chance at least.
The most importantly, guys are enjoying from the game. It improves team spirit and hopefully it helps in upcoming big games
paying the refs again,theo should have been sent off and been given a red for sure if the lecce foul was a red card.
Who the f*** are you? What are you doing here?
For a shoulder to shoulder challenge? Lmao, go cry about it somewhere else
These writers love to go negative on Pulisic. A lucky goal? It barely nicked the defender. It also always about a play he doesn’t make.
They also love to go negative on Adli… Becos of his hated for Adli, he declared d match..no MOTM… On other days he would have jumped to pick a MOTM but in d day Adli shines he declared no MOTM.. nonsense
Other than Adli’s assist (which was lovely) he was his usual slow, undecided self and gave the ball away in a dangerous positions.
They always have something say to down play his impact but then give him a 7 which is honest. Chuk played well but that assist was Pulisic’s brilliance and scoring him a 7 for dribbling is meh.
You guys read way too much into this sometimes haha, I think Pulisic played a great game which is why I gave him a 7. “Certainly showed he can play as a No.10”, “Worked incredibly hard”. Same with both Chukwueze and Adli. Give me a break 😂 Only reason I didn’t name a MOTM is because I genuinely couldn’t decide between the four 7s
Today’s 7 for Pulisic is fair. Just look back at your previous ratings for Pulisic and you’ll see there is usually a he would have been scored higher if or he was a bit lucky for that. Your scoring isn’t my issue it’s the tone. You could have said nice goal almost bagged another played hard in the defensive phase especially for playing slightly out of position.7 but overall I enjoy the work you guys do I hope that’s doesn’t go unacknowledged.
I get you, it was a bit strange from me to open with the deflection (but the great goal was, of course, great in every sense of the word).
I’d argue him playing an entirely new spot for us this year sets him apart. Similar to Theo at CB his first time.
I don’t think it was more than a 7, but stepping up on something of a tough spot with injuries and suspension makes him MOTM by my way of thinking.
Pulisic has played the CAM spot before with the USMNT, way back when he was only 17-18 years old, in a diamond 4-4-2 position. The last time was in the final World Cup qualification match in Oct.2017 against tiny minnow Trinibad & Tobago, where Pulisic scored a goal, but the US got knocked out of the 2018 World Cup by a 2-1 score after an own goal by Omar (OG) Gonzales.
There’s a photo on the internet still, of a disconsolate 18 y.o. Pulisic sitting on the field after the match, in tears
Pulisic has also played wingback, in Tuchel’s 3-4-3 formation at Chelsea. That was clearly a misuse of his talents, but did firm up his defensive abilities, which I think shows through now at Milan
I think you are are reinforcing my point @Gandalf?
2017 is 7 years ago. It wasn’t playing with the pressure of the Milan shirt.
Thus it sets him apart from the other 7’s _today_.
For each time it happens again, it becomes less special. A very big deal (rightly) was made of Theo shifting inside. Seems this is the same circumstance.
All that said and regardless of if we agree here, I think we can all agree that a player who can play RW, LW and AM like Puli has shown is an incredible luxury item. I cannot wait to see what next season holds!!
Isak I think for the most part you have been fair with Pulisic’s score. I mean you hardly ever give him below a 6 and he has been one of top rated players if not usually a top 3 rating pretty consistently all season. Tbh I have read you praising him a lot more than being negative. In fact, from I would say you rate pulisic a whole lot from your ratings you have given him. I think maybe you hold certain players to another standard (which is fair) than the rest and Pulisic is one of those players. Like Rafa, Theo and a few more get graded according to what they are known to be capable of doing. Also, Americans have never had a player at Pulisic level ( whatever level someone thinks that is ) so they tend to be sensitive. I’m not trying to offend anyone I’m American, just feel maybe some are being a little over reactive. Isak call it how you see it, been doing fine as far as I’m concerned
I appreciate the comment and that is exactly what I’ve been trying to convey, Pulisic on a good day is such a good player. Just like Leao we need to treat him as one of the stars, so inevitably that affects the comment of the performance
I’m US and this is a fascinating take. I’m not offended at all.
I definitely have read with frustration a consistent (my opinion to your point) slant that Puli is lucky, poaches goals, etc in the ratings language.
Now I have to step back and ask about the lens I’m looking through. Thanks Natorian#3.
Do you really think Pulisic is on the same level as Leão or Theo? I too need to reevaluate then too. I was under the impression he was having a break through season and that we should all be supporting and not judging him like he is world class.
Pioli is MOTM for playing this lineup and being brave. This is how you play a pre-euro match against a weak side. Blast them with all you have in the first 40 minutes and put the game to bed early. Now you have rested and confident players going into the match with Roma. Puli as the 10 makes the team whole and connects the mid with the attack (as a CAM should do). With Puli in the middle and Chuck out wide, it’s so much more dynamic and unpredictable. If this can be the main formation/lineup moving forward, our transfer window will be so much easier.
It was great to see him be brave and play Pulisic as the CAM. I wasn’t expecting it until the last 24 hrs.
Also great to see him properly rotate 3 players at 60 mins.
Today we took a huge step forward, great to watch and very dangerous.
Yes we allowed them chances and that is why we need a DM, Lecce are also decent. The ref certainly was kinder to us also.
What dyamism and threat we had.
I just pray and hope we keep these guys together, add a DM and striker, we could be on the precipice of greatness!
Yep – first game this season I’ve seen the ref give us a break. Their shenanigans have played a huge part in in this scudetto – for us negatively and inter positively.
Leao wasn’t asleep. It was clear we were playing towards the right and through the middle today.
Not sure how Puli is not MOTM. Great goal. Not sure what the luck comment is about? Made a nice move to get the shot off. Amazing work rate off the ball. Let’s move RLC to 9 🙂
I’m excited for Chuk. He was so much better but often lost the ball. He still has a hard time knowing where to be.
Not sure how Jovic is a 5.5. He is not Giroud. He was constantly in motion and dangerous. I hope he is kept for next year!
I thought Gabbia looked pretty good. He and Tomori had to make up for the lack of a truly physical defender in front of them. Calabria and Theo were often either inverted or up the field. Adli and Puli were very involved but it’s not the same is the truck that is RLC.
Not sure about the criticism of Musah in the comments. He is 20 and was bought to develop. He’s already a solid squad player. He was available and great in keeping possession. Seems like he did his job well. Like Chuk he still seems not know where to find his mates when under pressure.
I was thrilled to see Giroud, Puli come off early. I thought Gabbia came off so Tomorri could get the yellow and miss Sassualo.
It was a fun game to watch. We moved well and the team is showing what it can do when there aren’t so many holes from injury.
Looking forward to Roman this week!
Forza Milan
I like your low key push for RLC to play striker. I agree he could be good at it. He is good in the air and is a finisher in front of the goal.
Thanks.
I think its an interesting thought experiment. Someone with his skill over the ball, skill in the air (as you say) who is the size of a striker seems a bit Zirkzee-esque almost. He’s not an ideal passer so such a move sort of slots him away from the weakness and towards strengths.
What I don’t know (my kid was defender/cdm) is the change in mindset required and the fine skills reading the game from the top, positioning etc. At this level, everyone is awesome and the margins are so fine. These things matter but I don’t know how much it takes to evolve like that.
Thus fun to suggest, but really speaking out me arse.
For sure it’s a thought. It’s incredibly hard to change positions at the highest levels and that’s why I hesitate to see Pulisic all over the field. It doesn’t help him become the best if he plays several different positions. Just think all the time he has been working on his left foot which he clearly has and put it into his right he could be deadly. I went from playing a destroyer to a winger and it was a crazy adjustment and I was just U16.
We played well and win with a big margin + clean sheet. Good job for Pioli and the boys.
Although, i had a bit of mixed feeling with starting Puli and Chuk together because if both players really tired or got injured in the second half then who’s gonna replace them, Okafor? But if Okafor played as RW then who’s gonna sub Leao?
Not to mention Puli played as RW feels like he gave more defensive boost on the right side compare to Chuk because he has better chemistry with Calabria.
So, i personally think RLC is still important in the system because he gave more balance compare to playing both Puli and Chuk from the start.
I don’t think we need to do a total swith to Pulisic as an AM. I was in favour of the idea and I think it did work, but we don’t have to start with the same lineup everytime.
I mentionned in my above comment that I think this formation is too light against teams like Inter and Juve or in away games, but I think it’s still a good idea against smaller teams.
Overall the more options we have, the better.
Yeah i don’t think Pioli needs to always start with this formation and i agreed with you that this formation would be a lot riskier if we played against team like Inter, Juve, or any top european team.
We also have the 4-4-2 formation with Jovic and Giroud in the front and it also did well especially for Jovic.
i’m just happy to see sammy play with more confidence now.
i hope he continues to perform.
And we back to our best when use the 4-2-3-1. 4-3-3 always Made AC Milan go more Defensive.
If we still have Tonali, we should at the 1st in table. But we have Adli’s bloom this year, but not the prime Bennacer. Can’t wait Adli-Bennacer double pivot when Bennacer back in his prime. Adli : Regista, Bennacer : Segundo Volante.
Reijnders also as a Regista, rotate with Adli. RLC or Musah as a Segundo Volante rotate with Bennacer. We had very good pivots.
And Kjaer losing his place, not because declined, but ACM Defensive Department already raised the bar. Even Kalulu might losing his place too. But why are the LB still in trouble ? Wait for Terraciano ready to be Theo’s cover ?
What a good game for Chuk, he could have had 2 more assist today, the Hernandez shot saved by the woodwork and the jovic chance. I like the fact he is leveling up and I would love to see him improve on his goal scoring decision too. He had a chance towards the end of the game where he could have taking a shot but trapped first then passed to Leoa who honestly wasn’t expecting the pass. If he does work on this then our opponents would have a terror with which of our wingers to focus on.
Overall, it was a lovely game. Forza Milan
Milan is lucky to have Giroud, the no. 9 curse breaker. Will the next no. 9 as good as Giroud and doesn’t let Milan to be a midtable club again? We’ll see.
Bring on Roma.
I don’t think the AM position is an either or situation for RLC and CP11.
If we play a side that are more physical, like Inter or Roma, I would play RLC in the middle and CP11 on the right (or his preferred left, if Leao needs a break). If we’re playing a side that is more technical than physical, CP11 should play in the middle.
Another option, which I’ve seen others mention already, is to play RLC as the 9, to give Giroud a rest. He won’t score as much, but he’s a handful for the opposing defense and he’ll be much more active pressing and coming back to defend.
I agree with your logic, I’d just reverse it.
Play the more technical players v a physical team and vica versa
Unless you think you are better technically than the technical team or more physical than the physical team
For example – the great Barca team of pep, there is no point trying to out play them, better to out muscle them
Yep.
And with Chuk coming into form he gives the flexibility to do a 2/3 with Leao, Pulisic and Chuk.
Most tittle winning sides have rotated in this manner:
– the great Barca side used to rotate Iniesta/Messi/Neymar
– the great Ancelotti Milan side used to rotate Pirlo/Gattuso/Seedorf/Ambrosini
– the record breaking Juve side used to rotate Bonucci/Barzagli/Chiellini/Caceres and Pirlo/Marchisio/Pogba/Vidal;
– Mourinho’s Chelsea used to rotate Duff/Cole/Robben;
– Arsenal rotated Pires/Ljungberg/Wiltord;
– the treble winning Man Utd side rotated Butt with all four midfielders.
If we can get this tight rotation we can really take it to the next level.
Few weeks ago when we had to grind out a game I said that some games are like that while others we can run up the score and enjoy. Well this is one of those sit back and relax games. Felt so good so amazing. Had no fear of going down (sure we had the usual shaky moments in defence but overall did alright..we can bash them next week lol 😂). Great win 👍
Yeah it was great and a good watch!
I do think attitude makes a huge difference, not only playing with determination but also going for the kill.
Teams that attack, rattle their opponent and that also helps us get “lucky” here and there.
You’ll get a lot luckier going for the win than sitting back.
Today is how a good team does it, get the goals, kill the game and then rotate.
The best attacking display from Milan in a very very long time
Bravi Reggazzi
Yup. Was a great watch indeed. Had fun.
It’s coming together now 😀
Agreed.
It was fun.
You know the fools that called Leao all sort of bad names because he was out of for should be considered as the most useless Milan fans in history.
Very useless clowns.
Agreed. I’ve always sustained that Rafa is our best player, and he’s allowed to have a bit of a downturn from time to time. Still, even with the scoring drought he went through in the league (while still scoring in other competitions), he is still our best player, and now the domestic drought is over too; he’s been on fire.
I think the excessive criticism against Rafa is frankly, racism. We don’t see white players being called “lazy” which is often what they say about Rafa, which is a racial stereotype. He is not lazy. It’s just his style, it’s just the kind of player he is, often quiet but then able to suddenly burst and score or assist in a strike of genius.
Even Messi has many quiet moments in games (then suddenly scores and/or assists) and nobody has ever called him lazy. I think it’s because Messi is white and Rafa is black.
Seriously, one needs to be quite racist to ignore Rafa’s excellent qualities and call him “lazy.” Not to forget, when Rafa does show his qualities and scores, these people say it was just “lucky.” They are never content with what Rafa does. I find it very suspicious.
I can’t comprehend Milan “fans” who keep bashing the guy who is our best player.
This is an abhorrent, embarrassing take. Leao can sometimes be glaringly lazy, and to pretend to not see this is willing ignorance.
I respect your right to have an opinion, but I think you’ve really jumped the shark with it this time.
Then you and many others here are racists, I have a popular mention but I won’t call the fool out.
You all only see when Leao is underperforming during his struggling days, you all will come out in numbers to drag him and call him all sort of names.
But when he performs he will never get the same energy u all use to drag him, that’s ridiculous.
What a lot of you are waiting for right now is for him to struggle again so you continue from where u stopped.
Shame! On you racists.
You have said it all and I must tell you that many are not happy to see Leao in good form because they want to keep criticising him.
They are patiently waiting for him to flop and that does not change the fact that he (Leao) is the main reason Milan won the Scudetto.
I very much liked Puli as CAM and Chuk is definitely becoming a very useful player for us, at last! That is so nice to see! Adli did very well today as well. Leao was able to just be there without the need to carry the offense on his own (while still scoring a good goal) given that his companions on the right side and center did very well. Nice header by Giroud, we can often count on his headers. Our offense is really coming together now.
I still worry about the defense being shaky. Lecce is a team that hasn’t scored very often this season and they were still dangerous; I worry about Roma and Inter, next. We really do need a proper defensive midfielder. As our offense has improved, this is now the most glaring deficiency.
This was a good win. Despite some defensive scares, we were comfortable thanks to our prolific offense, now the second best in the league.
My opinion. The 433 formation messed up Milan’s season big time.
Theo didnt foul. It was Shoulder to Shoulder.
But the player stayed down holding his Head.
and Adli and Rafa Played to the Whistle and Scored a Goal.
When PULISIC plays to the whistle its called S. HOUSERY/ horrible etc.
Soo what was that then from ADLI and RAFA?
Is that not S HOusery?
I don’t want to hear about, ‘What if we had Tonali’. Well, he wouldn’t be playing, would he? Also how many of the new players would Milan not have been able to afford? Lastly, Milan now have as many points as the did in the Scudetto season. Oh, don’t forget last year when only a point deduction got Milan in the CL.
Extend Pioli!!!
Wow wow wow. Hold your horse.
It’s just lecce. Let’s get back to this conversation in May.
This was a very enjoyable match to watch. The tactics set out before the match worked. It was a good victory given what happened in the last clash with Lecce.
Mike had a good match a few stops and looked confident in goal.
The backline truth be told was the weakest link and gave Lecce a couple of really good chances but credit Lecce for putting in a fight. The captain had a match. He opened a bit aggressive with a couple pushes to the back but he cleaned it up nicely and made a few really good plays. Theo had a good chip pass to Pulisic that almost beat the keeper which would have been class but overall the whole left side didn’t really get going until the second half. Both CBs looked a little shaky but kept the clean sheet so applauds to the backline.
The midfield looked solid today. I liked Reijnders plays. He is good but not great in both phases of the game so his contributions may not pop but he kept the match moving and transitioned defense into offense. Adli was passing the ball around a bunch, glad he got a start and played a balanced match.
The frontline looked dangerous. Giroud got his set piece goal which we will miss since he is expert at this. I really liked his defensive work rate. He was all over the pitch doing his part defensively. Chukwueze looked more confident dribbling and beat his man on several occasions. He needs to keep it up and look to shoot. Leão picked his spots to impact the match. He saw early how the RW was having success so he supported the effort and even tried a long pass to Chukwueze. He grew into the match and pounced on Aldi’s pass and buried it. Pulisic came out on fire with the goal from outside the box off his left foot as he opened the scorers sheet. He had a nice header that if he could have hit it lower would have beaten the keeper. In defense he played more positional defense and it seemed like he was looking to break if a turnover was to occur. A couple of times I wanted him to help out on those distance shots Leece took, perhaps it was a tactical decision to not over work him on both ends or to avoid a hard tackle but overall very good match and his goal put Lecce on the back foot.
The subs looked good IMO. Kjær looked good and had a brilliant stop to snuff out a Lecce counterattack. I think Musah looked better today in the middle of the park. He drove the ball and kept pressure on the defense. He needs work on the final product but he is improving and still growing.
Pioli’s planned worked just as he envisioned it so tip of the hat to him. Since switching back to the 4231 and finding a role for RLC we have been flying and Pioli played a huge part in that. The real test will come in due time with the derby and Juve rematches.
Great match, finally calm reassuring victory. But can anyone please explain to me why Pioli just can’t play homegrown young players and play for example Kjear instead of Simic, no minutes for Bartesaghi and Jimenez. You know I would support Piloli staying next season but this!
Well maybe because simic isnt elligible to play in the europa league and that tomorri is suspended for the first match so maybe it does make some sense to keep him in some form if he has to be relied upon.
Are you aware that Pioli used young players THE MOST in ALL of the main European leagues this season? Yes, Milan is the team that has given the MOST minutes to young players in the entire continent, all professional teams considered as far as the main leagues go. All of them.
Why is it that people keep making the wildest and most misguided criticisms that have no support on data whatsoever???
It is extremely common to read here this recurrent criticism that Pioli doesn’t give opportunities to the youngsters, which is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what the reality is.
And there’s this obsession with playing the youngsters… Have you all realized that all teams have something called first team, also known as the senior squad? These are the experienced, proven players who are actually paid to start. Yes, it’s nice to ease the youngsters in little by little (and Pioli does it; actually does it more than any other head coach in Europe) but the senior players are still the main players, and they are still the core of the team.
The youngsters get some minutes, play the Primavera, get loaned… and little by little get integrated into the first team. But there are reasons why they don’t play massive minutes right at the beginning of their careers: they are young and inexperienced; they aren’t as athletic as the the more developed players (even in terms of muscle mass); they are more prone to making bad mistakes.
Ease does it.
These youngsters were played when our squad was decimated by injuries.
The way you’re presenting it is clearly disingenuous, as they were played out of necessity and not because Pioli is some genius, brave coach.
Nice try though.
What the hell are you talking about? At Barca half the team is from their homegrown you youngster department! Please send the link to the stats you are looking at!
Or the staff you are smocking (alternatively)
Deflection? This site really has some laughable commentary. I’ve seen no proof of any change in the flight of the ball from when it left his foot to the back of the net. Can’t wait for the even more biased Five Things We Learned: #1 – Pulisic Deflection Was So Lucky!
Some people are still upset that the guy they all bashed Gerry Cardinale for signing, calling him a Premier League reject that was only being signed for being American, and for the sake of merchandise sales, is actually our best summer signing and a phenomenal contributor to the team. So, they experience the need to dismiss his contributions as luck, deflections, etc.
13 goals, 8 assists… and some people still don’t seem convinced. Wow!
Also, it is incredible how often he’s assessed as “could have done more.” This is said even when he scores, assists, works super hard all over the pitch, including in defense (which he’s great at doing).
What else do they want??? Will they only acknowledge that Puli has done more than enough in a game, in case he scores a hat trick? Is that the standard when it’s Puli???
Me, I’m a BIG fan of Pulisic’s. My 2024 Milan jersey has his number and name. He is my favorite Milan player. Of course I also love Giroud, Rafa, Theo, Mike… but Pulisic has a special place in my heart.
Pulisic is this season’s Krava. I was against his signing because of his injury record but, miraculously, we’ve kept him fit (so far). The same goes for RLC.
Oh, and I’d like to add this: while this site keeps underestimating Puli, another site like Pianeta Milan said today, about his performance against Lecce: “Pulisic è magia.” Indeed!
Have you all realized that Milan has 1 point more at the same point of the season, than we had in the Scudetto season?
It’s quite extraordinary that we had the most horrible, most devastating injury crisis, with a decimated defense which resulted in several dropped points while the crisis lasted, but still, we have achieved more points than when we won the Scudetto, so far.
Here is the ONLY issue with this season: Inter’s form. But Inter’s form is not something we can control, and it has nothing to do with our own form Yes, they are better than we are, this season. Unfortunately, and it hurts, it stings. But other than for Inter’s exceptional form, we have actually been doing quite well.
Yes, we didn’t survive the UCL group. But it was the hardest group, the only one that sent two teams to the quarterfinals, and we’d have qualified in ANY other group including Inter’s. And we failed to qualify by very little. Just one goal out of the numerous opportunities we had in the first game against Newcastle, and we’d have made it.
And then, Inter didn’t do that much better in Europe. They qualified from an easier group, then got bumped out. Even Inter, who is so extraordinary this season, domestically, couldn’t do much in the UCL, this time.
What I’m saying, is that Pioli deserves to continue to coach Milan next season. He has actually been very successful with Milan.
The problem with Pioli is that he has these collapses, a stretch of games in which the scudetto is lost. It happened last season and it has happened this season. We give him credit for figuring things out, most coaches can’t dig themselves out of a hole, but it’s Pioli’s lack of consistency that is our undoing and prevents us from being top dogs in Serie A and doing better in Europe. Pioli is an excellent coach, he does get the best out of most of his players, he improves players. No one can deny that.
Most people don’t like Adli defensively but was Pirlo even good with his defensive qualities? Obviously not. Pirlo was famous for his passing and playmaking. The same goes for Adli, he does not have to be exceptional defensively while he passes the ball forward like nobody else here does.
Pirlo is an underrated defender. It’s why he could have played in front of defence. His passing skills were so sublime his defending didn’t get noticed. He can tackle the ball very well..similar to Seedorf too who can also defend very well
This.
For all the things that he was known for, Pirlo actually knows how to tackle and position himself. He is also waayyyy ahead of Adli passing wise and set pieces wise.
But even with that, he had in front of him men who are very good at defending (Gattuso, Ambrosini, Seedorf). Currently our best defender is an out of shape Bennacer which is very bad.
Please stop this nonsense comparing one of the greatest Italian players of all time with Adli 🤦🏻♂️ just stop
I see all hugs and kisses on this thread, with an occasional InterFan input. What a comfortable win does to a Fan base 🙂
We don’t get many of these to be fair. Many have been nerve wrecking with lapses of concentration and fear of conceding, which to be fair Leece did create some chances.
But it’s fair to say Milan & Pioli is starting to figure sh*t out and this team is slowly coming together and evolving. That’s fantastic to see, especially after all the changes and injuries the team had to endure.
The main thing is that we are pretty much set up front and the pieces can be interchangeable as we saw with what Puli can do. Of course we’ll need to replace Oli with a more sustainable option but that’s probably it.
The rest of the reinforcement need to be in other key areas. But it needs to be pointed out what a stellar piece of business Pulisic turned out to be (among others) when SO MANY criticized his arrival…
It was a great performance, and really fun watching the front four.
Chuk was excellent. Pulisic was his usual sublime self.
The defensive ratings are extremely harsh.
Gabbia and Tomori basically have to defend without any midfield cover.
Adli is a non-entity defensively if he’s not giving the ball away in his own third.
Something that struck me about Gabbia (and Calabria) are just what good defenders they are. And it’s to do with the Italian school of defending.
Our defending down the right is so solid. And even when Calabria moves forward and inside (as he did most of the game) Gabbia covers for him.
There was one stage where Gabbia was outnumbered 2 v 1 and his positioning was so good he managed to cut out the pass and slow the ball carrier down without even needing to tackle.
This is the tragedy of the transfer market. Anyone who has played in Italy knows how seriously they take their defending. I remember playing games as a defender and being told off for making forward runs.
You defend. And you celebrate defending. Few other countries have this so engrained. Yet we go to other countries to sign defenders who then don’t defend.
For all the praise Theo gets, he’s not a defender. And he probably did concede a penalty. But that’s ok because he’s got Calabria and he’s now got Gabbia. He and they don’t have a DM though.
And that’s what the focus needs to be.
A DM who can take free kicks would be particularly useful.
But great win. And Scudetto winning form. Shame about before Christmas and the injuries.