AC Milan clinched their fourth and final win of the pre-season as they beat Monza by three goals to one. Alexis Saelemaekers impressed us all once again and Alvaro Morata got to make his debut. 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.
First-Half XI
Maignan (N/A): He barely had anything to do in his 45 minutes on the pitch and although Monza did score, he couldn’t do anything about that. Unheard of as far as our ratings go, but despite 45 minutes we didn’t see enough to give a fair rating.
Calabria (6): It was a decent first half by the captain, and especially one move comes to mind when he managed to get the ball past the defence and fire a shot away. That being said, questions can be asked on the goal but it looked like it wasn’t his man initially.
Gabbia (5.5): His positioning wasn’t great this evening as he got caught out on a couple of occasions. One of these included a fatal mistake as his man got free in the box, but fortunately he fired the shot wide.
Thiaw (6): An average display from the German, and there’s not much more to say about it really. He had to cover for Terracciano’s high position a lot.
Terracciano (5): Yes, it was probably on Fonseca’s instructions, but his position was way too high most of the time and this made things difficult for him in both phases.
Musah (6) The American was decent with some good runs in transition, but he perhaps could have done more defensively. Calabria seemed to blame him for the first goal, but it was difficult to see exactly which player screwed up there.
Adli (5.5): He had a couple of nice outside-of-the-boot passes, but he also had some very poor ones and his defensive positioning left a lot to be desired.
Saelemaekers (7.5 – MOTM): He got lucky with the rabona goal, let’s be honest, but that luck was deserved as he was the best player on the pitch. Always on the move, clever with the ball, picking out his teammates and much more.
Loftus-Cheek (6): The Englishman got into good positions, which we saw just before the first goal, and he also used his body well to keep possession on multiple occasions. Nothing spectacular, but certainly good.
Leao (6): It certainly looked like he tried to be more direct, which many of us want to see, with one header just wide and a nice shot saved. The end product of his impressive runs can still be better but this is a step in the right direction.
Morata (6): We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here, he has only trained with the squad for a few days. That being said, his movement looked good and he worked hard in every situation. The end product, shots as well as passes, could have been a bit better though.
Second-Half XI
Torriani (6): He wasn’t called into action that many times but when he was, he did a really good job. One save in particular stood out, denying Monza a goal from a nice curling effort. He was also quick to start the play a few times, picking out teammates in promising positions.
Jimenez (N/A): Unfortunately, he was subbed off in the 62nd minute due to what looked like a stomach issue, so we didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
Pavlovic (6): He was assertive in his movement and kept it simple in possession, although we saw a couple of good runs forward too. A promising display and it will be very exciting to see him once he’s played more regularly.
Tomori (6): It was a bog-standard performance, truth be told, but at least he made a very good block at the end of the game.
Hernandez (6): We have missed his runs forward, as became evident this evening, but the Frenchman could have done better with his passing in those situations. Still, a good display from him so he gets a pass here.
Bennacer (6): Commanding as usual, making himself available in both phases of the game and not hesitating to get involved.
Reijnders (7): It was a very nice strike from the Dutchman, beating the goalkeeper thanks to the power, and he was also good in open play. He will be an important player this season.
Chukwueze (6.5): He almost always got the ball whilst running, which is a good thing for him as he can challenge the opponent immediately. He could have been even more effective, but still good.
Liberali (6): He started with a nutmeg and showed off some nice movement. Having played at the weekend, though, he was subbed off quite quickly to get some rest.
Okafor (7): He looked incredibly bright off the bench, creating chance after chance (including the first goal) and this is exactly what we want to see from him. As the game calmed down, he naturally faded a bit.
Jovic (6.5): Right place, right time and the Serbian managed to get another goal with the red and black shirt. More can be asked of him in open play but he’s there to score, and he did.
Zeroli (6): Despite having to play at right-back, the youngster did well and that just shows his range. He will be key for Milan Futuro this season.
Pobega (N/A): We didn’t see enough of him to give a rating.
It would be nice to sell Musah,Adli and Pobega and let Zeroli and Liberalli take their place.
Yeah, thankfully it will probably happen sooner than later
Selling Musah is a terrible idea
yup… every week there are players that some people just hate for no obvious reason. Zeroli was I think already promoted, was posted on the official website’s squad member page.
Thanks for the details sempreMilan. I couldn’t find any way to watch this one sadly.
I can’t believe that they are actually giving them medals for this game. 😂
Liberali has magic in his feet. They’ve been hyping up Camarda but this kid is just as big of a talent.
Great to see Reijnders back. Nice goal.
Milan desperately needs another left back. Give Fiorentina Terracciano and see if you can get Parisi from them. If not him someone else needs to come in to back up Theo.
Torriani got the reflexes and the feet. He’s got a bright future. Funny thing that Torriani and Liberali were not starters for the Primavera last year.
Terraciano has been awful so far. Surely we could pick up a bette depth piece elsewhere. We might not even need one.
Liberali is definitely a star in the making. But he needs to bulk up more and get minutes in his legs with the big boys. Would love to see him make cameos with the first team this season.
Are you forgetting he’s a right winger? He’s not a damn left back. Maybe we should a tually try him in a role he’s meant for, instead of choosing every option under the sun that isn’t just buying another left back
Terraciano is absolutely abysmal. I wonder how he ia a pro footballer…
Torriani should deputy for mike to “learn” the trade. Seems like we got Mike replacement right there if he doesn’t extend
Torriani is already the deputy for Mike for the next two months until Sportiello gets back. Once Sportiello returns, Torriani should go back to Milan Futuro for more playing time. He is great and has a brilliant future.
Why? Future already has 3 gk without him
Like I said, for more playing time. Torriani is a gem and needs to be well-managed to fulfill his great potential. It is fine to get him to be the back-up for Mike in an emergency situation caused by Sportiello’s injury but once the official #2 comes back, Torriani should go back to Milan Futuro. Futuro has 3 goalkeepers without him? Well, they should all be below him in the pecking order because it is pretty clear that Torriani is a major talent. If the others are not as good and don’t develop as well as Torriani does as time goes by, they can go elsewhere.
Would be a huge leap of faith from management to entrust Torriani with the back up position.
But no such leap of faith signing some randomer who has never played with any of these players when the vast majority of transfers end in failure (as in the new player signed doesn’t perform at the same or greater levels at their new club and is soon moved on).
Liberali looks very talented. Kind of reminds of Messi in his ball hold up. Not sure why we are not moving him on the RW. He is 17 any way so he has a long way to go. He was one of the best Italian players in the U17 Euro that Italy won too.
Why have him as RW? He is a midfielder and a very good one at that. We are all set for the RW, with Puli, Chuk, and Alexis. Liberali is ready to help the first team when needed in case of injuries and in case of need for rotation, but his natural position is not the RW; it is the CAM position.
Cause RW is hard to find and he has the quality for it. Good ball control, acceleration, good left foot. He might be a bit too small for mid as well. Btw im not talking about now but the future. He might excel as RW more based on his qualities. Who knows maybe even Messi lvl.
Good pre-season. Maybe friendlies don’t matter that much but it is certainly better to win and to have many players doing well, than the opposite.
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My take-home points today:
1. Alexis was absolutely brilliant. Arguably this was the best 45 minutes he ever played with the Milan shirt. Every touch he made produced something good. The kid is on fire! What a resurgence (reminds me of Gabbia who came back from loan so much better)! Alexis, MOTM by far, very far!
2. Pavolovic was very impressive. Calm, looked experienced, great physicality, he will gel fast and will improve our defense with his size and his being a left-footed player.
3. RLC did great as CAM today. The concern is that RLC is so irregular; he is capable of great games but also capable of disappearing in other games. But then, we also have Puli for the CAM position. The way Chuk and Alexis are playing, we don’t need Puli as RW, he can be the starting CAM.
4. Liberali and Torriani despite their young ages are clearly ready to help the first team in terms of depth, in case we face injuries and need to rotate for the multiple competitions. Zeroli suprisingly did well as RB. He can help the first team, to. Terraciano, no, he cannot. Jimenez can; I hope that injury was not a muscle one that will knock him out for a long time.
5. Rafa seems energized by having a Portuguese as the head coach. I think he will do very well this season. He did well today and I also liked him against Barcelona.
6. Terraciano, Adli and Pobega don’t belong. Maybe Terraciano will improve with Futuro (I kind of doubt, but he is young). We need to sell Pobega and Adli as soon as possible.
7. Morata is not game-fit yet. This is a bit concerning since it’s only 4 days to start the season and he’s our main ST, but we got enough people able to score in our offense so likely Morata will have time to get into game form and to gel with the new team, the new coach and new league (the league is not that new for him who has played in Serie A before, but still, it’s a change, and he is going through a difficult personal moment – he has just separated from his wife – so let’s give him time).
I think with Okafor and Jovic backing up Morata we are all set for the offense; no need for Abraham. Kalulu is gone but I think our defense will improve too, this season, as long as we get a DM. We don’t need another CAM like Samardzic; Liberali can also fulfill this niche in case of rotation/injury needs. The kid looks so ready for the first team!!! He played only 23 minutes today but again showed some good moves and participated in the build-up for the second goal.
What we really need is Fofana; if we get him, we are all set and we just need to trim the squad a bit (it’s too bloated right now).
Let’s realize that Fonseca is doing a good job. He arrived so discredited and many people including me didn’t trust him at all, but hopefully we were wrong and he will do well with Milan.
I’m generally encouraged and I think we will be more competitive than last year. Forza Milan!
Nice post Luigi.
My highlight was the Torriani – Pavlovic chest bump!
Good summary. Agree with a lot of that.
really rare to see this level-headed take in this forum. really well put.
100% agree on Pobega+Adli upgrades.
Fofana is just a matter of time, imo, and if there are no more surprises he should be our player before the end of this week.
With 5 wingers, Pulisic flexibility will be key. And as you said Liberalli is right there.
If we can maybe get Locatelli in Kalulu deal, not direct swap obviously, that would really help us out for Bennacer departure next year to Saudi. Similar players, and if Locatelli can start as understudy he will develop into an amazing replacement for him, without media pressure.
With -60M as total net spent, that would give us the most complete team, maybe even more than Inter since half of their players will eclipse their prime while our will only be getting into it, as well as Futuro players to come… good time to be a Milanista, aside from stingy owners…
Thanks for the kind comment, and thanks to others who also liked my post. Pobega, unfortunately what I forgot to say is that we still need his dead weight because of European lists. A pity, but I guess we can’t sell him yet. I hope Fofana will come at the end of the mercato when Monaco runs out of options. If they aren’t incredibly stupid, they will have to fold and sell him to us for 20M + bonuses + 10% resale clause which is very fair. Clearly the player wants to join us and I certainly hope it gets done. I still think we managed this wrongly. Had we offered a decent (as in, non-offensive) amount in our first offer and had we talked to the club prior to talking to the player, we wouldn’t have irritated the club owner and most likely Fofana would have been sold to us already for a decent price, and would have had more time to gel with the team. Still, if he comes, all is well that ends well, but if he doesn’t come, then it will have been a big blunder by our managers.
Thank you Luigiu, I agree.
Trust in the youth, a DM and we are good to go.
How good are ACM compared to merda and
gobba di merda?
That is for this because i missed the game.
I do not see Salatmaker comments or naming today. Where are you hiding you Sunject Matter Experts with mikkions to spend?
Pioli only liked his boyfriend Krunic i think
Oh man, why didn’t you ask? The game was streaming live and for free on Mediaset Infinity; it was an official legal stream with great quality, in HD, no freezes, no malware (Mediaset belongs to the Berlusconi family and it has the exclusivity for the Berlusconi trophy). You just needed a free account with a valid email and a password, to watch the game.
Saelemaekers’ first name is Alexis. I commented on him, using his first name Alexis; called him brilliant and the Man of The Match by far, very far.
Jovic is really gonna have to step up because there’s no way Morata will get more than 10 goals this season. (All tournaments included)
would be the first time in his career…i’ll take the over…
Definitely. He looks like cake to play to me. I think he’s gonna do wel.
He came to play*
Based on what? Your “professional” experience?
The management needs to understand we need backup for Theo and move Terraciano to RB cuz he always runs into difficulties playing LB . Maybe redeploy him to futuro. This team desperately need a DM . I understand we need some Italians to match up the squad list and that is the only reason Pobegba will stay but as of next season we will have more italians from the futuro that will join the first team , Pobegba should be sold out. Zaroli can comfortably replace him.
Assuming you are referring to the Europa quota then they have to been playing in the club for two years in between the age of 16 or 18 (? cant remember )between the age of 21 so only players above that age will help that quota so the Futuro players wont fit that bill.
Pavlovic was like a rock. Calm and mature. I think he will come up good for us for sure. He almost looked like he’s been here a while…
remember need Motta or Milan is doomed
meanwhile Motta hasnt won a single game yet lmao
Motta must owe your ma some money 🤑 lol
You have been sh*t talking about Motta and De Zerbi even though they already got signed to different teams.
You don’t pick up on Boulden’s sarcasm well at all. No wonder you two don’t get along.
You should ask Boulden out on a date 🙂
No one will admit they were wrong if Motta balls up his first season – as usual…
thats the worst first lol they acted like he is some sort of world class talent and filled every online forum with toxicity
but its ok its online so they can just pretend they hated them all along
I’m not a proponent of Salemaekers but he makes it difficult to offload him with his displays game in and game out. Something Adli hasn’t been able to do with more chances than Alexis has gotten.
A lot of Respect to Alexis for that.
We’re stuck because we signed too many wingers last summer.
If we’re keeping Saelemaekers we should sell one of Chuk, Okafor or Jovic, otherwise it’s too crowded particularly with Liberali coming through.
Jovic isn’t a winger. Okafor is a second striker.
I know you love to pigeon hole players but the idea is that if we sold Jovic it’d free up space for Okafor to cover for CF.
Ideally we should aim for 5 players for the front 3 positions like Barca:
Saelemaekers, Pulisic, Leao, Okafor and Morata
(Am I missing someone – it’s hard to keep up!)
Oh sorry and Chuk….
6 for 3 positions.
Buddy, just stop babbling
Ha – you warming up to him? Hopefully he stays and keeps this up.
I generally don’t get into rating players as hot or not. It’s simply a numbers game and we have too many.
It’s unnecessarily inflicted dilemma that distracts from the business of building a coherent and tight squad capable of competing at the top level.
That’s astute!
The only maldini that scored against us, is daniel. Not once but twice.
I have a feeling that he will become like berardi to us, a kryptonite.
He’s probably scored more against Milan than for them. 😀
Saelemaekers needs to show up in a meaningful game. That said, he’s seemingly gotten better from when he was splitting time w Castillejo.
Like when he scored the goal of the season for us against Napoli???
Forza Milan what a great pre season ❤🖤
Makes a change from the Pioli days doesn’t it – getting smashed every game didn’t exactly inspire confidence for the upcoming season.
I think its time sel Leao,he not good anymore.He is showman,every player now at his position play better for team and gave more.
Wow Saelemaekers. Would be dumb to swap him for Chiesa. would be dumb to let him leave in any way tbh.
And the future looks really really good with the Primavera and now Futuro. Torrianni, Nava, Bartesaghi, Jimenez, Zeroli, Liberelli, Cuenca, Camarda. Future secured, just brilliant. Excellent model ; and good work started the previous directors M&M and continued by the current directors.
My only issue now is a lot of these kids are 19 or 20 years , the age at which in football one should be getting first team football. Cos you only have 15 solid years of football. Jimenez, Zeroli and Bartesaghi in particular should be playing first team. Futuro ain’t enough. That’s why I didn’t get the point of signing Royal. Bartesaghi is a strange one cos Fonseca has not given him any time in the friendlies, and he played LCB over the weekend.
6 for Morata is just crap. It’s better to not give any rating as he joined less than a week ago. It will not be easy to know the player’s.
Jovic seems to be the real replacement for Giroud. He has good eye for the goal and positioning, athlétisme.
Only a full season can confirm that.
Let’s see!
This was a poor game by almost all standards. Only Saelemaekers, Torriani and Okafor get a pass from me.
And to be clear: Calabria is right: the goal is on Musah. You have to anticipate what is happening, and sprint back like there is no tomorrow in that situation.
Watch the goal over again and check in on the other pivot (Adli). You have to anticipate what is happening. Regardless of the missed challenge, if you are the deepest mid and one of the cb is getting pulled to cover for the fb. The deepest player is your priority. He is just trying to hide instead of making a play on defense. It reminds me of the play against PSG when Zaire-Emery blew past him, he stopped running and a cross got put in for a goal that he could have broken up if he hadn’t started walking.
i would keep alexis he has imroved alot