AC Milan clinched a dominant victory against Cagliari after a goal fest at San Siro, finding the back of the net five times. There were several impressive individual displays 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.
Starting XI
Sportiello (6.5): He couldn’t do anything about the goal and made several good stops before that, as well as some after. He was also secure with his feet throughout the game. Indeed, he’s certainly been on the same level as Maignan (if not better).
Kalulu (6.5): It was really nice to see him back from start and it must be said that he impressed. He was always available when going forward and his ability to play with both feet really helped in some situations. Something to build on, for sure, and he was also solid at the back.
Gabbia (6): Overall, the centre-back did enough to get a pass here but he lost a bit too many duels, with one against Luvumbo coming to mind. He also got carded for a reckless challenge, meaning he will miss the next game.
Thiaw (6.5): Strong and confident in the duels. He also wasn’t afraid to leave his position if coverage was needed elsewhere, which often helped Milan regain the ball high up the pitch. Another good one from him, in other words.
Florenzi (6): Under the circumstances, a decent display from the veteran even if it’s not ideal to have him on the left. His deliveries are very good on corners, but he lacked a finish today with some chances squandered. Okay defensively too, but nothing more.
Bennacer (8 – MOTM): Finally, we got to see the ‘old Bennacer’. He had a somewhat average start to the game but after the goal, he was absolutely brilliant. It seems all he needed was that confidence boost, doing everything right when pressing as well as in possession. It was a great assist for Leao’s and he combined flawlessly with his teammates overall, getting stuck in when needed too.
Reijnders (7.5): He was back to his usual self with a lot of movement and the ability to open up space for his teammates. That in itself is extremely important for Milan, but he added to the party with a fantastic long-range strike. This is exactly what we need from him, the full package.
Musah (5): Unfortunately, while many players took the opportunity tonight, the American had a really hard time. He often found himself confused in possession, failing to make a decision quickly enough or just making the wrong one. He also lost his man on Cagliari’s only goal of the game, which was a fatal mistake. His work rate saves the rating a bit, though.
Chukwueze (6): He had a hand in the first goal, finding a good position inside the box, but he was rather anonymous aside from that. Still, it was certainly enough to get a pass here.
Giroud (5): Another game with a bunch of failed flicks and terrible hold-up play, losing many duels against the Cagliari defenders as well. We saw a clear difference after he left the pitch, even if that also was due to other subs.
Pulisic (7.5): A great display from the No.11, first involved in Bennacer’s goal and then bagging one himself after a well-timed run and a perfect finish. Before the game was over, he managed to take his goal tally up to 15 with another strike. He belongs on the right, that is for sure, and just misses out on an 8 here.
Substitutes
Leao (7.5): He entered the pitch with the right attitude and caused problems for Cagliari almost immediately. The pass for Pulisic was absolutely perfect and he did everything right when Bennacer put him 1v1 against the keeper. One goal, one assist in 45 minutes. Not too shabby!
Tomori (6): The Englishman wasn’t exactly forced to work overtime but did what was needed (and cannot be blamed for the goal).
Okafor (6.5): When playing in the centre, he got on the ball a few times (and did well) but it was only when he drifted out to the side that things started happening. It was a very nice cross for Pulisic, bagging an assist.
Hernandez (6): He technically got an assist, but that was all Reijnders. Having said that, the Frenchman was decent off the bench.
Pobega (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating, but nice to see him back!
The manager
Pioli (6.5): Regardless of what we think about the starting XI, Milan did head into the half-time break with a lead and the stars were able to come on in a situation with less pressure. It paid off in the end, as almost everyone seemed to regain confidence.
No, don’t give me old Bennacer, I want the new one, the one we should sell for 30 millions. He’s past it. Declined. We want new shiny toy!
🤡
Bring a proper DM, pair him with Bennacer in the double pivot and push Reijnders up into AMC. And then with RLC, Adli and Pobega there will be good depth and rotation.
Ha ha.
Only time Giro should see the pitch is last 60 seconds of the last game so he can say goodbye. We appreciate all that he has done for the club, but to continue being useful he needs to sit on the bench.
Yeah like he’s only the 4th highest goal scorer and 3rd highest assist provider in Serie A.
The old pr*^k.
I’d say he doesn’t even deserve a send off.
No, I reckon the only players who should be allowed to play in the last game of the season are last summer’s arrivals – THE MEMBERS OF THE GREATEST MERCATO IN THE HISTORY OF THE CLUB.
Tell me you only read statistics and never watch games, without telling me you only read statistics and never watch games.
Are you talking about a largely meaningless game that we won 5:1?
Is that more stats?
How about Giroud has basically earned the right to walk around the pitch naked?
Just be a fan and support the players and the coach.
So not a fan at all.
Giroud is a fine example of a CF who is only expected to produce goals. Has he done that? Stats say he has. One could argue with the chances he has had he should be at 25-30 goals already but that’s what you get when you have to play 90 min matches twice a week at almost 40 due to non-rotating coach.
For what it’s worth, Giroud can stand on the pitch for the last 2 matches and he’d still deserve to be greeted as a champion he is. Grazie Oli! One of our scudetto heroes. The #9 curse-breaker. Adieu!
I’ve criticized Musah way too often, but he’s better on 2nd half. We should have him to fill that kind of role more often. He has that work rate and physicality needed to excell on that deeper more defensive role.
And for Isma, hope he can keep it up. He has this character that no one can fill in this team. So yes, he’s still vital. And I don’t know why, but to see the captain armband in him is so much natural than on Theo or Leao.
Thats the only position Musa can fill. Forward as AM even Mezzala he is terrible, worst player by far. I kept a close eye on him thru the game in order to see better what he offers and he was really bad. Almost as if he was running away from the ball and hiding between the Cagliari players at times. Zero sense of positioning. Many times he was up front with Giroud and was leaving big gap in the mid. At one point Florenzi started yelling at him to get back lol, that sums it up. He has some energy and can become something similar like Kessie if he learns to defend. Cover the defence, bring the ball forward and make a simple pass, thats it.
Musah needs to learn fast and improve. He has been terrible all season
He can’t learn when the head coach keeps switching him around and doesn’t allow him to learn ONE set of skills for ONE position. The kid works hard, he is very young. He needs a good coach that will use him well and teach him one position, one set of skills.
He need to learn the basics, he is really good on the ball, he got technical ability but lack basics, like lifting his head. His eyes is glued on the ball, His understanding of positioning like you said is basic, he is always looking to advance, these are the first things you learn as kid, something that is lacking. Hopefully he will mature and learn, but these are things you generally want to have nailed down long before you get to any first team,
I’m pretty sure the ability to pass 5 yards is a requirement for every position on the pitch.
Should be. But in Milan, it hasn’t been for over a decade now.
I am happy for Rafa. I was mad at the imbeciles who booed him last game. He can’t be outstanding every game. Today in 45 minutes he had a GOLAZO, an assist, and a crossbar hit. Yeah, boo him now, idiots!
Giroud, horrendous; again the worst player on the pitch. Don’t read me wrong, I TRULY LOVE Olivier! Most goals and assists for the team this season, epic goalkeeping duty to be remembered forever, classy and intelligent guy. Love him! But he has clearly checked out, wants to be left alone, doesn’t want to risk injury before his transfer to LA, is completely unmotivated, and it’s PIOLI’s fault for starting him over and over. I’m utterly convinced that we would have advanced over Roma if Pioli hadn’t played Giroud for 180 minutes (it’s hard to win without a striker). Have you all seen how the team improved when he left? Have you seen how it makes a different to have a dynamic striker once Okafor came in? Where was this team against Roma? The players are mostly good; it’s the head coach who lost his marbles and lost us the Europa League. Pioli did well overall with Milan in his tenure, but not at the end of this season.
So basically almost everybody except Giroud and Musah did well. Let’s see: Puli scores 2 more goals, best season ever. Rafa has 1 assist, 1 golazo, and 1 crossbar hit. Benn has 1 assist and 1 goal. Theo, half game, 1 assist. Okafor, half game, 1 assist. Chuk, half game, originated the play that resulted in our first goal. Reijnders, great and powerful goal, excellent moves. Sportiello, great saves all game long. Thiaw, secure, solid, back to his best self. Kalulu, solid too, also recovering his form. Gabbia, decent, not his best game but decent. Florenzi, on the left he wasn’t as brilliant as last game, but also decent. Tomori, no mistakes. Pobega, not enough time for an assessment but it’s good to see him back.
Only 2 players did poorly: Giroud and Musah.
It’s nice to see a collectively great display like we saw today.
Again, our players are fine (Giroud is a great guy, a great champion, but has checked out and is deservedly in pre-retirement; it makes no sense whatsoever to still start him; Musah very confused but then, Pioli confused the kid throughout the season placing him in all sorts of different positions and roles; no wonder he can’t think straight; could blossom under a better coach).
What we need is a new coach.
We need to replace Giroud, obviously. We need a defensive midfielder. We need another RB. Otherwise we are fine, if we get a good coach. Most of our players would do very well under a coach that is tactically aware and knows how to best utilize each player, unlike Pioli.
I’m hopeful for Conceição. I hope he is the guy.
Kalulu might be suitable as RB. Thiaw too has played as RB and DM in the past. Simic apart from CB has played as RB and DM as well. Milan’s most urgent needs are a young, capable striker and a decent DM, and they will cost if quality is pursued. Investing on a new CB or RB this summer would be naive.
What nobody seems to realize (or maybe I missed it getting discussed) is that when the back line is Kalulu-Thiaw-Tomorri-Theo we effectively have 3 CBs because Kalulu was a beast in the Scudetto season.
This leaves Theo able to roam and provides the ability to play 3-3-4 on offense.
Now bring Gabbia in to the thinking. He isn’t as quick but he’s physical, master of the dark arts and great in the air.
Oh yeah … Then there is Simic.
This means we have Flo and Calabria for rotation.
I’m still a bit worried about Thiaw. I thought he was on the hook for the goal too and nearly gave up a goal with a lazy back pass. But he’s got potential when the defensive dept is taken on the whole.
I’m still unclear why we need a big money CB in the Mercato?
It is really sad we didn’t have these players for most of the year due to injury!
Buying a CB would make sense only if Milan had the money to buy a big, established name like, say, de Ligt or Saliba. That would enforce the defense beyond any doubt. But since Milan need to spend on other areas, the most they can buy as a CB is one with a large probability to be more shaky than the current CBs.
i Really do hope so too. Conceicao seems to me the right choice.
Great result.
Pulisic with his usual work ethic and calmness in front of goals. Showed his experience and skill.
Bennacer with a more controlled game albeit against weaker team (and they still got a lot of chances).
Reijnders goal is soo sweet and satisfying.
Thanked Giroud for all his contribution until this season, but he need to be benched and possibly not played again this season. Okafor and Jovic need to play more in preparation for next season.
Leao remains an enigma as he did all season. Showed really good pace and electric when in mood but frustrating when isn’t. He should have 3 goals tonight, his lazy lob few minutes after his goals almost make me curse.
Pobega is back, good for him. Solid enough tonight.
Sportiello is a really good shot stopper. The match will be a lot closer if not for his saves. He is making other players and fans confident even without Maignan, and that says a lot.
All CB don’t play too great tonight. Gabbia slip almost cause a goal. Thiaw looked good but some rash challenge resulted in dangerous free kick near the box. And Cagliari managed 10 shoot with 7 on goals… And the fact Nandez was soo free without pressure when he scored Cagliari’s sole goal showed lack of defensive coherence between all players.
Kalulu looked confident in his RB role. We don’t need new RB.
We do need a new RB because it allows Kalulu to be an option for both the RB and the CB positions. I love Calabria for who he is: boyhood Milanista, the captain, the longest serving player, Italian. But he has a ceiling and is irregular; we need a better RB to be the starter; Calabria can sub in, and Kalulu can as well but it’s important to also have Kalulu to support the CB role which has been shakier; Thiaw and Tomori have alternated bad games and bad mistakes; Kjaer is too old and slow now (love the guy too but his time is over). Gabbia has been good but the last few games his form seems to have slowed a little. Our defense like you said remains shaky, so a very good RB (like we have a very good LB in Theo) is needed for more balance.
But I do agree that it is not the most pressing need. Of course the bigger needs are a good, young, dynamic striker, and a good defensive midfielder. The defense will immediately improve if we get a good DM. Remember how much more solid the defense was when we had Kessie?
On another note, also regarding the defense: Mike has been mediocre this season and very injury-prone. I actually now feel that Sportiello has been better than Mike. I think we should sell Mike.
Calabria is fine as back up.
Kalulu I think is more suited to RB since he isn’t tall enough – so get bullied easily.
Then there’s Florenzi (if renewed)
Terraciano
Alex Jimenez
Simic can also play there.
So I think we don’t need a new RB, unless an undisputed starter like TAA, Hakimi, Porro, Frimpong come.
Calabria is f’ing captain and best defender,
Agree most of this, but I think we’re fine on RB right now. We have Calabria, Florenzi, Teraccianno, Kalulu, Jimenez. We have too much depth there arguably. Unless we sell 2 or so, we should focus in a good backup for theo. Outside of that, we just desperately need a clinical finisher in front for the next 5+ seasons, jovic is a perfect backup to have for no fee, and even Okafor as a 3rd option if we don’t plan to use Camarda much next year. And with leao, puli, chuk, Okafor, Romero, and hopefully Chaka back, we’re beyond set in wingers. We do need a Kessie/Tonali replacement to hold midfield down, or at least a quality CAM to be able to dance through midfield like Diaz did. Priority is definitely Striker, then midfield, and maybe a center back if we do end up selling one, and obviously if Mike leaves we need another GK, but for the amount we’ll get it shouldn’t be hard
Wow, Maignan catching strays on his day off.
Tomori deserves higher rating for blocking the shot that bounced of the upright that could have been a goal.
Nice game by Bennacer, and yes he still should be sold because just like Maignan you can’t count on him to stay healthy and his good games are few and far between.
Good game by the rest.
Musah isn’t the only one at fault for the goal. Leao fell asleep and allowed their fullback to send a cross unbothered, while Thiaw and Tomori were to far away form each other.
Good game by Leao on the counter attack.
Pulisic tally goes up to 12g and 7a. For comparison Thuram has 13g and 7a.
Nice shot by Reijnders, Milan best midfielder.
Can’t wait to see Okafor and all of this players under a better coach next season.
Hopefully we’ll get to see some of the younger players in the last 2 games.
Giroud was the only player that disappointed.
Pulisic’s tally is actually 15 goals and 8 assists, with Europa League and UCL factored in. These are great stats for a winger (and he’s not too shabby as a CAM either – for me, Puli was our best signing this season).
You said: “Can’t wait to see Okafor and all of these players under a better coach next season.”
Yep. Me too. Our players are mostly fine. Our head coach is the one who doesn’t know how to best utilize them.
I was only counting serie A, the main competition Milan is in every year.
Brahim Diaz best season ever was 6 g and 7 assists. But we still have fans complaining that he should have been kept because they see him score goals for Real Madrid.
Pulisic was cheaper and way more productive signing, than buying out Brahim.
agreed
Maybe I’m just silly but it kinda seems like the armband gave benacer that extra motivation to really break his post injury mold.. tho we need to wait for more game time to truly say it
Not silly.
Think of any time in your life you’ve been given extra responsibility and think about the extra adrenaline/focus.
Now multiply that by 10 because it’s the Milan captain’s armband.
These things make a huge difference.
Interesting how well we played a 433. All the more so after OK4 came on.
Interesting how well Reinjders played box to box. Bennacer with Musah’s physicality then Pobega’s
Too bad nobody was cheering much in the south end of the stadium for such a great result.
#curvadud
We actually played really good at the start of the season in 4-3-3, before that disastrous defeat to Inter. That’s also where Reijnders hype started, because he looked really good as box to box then. But after that, we started to lose the momentum, still win but unconvincing performances. Then come the win less streak and pioli back to 4-2-3-1.
The downside of 4-3-3 before was that Leao and Theo looked to be lost, maybe that’s also why Pioli tried 4-3-3 now without both.
Yeah. Part of me believes all the injuries never let us settle into the new tactics.
Then I remember all the inverting madness that seemed wildly unnecessary as a complication while trying to cope with an ever changing set of availabilities.
The whole season seems to be summed up by the word “reactive”. I hope we look much more proactive next season
Milan do not need to buy a CB or a RB this summer. Tomori, Thiaw, Kalulu, Gabbia and Simic can cover the CB positions, and Kalulu, Thiaw and Simic have played as RB. The needs to be addressed this summer are a quality striker and a quality DM. But in the end the performance will strongly rely on the coach.
Agreed for CB but not for RB. See my answer to AR above. I’d agree if Calabria were a more regular player. He is capable of great games but also of disastrous ones. I don’t feel like Calabria is RB starting material. Our defense is unbalanced. We have a world class starting LB but only a decent starting RB.
Yes, ST and DM are bigger needs, but a very good starting RB would be nice to have, too.
Remember, we have actually scored LOTS of goals this season. It’s our defense that has failed us repeatedly.
Milan will need 50+ mln for a striker, plus a similar sum if they decide to buy a proper, decent DM. With such spending they can’t buy a quality RB. So Kalulu and Calabria should play there and the next summer, if need be, a good sum can me spent on a quality RB. I agree that having a RB of the same quality as Theo would be great for Milan, but Milan do not seem to have the money to buy quality players on 3 positions this summer.
You have good points. Not to forget, if the rumors that Theo will join Bayern Munich are true, we’ll need another position to fill. Even with the money from his sale, he’s not easy to replace.
I disagree. I’m sorry, but our best CB is Tomori, and his is just an above average CB that has a great game every four games or so. The rest are average players who have risen up to the occasion at different points, but who inevitably regress to the mean. Tomori is great as a stopper, that is, as the one of the two who charges out on the press, but he needs to be paired with a better more defensive minded partner than what is available now. I almost think it should be more of a veteran, someone in the 28-30 y/o category who is good. Finally, I have been disappointed all season to not seen Simic get more time. I was impressed by the little that I saw, and am confused as to why we haven’t really seen more since (beyond the obvious “our other CBs are healthy again”). I’m not saying this is a priority above DM, what I’m saying is that a new striker is most important, and that DM and CB are equally important and necessary. We need to strengthen the entire spine, and not have to choose between one position and another.
Musah played too many positions and came in late during the window on top of it.
I hope the performances are due to a lack of familiarity and continuity, insteaf of poor reactions times or lack of intelligence. He seemed confused in almost all the games I saw him play.
It is was a nice performance but such ups for Milan have been followed by downs. Unless a new coach will be able to make the team more consistent, this will not go far.
MOTM was a toss up between Bennacer and Reijnders. Pulisic really came into it when he switched to the right. Sportiello was good in goals. The team seemed to have enjoyed themselves today…a good all round display. Maybe the silence allowed them to think better on the pitch…reminds me of the good run they had during the covid lockdown😅
I have read and believed that Pulisisc position is LW. Tonight I think it showed what being in the place you most often practice and play does for your ability to impact the game.
Apply this to Musah.
Apply it to most of our defense.
Apply this to our midfield.
Next season looks pretty exciting.
Pulisic can play both LW and RW, bringing Leao on with his runs and passing also affected Pulisic performance on the right since more space opened up for him. But yea you get used to positions. You still need certain characteristics to become good in a certain position tho. In my opinion Musa will never become a good AM no matter how much he will be played there. Similar like how Kessie never become good AM or Mezzala no matter how much Montela played him there.
I’m a big fan of Musah and agree 100%.
Was a big fan of Kessie and also agree.
I don’t even like Musah starting right now. I think he is ideal off the bench to lock down a lead.
Long way of saying I agree with you.
Pulisic is a LW and if Leao was a RW Pulisic would of had an even better season. Pulisic is a good player and trains for whatever role the manager asks of him. I am not surprised that he is finding success on the RW and AM.
I hope you are right about next season because a new coach can come in and change everything. Pioli favored Christian so who knows what the next manager will do. Just looked how TT and Potter did Pulisic at Chelsea.
We can see, if pioli bench the calabria then put kalulu on the right we can more aggresively…
Cagliari was terrible. These ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. Good win, pointless of course, but therapeutic.
This didn’t provide any answers as to the players forms.
I did not watch the match, but judging from the goals’ videos, Cagliari’s GK was quite weak. It looked like he allowed Leao’s goal on purpose. Milan have had many ups and downs, only time (and the new coach) will tell.
I reject your reality and substitute my o early optimistic I interpretation instead!
🙂
Anytime we win we should be happy. In football there are hardily any easy wins. This does not mean we will beat Inter but it showed us a few things to think about.
For one I agree Kalulu gives us a completely different look compared to Calabria. I am starting to think that the 433 could be used depending on the opponent and current player form. The whole idea of the 4231 was to get Theo and Leao more involved and that was met with mixed results. Perhaps we should have made in game changes to a 433 at least to force teams to play us differently.
I like Gabbia as a defender but he is slow on the ball and maybe Thiaw is the way to go moving forward but again it depends on the opponent and form. Against Inter or Juve I want Gabbia and if its Cagliari or Torino I want Thiaw at least for now as Thiaw is still young.
But I was hoping to see a Pulisic brace this season and finally got it.
The problem is not the 4-3-3 per say, but the 4-3-3 with inverted fullbacks and lack of a proper DM.
It is actually quite possible to play in a 4-3-3 without inverting the fullbacks and not over-relying on man-marking oriented pressing which leaves us exposed.
The 4-3-3 does seem to make sense since we purchases Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek for this system and not for a 4-2-3-1.
433, baby.
Mr. Pioli is overcomplicating things. The 4231 and the 433 by pushing tactics that a) dont work for us, b) are not needed. All we get from his masterstrokes are confused players
@ flyingturtle if Pioli’s tactics are so bad how are we 2nd?
i already told you this.. why are you asking the same stuff over and over?
we are second because a lot of teams are underperforming.. Or did you miss where the #1 and #2 last season are #8 and #7 right now?
m0r0n
Lol I didn’t want to be that guy but thanks for saying what on my mind.
We always perform well against anything lower than say 5th or 6th. I figured Reinjders would have had a good game and people forget how terrible he is against big teams for a few more games. Only thing is we’re at the end of the season and people’s hopes are going to go high just because we’re playing these lowly teams at the season run in. BUT the fact still remains that they don’t perform against proper opposition. While I thoroughly enjoyed the 5-1, I also know better and this result doesn’t fool me. It’s really only Cagliari after all lol 😂😂😂
Because you can actually steam roll weak opposition with superior individualities. Big teams tend to play as a….team, in other words they have collective play designated to nullify our best assests and exploit our weaknesses. Since we never adressed that and still rely on individual brilliances, the results are always gonna be the same.
Let’s hope this gets fixed by next season.
Say what you want about Benny. He might be of form, had problems with injuries and all, but he is still our best mid by far. You wont find a player for 30mil on his level.
Bennacer 8? You must be f***** kidding me. He was one of the worst today. I would give him a 5,5. He slows down play so badly I would puke, and he lost the ball in dangerous positions in the first half. He has not been good old Bennacer since his last injury. Sorry, man…
This is my rating:
Sportiello: 6,5
Kalulu: 5,5
Gabbia: 6
Thiaw: 6,5
Florenzi: 6
Musah: 5,5
Reijnders: 6,5
Chukwueze: 5,5
Bennacer: 5,5
Pulisic: 7
Giroud: 5
Leao: 6,5
Okafor: 6
Tomori: 5,5
Bennacer was shaky in first half, yes, but did score, and was outstanding in second half.
Chuk 5.5? He got a left thigh muscle injury, that’s why.
The 2nd half showed what Ac Milan can do playing with 11 on the pitch following Giroud substitution. Pioli played him 180 minutes against Roma. I still can’t get my head around it. Okafor is a mobile striker, able to hold the ball and exchange positions with other team mates. Even if he does not score, he can be useful. Giroud does not hold a ball. His stats in terms of successful passes are horrible. Ac Milan will improve massively by just changing the striker.
Pretty nice game to watch, especially the second half. I know it was Cagliari and the season is over, but hey, you gotta enjoy the wins.
Sportiello looked solid, maybe we shouldn’t be so scared to lose Maignan,…. maybe.
The defense was still shaky at times and I felt Cagliari got way too many occasions.
I won’t comment too much on Kalulu, he barely made a comeback. I hope he can stay healthy, that’s all I can say.
I’m happy for Bennacer, aside from his performance I liked his fighting spirit. I hope he can stay healthy otherwise we can’t really use him. The more advanced midfielder role seems to fit well actually, but this is Cagliari in a finished season.
Reijnders seems to pick the moments when he is criticized to score a screamer.
Pulisic: nothing to say, pure class. 15 goals and 9 assists. Even for a player with many seasons in Milan, this is still good.
Leao: love him, hate him, despite all his drawbacks he is still the most dangerous player in Milan.
I’d pretty much start the youngsters for the remaining games and start (or sub in) Giroud and Kjaer for the last game, since they’re pretty much gonna leave.
It’s interesting how people are willing to burn Chuk for a performance not as stellar as his last few, ignoring that it is because he collected a left thigh muscle injury.
Clearly, the team needs to continue to wear their mother’s name on the back. Loved the way, they pointed to that name when they scored. Hopefully, they’ll mount those jerseys and send them home.
Giroud 5 is very generous.
His most effective contribution was ripping Mina’s shirt.
Lol
New signings ! This game just further illustrates how stupid the Curva Sud protests are. What exactly are they protesting? Last summers Mercado by any measure has been a big success. Pulisic has been great. RLC has produced. Reijnders, Jovic, Okafor have all been good. Even Chuku has come on at the end of the year. If we have an equally good one this summer we will be all set.
Yep, we need a good striker and a good DM. If there is money left, a good RB. Or LB if Theo is gone in which case he will need to be replaced; that will be bad because he is not easy to replace, even for a lot of money.
How is last summer’s mercato a big mistake of the coach is getting sacked???
How exactly do you define success?
Hilariously I was one of the biggest critics of last summer’s mercato and I’m one of the only ones satisfied with how the season went.
They are protesting Pioli, how we have failed at critical junctures which prevented even better results (premature CL exit, exit of EL against Roma, umpteenth derby loss, etc.), and the way the club is moving to replace him, not the 2nd place finish.
I know a lot of you will poo poo this win and say its against lowly Calgliari but its a good sign for next season. We could have lost or drew and said who cares the season is over but we fought and won a nice 5-1 score line.
My takes are Kalulu changes the dynamics of the team and allows the 433 to be used effectively. I wanted a 4231 to get more attackers on the pitch at the same time but that hurt our midfielders other than RLC. In hindsight we should have used the 433 bit more to keep teams guesting and utilize Reijnders and Bennacers strengths.
After half time having Musah move to the six and Bennacer to an eight worked for both players.
Its really nice to have a player that can play all three attacking positions with everyone disagreeing on which one he is best at meaning he is good at all three.
Leao let the game come to him tonight and he looked good. He played with mored desire tonight.
I hope with more time together this team can integrate even more so and have a better season next year.
Pulisic has been excellent. Well above expectations and with numbers that compare well to anyone in the league. Goals and assists and endless work ethic. He has spread the field for Milan and Leao should have benefited far more. Leao is a tremendous talent with skill and strength, but he does not provide the results Pulisic produces.
I see what you are saying and I like Pulisic a lot but I think he benefits more from Leao than Leao does from him. You saw how the first half went even with Pulisic playing on the left. Leao comes in after half and magically Pulisic bangs in a brace. Pulisic is clinical but Leao opens up the space for him to finish.
Man that first half was dire. I swear we were heading for a bore draw (almost fell asleep lol 😂). Thankfully we got some excitement in the second half. I particularly Liked Kalulu on the right. He finally seems to be regaining his fitness. Bennacer is still not top form or fitness but still the best of the mid, bittersweet really. Don’t want to rain on the parade, it is Cagliari after all. Let’s hope we close out the next few games. Leave the season on a high note 😁
Hold on to most, but get a new starter RB, and a proper DM, ball winning and ball playing. Get rid of Musah and replace Giroud with a up and coming striker (Sesko?). And a leader in the defence. Get a tactically sound technical director, who can give sound feedback to Pioli. And let Pioli stay – he had overperformed since he started here. Also in this season. Conte, Concecaio etc. Wont change the fact that we dont have the best squad.
It’s crazy to see a comment “meh, only a win against low rank Cagliari and the season is over anyway”. But i bet that person and a lot of people in here will be angry as fvck if the result is a draw or lost for Milan.
Again. Just show how ungrateful and childlish Milan fans are.
LOL.
So true!
Yes they are and they will say we are Milan and expect to win Scudetto every year and when we don’t it is a total failure and we need to buy new players, new coach even new owner.
The most sad thing here is when it clicks this team is actually really good. You saw in the beginning we held our own against Dortmund newcastle and psg. Two of them in the semis and one in the finals. Our biggest problem was always motivation and consistency. Such a sad ending to the season because there was so much potential. I guess that’s what makes it even more depressing.
If you’re depressed imagine how the fans of the 18 teams who finished below us must feel.
Will somebody please think of the fans of the 2nd best team in Serie A.
5:1?
Just 5:1?
That bald pr#*k of a manager – the bastard – thanks to him we ‘only’ won 5:1. He should be sacked tomorrow. Not allowed back to the club. I want to see him being frogmarched out with a box of his personal possessions. That’s all he deserves after taking us from middle table to champions and consecutive champions league qualification.
I HATE him. And his 19 tattoo.
So glad the captain didn’t play. You see what happens when that Iain De Caestecker doesn’t play? We conceded another goal from a cross from the left…also he’s another pr^*k. I much prefer Dimarco. In fact I fantasise that Dimarco and all other inter players play for Milan until I realise it’s actually more efficient just to go and support Inter.
Woo hoo champions! I love Simone Inzaghi. What a hero. Not like that bald pr*#k.
But I won’t have a bad word said about last summer’s mercato. It was a blazing success. Possibly the most successful mercato ever.
It’s the old classic – amazing mercato followed by a disastrous season combo.
But it’s ok everyone the boring football’s nearly over. Now the real sport begins – the mercato.
After last summer’s Best Ever Mercato TM we only need a:
– GK
– LB
– CB
– RB – get rid of that captain pr^*k
– DM
– Am
– LW – get rid of that Lazy Leao pr*^k
– CF – Giroud can also f^*k off
I’m really super excited about this summer – new manager, new players, maybe even rename the club.
Good times.
I think your account got hacked.
Sarcascm at high level …..
The thing that amazes me is how we rebuilt the entire squad and everyone expected a Scudetto. We will fire the manager and bring in a new guy and when he gets similar results as Pioli we will call for his head too. Why not make small changes to the coaching staff and the rooster and move forward with a more unified team.
LMAO 😂😂😂😂
😂 enjoyed that
@Maldini’s heir