AC Milan claimed three crucial points in their pursuit of a top-four finish, beating Sampdoria 5-1 as the attackers finally found the back of the net. Down below are the player ratings for the Rossoneri.
Starting XI
Maignan (6): Decent display from him and apart from the goal, which he couldn’t do much about, he didn’t have to do a lot this evening.
Calabria (6.5): After some tough games for him, this was clearly a step in the right direction as he did better at the back but above all also added quality in attack. He had a couple of nice crosses, especially one that Giroud should have converted.
Thiaw (6): He did almost everything right this evening but it must be said that he could have done better on the goal. He was in no-mans land and should have picked up Quagliarella.
Tomori (6.5): A bit rough around the edges, but overall a step forward and he won many duels out there tonight. Then again, not the toughest opponents.
Hernandez (6): He clearly made a huge mistake on Sampdoria’s goal with reckless defending. Nevertheless, he did do well moving forward and helped put constant pressure on the Samp defence. It was almost a 5.5, though.
Tonali (7): A true box-to-box display from him with many good sequences in both phases of the game from him. He was also involved in the lovely fourth goal, getting the assist.
Krunic (6): Nothing spectacular from the Bosnian this evening. A couple of good passes and generally good on the ball, but quite average.
Messias (5): Without a doubt the worst Milan player out there tonight. He shouldn’t be blamed for the goal, because it shouldn’t be his job to mark a player in that position, but he still didn’t do enough in attack to prove himself.
Diaz (8 – MOTM): He’s been inconsistent this season with ups and downs, and this was certainly one of the former. Two assists and then one goal as the icing on the cake. He was behind almost every move tonight.
Leao (8): Milan need him to step up and he did, bagging one goal and two assists (if you count the penalty won). He looked in a much better mood out there tonight and hopefully, he can keep it up.
Giroud (8): Could perhaps argue that he could have been MOTM, bagging a hat-trick and breaking his goal drought in style. One header, one penalty and one ‘tap-in’. Milan need him like this, also because he did well in the hold-up play.
Substitutes
Saelemaekers (6.5): He needed just three minutes to do more than Messias did in 60, helping set up the lovely fourth goal. Bright on the ball as well.
De Ketelaere (5.5): Not great but also not terrible, a couple of good passes here and there but not enough impact in the end.
Pobega (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Kjaer (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Ballo-Toure (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
We hope it counts with two matches to go☹️
Good win for the lads at least we saw some positives especially with Saelemaekers introduction. Messias should park his bags after the last match he shouldn’t be seen anywhere within 500yrs of Casa Milano. 5-1 up, I’d expect the coach to rest Giroud and give CDK a chance upfront and give Adli some game time as AM but Old man Giroud had to work extra time.
Does CDK look like someone who’s ready to score a goal this season or u are only looking for a way to drag Pioli tonight?
Juventus is next he should have rested Giroud and probably Leao with the score at 5-1. Good win, I hope we take this form to the remaining two matches
We need to get big win so we can keep having better goal difference than Roma, if Juve get their points deducted, Roma might become our competitor in getting the last CL spot.
@Malda…. 5-1 up you have Juventus next match, what’s the need of allowing your key men run around what more goal are they hoping to score ?
Don’t just respond for the sake of it, think it through if it actually makes sense.
Leao needs to get an extra rating as he’s trying so hard to make CdK score a goal.
I know someone that will be angry with Diaz performance tonight.
And for the record I can proudly say Leao had a wonderful season despite the set back in form.
13 goals and 7 assists so far.
Cowards will always hate though.
For the time being he has been free from their mouths and nightmares.
Angry? Not really. Bitter is more accurate. Perhaps it’s the Inter game, or perhaps for the fact that he’s usually been missing for a few games, and then having one good game, making us forget about those bad ones and then goes back missing. It’s just frustrating. Not to mention that he’ll be send back packing to Madrid, which is why I wished/expected CDK to play his first full 90′ tonight.
Make no mistake, Diaz is STILL the best AMC we have atm and he would rightfully play against Juve as starter. This is beyond doubt. I just thought that this was a missed opportunity for us to prop up some confidence in CDK, which might see him kinda give some headache to Pioli on whom he should start.
Why do I insist on having a headless chicken in the field? With all due respect, this is Sampdoria, who has been pretty bad this season and they’re just playing for pride, as they’ve already been relegated. Failing winning this one would simply mean we’re just not good enough for CL anyway.
We need to win these matches and we can’t carry a player like CDK. He has been given an incredible amount of time/chances relative to his ability or form.
Any number of our better Primavera team would have made more of the opportunities he has squandered.
Please give us back our 35m and please give our youth a chance
Yes playing 10 minutes is an incredible chance for him. Especially when most of those games the b team was playing
Why would we sacrifice chance to a must win game over a single player?
Clearly CDK has too much love, if this were Leao or Tonali, people will be furious and said he ‘only good for half season’. I’d rather have half season good player in my team rather than have one player that needs to adapt for the whole season. CDK still has 3 more seasons to adapt anyway, so missing chance to play due to his horrible performance so far is not a big deal
Leao have been given full playing chance early, Tonali starting to integrate only when he given that chance too.. this CAM certainly the hardest position to play in pioli tactis.. none of diaz, hakan & paqueta excel there..
“Cowards will always hate though.”
So it’s cowardly to say an honest opinion. LOL. Get real. Quite the opposite. Saying what you really feel despite the fact that some fanbois might lose their sleep over it. 😀
I told you Giroud will score.
Now, the most important game is coming. Against most corruptive team in history of football…
It is game where Milan must give the best of themselves, and we hope on May 22, so in 2 days they will have points penalty (at least 12) for corruptive jobs.
1 down, 2 wins to go and a prayer that the other teams, league officials, Uefa, will do us a favor.
It was an easy win vs the worst team in the league, who is already relegated, had nothing to play for and was just going through the motion.
3 points and uplifting of the team spirit that hopefully will carry over into the next 2 games.
The performance in this game by the players whose future is in balance should have no influence on the clubs decisions about their presence in the team next season.
Brahim had the game of his life but too little too late.
On the other hand Theo had one of his worst games. He and Messias were the only players with negative performance today.
Forza Milan
And Forza Udinise, Napoli and Empoli tomorrow
I think we learned 2 things tonight. Sampadoria are a Serie B team.
Giroud can’t score vs Serie A teams, there is no shame for him at his age being a Serie B level player, the shame is on the club for making him our main striker in Serie A.
CDK is not even Serie B level. He came on with 20 mins to go against a team losing 5-1 (who are already relegated) and he was a useless as ever.
Worst signing in the 30+ years I have supported this club.
Please God, Leeds or some other fools give us back some chunk of the investment.
I hope I never have to see him don the shirt again!
+1
“Giroud can’t score vs Serie A teams, there is no shame for him at his age being a Serie B level player”
LOL. Scored one against Napoli in UCL. Scored against Inter. Again. As last season. Scored against Napoli in Serie A too. Scored against Torino.
Scored also a few in the World Cup. You know the competition where all the best players in the world gather to compete which country is the strongest in football? Was actually one of the best scorers in that tournament.
CDK awful again
All the respesct to Samp but they are the worst team in Serie A team so the performance of Diaz is nothing special i know that is fanboys are gonna defend him but if we was something were was he against Inter nowhere to be found so dont come here saying we need him at any cost or that he is better then CDK or Adli the two of them are in is first year at Milan meanwhile Diaz is in his third and has been the same thing over and over plays well in one game then the next 5/6 his nowhere to be found is like we are playing with ten players on the field!
Look, for the people who kept saying CDK sucks.
He does suck this season, probably the biggest flop in Serie A, a tapiro d’oro favourite. but sometimes you gotta take things into perspective.
He hasn’t played a full 90′ game AT ALL this season. And this was supposed to be our biggest transfer of the season, the Scudetto gift. The next Kaka etc etc. What do you think the pressure’s gonna be on this poor kid?
As we all can see, he’s mentally fragile, not sure if that’s beyond repair or not, some players mature later, but from the way he’s playing, you could see that he’s jittery and almost seems like that he has something to prove and want to prove it FAST. He tried to take on too many players, making stupid decisions time after time, and get nervous in front of the goal.
Now, couple that with cameo appearances here and there for 10-20mins each game. There’s just NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO MUCH. His anxiety would just be going to be worsened. Coupled with the fans’ insults and disappointment, you could see he’s playing with HUGE burden on his shoulder.
I’m not defending him and trying to make excuses. I’m just here to say that I’m willing to forgive and forget this disastrous first season. I do feel he’s not being utilized properly, and given limited time to get going. His work ethic also left a lot to be desired and he really, really needs to do hell a lot better to convince us next season.
But, for the time being, it is extremely HARSH to keep piling pressure on the kid. Let him be for now, he has suffered enough and hopefully he’ll come back stronger next season – he’d better be!
Forza Milan. Sempre.
I agree with what you say. I like most people feel really bad for the young man. Things are beyond repair for him at Milan. I hope he finds some satisfaction elsewhere
He already play full match in 1st match serie A till couple match but he disappoint coach & fans so he losing his spot . It is maldini that forcing pioli to play him as starter in 1st match . He is just another paqueta ( flamboyan player) , CDK best position are false nine & second striker , Pioli need strong muscular striker not SS or false nine . CDK if still pioli as coach must training to become RW or AMF
@Reccaman:
Which game(s) were you referring to?
https://www.transfermarkt.com/charles-de-ketelaere/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/435772/plus/0?saison=2022&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=
@Reccaman:
Which full 90 minute game(s) were you referring to?
transfermarkt(dot)com/charles-de-ketelaere/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/435772/plus/0?saison=2022&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=
sorry can’t post link apparently, please replace the (dot) with (.)
He didn’t get a full preseason neither. Learning a new language, league, system, coach, teammates, stadium etc He will need time and reps to get it right
“I’m not defending him and trying to make excuses.”
LOL. That’s exactly what you’re doing though. 😀
Still pioli will start messias against juve
Diaz is one good day in one year and 80 bad days in 1 year, imagining Diaz was the one in the position of Toneli he will never pass Ty pass the ball rather want to score by himself. On Leao he assisted more than 10 this season please read your statistic
The thing with Diaz is that I truly believe if he had a better team around him he would shine a lot more. He was dancing around sampdoria. 2 assists and a goal. If he had the quality up front with him he’s capable of doing the flicks and tricks, making quick passes and all. But unfortunately we have very little quality in attack and that just brings him down too. He can never be the type to do it all on his own like leao but if he had the class around him he would be class.
the thing is, he isn’t physically capable of doing it on his own or with teammates against good defense. He lacks the physical power and long range speed to be able to use his quick feet against higher, top level opponents. He can do well when they don’t focus on him and the other players create space for him. He is an attacking midfielder though, it’s his job to do that on his own in that role.
I agree. A physically fragile player like him can not be let to be picked on by defenders. He need players like him who can drag defenders from him in order to attack the space. But we lacked players that have that capability
He had a better team around him at Man City, he was useless.
@Milanellofm
CDK isn’t bad, the potential is there but he complicates himself by not playing simple football. Sometimes it’s just about passing the ball around and finding the right space but it seems he want to do something extra and of which his current form is not permitting him. He can be surrounded with top class players but if you can’t define when to pass, move to space or dribble, you will keep loosing the ball from bad choice you make. Hoping he will get in shape in the upcoming pre season.
No stop being lenient towards De Ketelaere. I will use 3 players that were in his similar situation. (1 Sandro Tonali). Remember when he arrived he was clueless with his position. He had a lot of misplaced passes. But he would get up run after the ball. You would see he loves the milan shirt but can’t proves it, look at him now!. (2 Diaz.) My goodness he was weak when he arrived, one push and he is on the ground. I remember one match he was AMF with Ibrahimovic on the pitch, you could tell he was irritated with his weakness and shouted at him for not passing the ball earlier rather than trying to dribble 3 players. But gradually Diaz got hold of the game, every opportunity he was given you could see he wanted to impress regardless he was physically weak, look at him now. He fights every challenge. (3 Leao) when he first arrived you could see that he has potential but made 1v1 choices, he wasn’t confident with himself, he couldn’t hit the target most the times but game after game you could see he is improving, he slowly understood that he can the power to change the game, now he even tracks back to defend.
BUT WITH De Ketelaere I DON’T SEE ANY IMPROVEMENT, IT LIKE HE HAS CRAWED INTO HIS SHELL AND DOESN’T WANT TO BE DISTURBED. I am therefore tired of people defending him when he doesn’t show any ounce of determination for the Milan shirt. Same goes to Origi. Now this disease sames to have pass on to Rebic.
Leao have been given full playing chance early, Tonali starting to integrate only when he given that chance too, diaz already get full chance rotating win hakan (he is expected to replace hakan on the next season).. this CAM certainly the hardest position to play in pioli tactis.. none of diaz, hakan & paqueta excel there..
I agree. The opponents know Diaz is the danger-man and they shut him down (quite easily due to his size). But if he was playing next to better players the opponents focus would shift to the better player(s) and leaving Diaz more space and time. And he he’s given enough both of them, he can shine.
But in Milan that will never happen. He’ll be better off somewhere else. And Milan will be better off with someone else.
Is it forbidden to say that CDK is not good enough to wear Milan shirt ? Why do you delete not only mine but all messages saying that ?
I dont understand why Pioli’s subs always come so late in the game, every match whatever happens he waits till last 10 mins to make a sub so that the players getting on don’t get enough playing time and the players that are playing risk injury for so long. Game was won in 30 mins, make subs at half time or 60 mins, keeping Giroud and Leao on for whole game was risky and not worth, not to mention Giroud already scored a hattrick why keep him on at all??
CDK always criticized always looked down upon but Pioli lets him play only 10-15 mins per week and sometimes even less. Meanwhile Messias who did nothing this season is starting games.
How to know CDK true potential without risking point? Loan him to other club that can guarantee his reguler playing time. Then we can see his true performance in one year.
Phew thank goodness we won. Comments section calm today 😂😂😂
Only when we lose then the true losers come out in their numbers
De Ketelaere doesn’t care about Milan. His body language is totally off. He is not closing down players in front of him. When he miss a chance to score he doesn’t become upset.
Hnmm…I think we shouldn’t be looking at football alone when recruiting players. Attitude, grit determination should count. Someone needs to speak to him. If he plays like this, he will destroy his own career. He chosed Milan and no one forced him.
Its the dogs nature to bark so i guess they’ll keep barking regardless of this great victory.
Great victory against a relegated team… are you truly satisfied with how many play or you recently become a milan. True milan support would always demand more from milan because we know what the team is capable of. We were once the most decorated club in the world for goodness sake. This is below standard. In life never be satisfied of what you have archived be hungry for more. Milan deserves to be in every final in every competition for semi finals or strangling to get to the champions league. No Martin Bernhard, dream better for your team. You deserve it as a milan support. Italy should belong to AC Milan only.
Ive supported milan for over 30 years so im not a novice fan even if you think so. I do demand more andi propably demands more than most but it doesnt change the fact that a great deal of the socalled fans doesnt support the team as much as they act as a womens whailing choir regardless of how we play, Or if we win,
Regardless of the clubs history and what we want to be this is the reality we live in so support the club or get the F out thats as simple as that. Milan isnt in a financial position to act as we could back in the days and ffp is also part of it as we now has to handle with a distorted ruleset of how we cant act in the market.
Well said, Martin. Well said.
Thanks