AC Milan made it three consecutive wins in all competitions after a rather comfortable display against Empoli this afternoon, prevailing 3-0. Several players did well 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
Maignan (6): He didn’t have that much to do this afternoon, making a few standard saves, and when Empoli did create dangerous chances they were blocked.
Calabria (6.5): He started the game really well, above all lively in the attacking phase, and always combined well with Pulisic. He did get booked after a poor foul, but overall it was a good game for the captain.
Kjaer (6.5): Strong and assertive in his defending, also showing off his long-ball capabilities with a couple of really nice passes. The partnership with Theo continues to go from strength to strength, and the Dane is clearly regaining his physical condition as well.
Hernandez (7.5): A great display from the Frenchman in both phases of the game. He made more than one crucial block inside the box and often won the ball back as well. In attack, he troubled Empoli on a couple of occasions with his trademark runs.
Florenzi (6): A pretty average display from the veteran until the 35th minute, when he was forced to leave the pitch with an injury. It doesn’t appear to be anything serious, but not ideal nevertheless.
Rejnders (7): He’s so incredibly neat and tidy on the ball, really using his technique and vision to always stay in possession. He was heavily involved in the first goal, keeping hold of the ball and then wasting no time to put Leao into play. He continued to do well after that.
Adli (6): In the first half, he was a bit lazy on the ball and had too many misplaced passes. He improved in the second half, without a doubt, but in the end it was nothing more than a standard performance. He can do more, as we saw against Cagliari.
Pulisic (7): He was headed for a lower rating but towards the end of the game, he had a couple of good defensive contributions and then grabbed that wonderful assist for Chaka Traore. He did really well to get to the ball in the first place, and then did everything right from there.
Loftus-Cheek (7.5 – MOTM): The Englishman made the most of his advanced role today, scoring the opener with a calm finish after making his way into the box. He was very strong in the duels, as you would expect, and then helped Milan win the penalty with an acrobatic attempt. In short, he was decisive for the Rossoneri today.
Leao (7): Finally, the winger is starting to find his ‘old form’ again. He was a constant threat to the Empoli defence today and really showcased his abilities on the first goal. He had a couple of more good crosses, including a Pulisic header which was saved, and he really seemed to enjoy himself. That is exactly what Milan need from him.
Giroud (6.5): This is a tough one. Don’t get us wrong, that penalty was lovely and he deserves praise for finding the back of the net yet again. However, he was simply too slow in the box today, failing to get on the end of many promising crosses. And ultimately, scoring a penalty is not all that impressive.
Substitutes
Jimenez (6): He showed glimpses of what he’s capable of in the attacking phase but he was too rash on the other half of the pitch. He did have some good interceptions/clearances, though, so overall it was decent.
Bartesaghi (6): The youngster did what was needed, also combining quite nicely with Hernandez on the left flank. Nothing out of the ordinary, though.
Musah (6): The American looked very promising on the ball and it would have been nice to see him on the pitch for longer. Perhaps he will get the chance from start against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Chaka Traore (7): Another goal for the 19-year-old, this time with an even better finish after a nice layoff from Pulisic. The composure to just angle the body and then pick out the bottom right corner should not be understated.
Gabbia (6): Milan had good control of the game and he wasn’t really forced to any difficult actions, but did stand in the way of an Empoli attacker who would have been through on goal otherwise.
The manager
Pioli (7): It must be said that the tactics worked today, evidently, and the manager also got just what he wanted from Loftus-Cheek. He stated during his presser that the Englishman needed to get into the box more, and this resulted in a goal. Not seeing Jovic was a bit disappointing, but Leao probably needed the rest and the Serbian might start against Atalanta.
Poili has got a rating lol am
Sure other comment will rate theirs
I like it. Gotta rate them all
Will Mr pioli read this and reflect him self?
The only thing I didn’t like about how Pioli played out the 2nd half, was that Milan played backward too much and didn’t use this match as an opportunity to play more polished way against this struggling Empoli.
Still, players are ignoring good runs off the ball, and ignoring the easy ball in favor of something more complicated. And it often fails. Once again there were 3-4 instances of missing the most open person in the box.
And the service to Giroud was non existent again, outside of Pulisic and Davide getting a ball past the box.
Author praises Loftus, but I thought he was only slightly improved over his recent play. He and Reinjders were not good in the box while advancing with the ball at their feet. If those two players could improve this, Milan would score more goals, and Giroud might get some service?
Could say that Milan were really relaxed in the 2nd half today as they were 2-0 up after halftime, they weren’t in a hurry to score, the 3rd goal was a chance any team would try to bury. So great work by the team. I know many of us want to be ruthless or just have a good tempo throughout the game but energy saving is also an important part of the game.
You are right in your assessment about RLC but Reinjders is an exception the guy is an upgrade to Sandro. Reinjders in few years will be the best midfielder in the world. The guy is top class. Pioli needs to play Jovic from start. We need him.
Are we watching different TJ… The same TJ dat just runs around like headless chicken… He has d running but TJ is not a CM dat glues d middle, can u compare him to Adli or Bennacer, these ones knows how to pick passes… That’s y we lose against technical teams, u can’t just be running around like dat… How many times u see a xavi, modric, iniesta , zidane dey run like dat with d ball… They use d ball not their blood
Adli deserves more than a 6
No, he doesn’t. He deserves less than a 6. Sloppy in first half passing, defensive liability as usual, reckless in almost conceding a PK, losing his man when defending. A bit better in second half. Adli is an average player who gets overrated by fans. When he plays I’m always concerned that he will concede a goal to the opponents.
100%
Correct bro.. Adli had more than 100touches and dis person dey rate RLC above Adli…u can see Pioli people here
I CANT believe these Adli haters they find one mistake from him and turned it into a living hell how about pulisic I didn’t see him do and thing besides that header or the assist how bout Giroud he only did score by the pen not by the chances that was created to him just stop and admit adli is good he is a key he also defended just like the others he controlled the ball his dribbling was classic he was the motm for me he controlled the midfield
a*
Check his shirt passing and drop offs in the first half especially.
Check his positioning as we build from the back.
I 1/2 expected to see him come off at the half to save the window. Guessing Musah wasn’t quite fit enough.
These are the same people who loved that bum Krunic
Not sure really. Krunic was a solid “blue collar” contributor. Showed up and did the job, punched out and went home. I was a fan of the guy on our bench and will be sad to see him leave. But I will wish him the best for the contributions he made
Adli is exciting. His vision and passing are there for even me to see and I really am relatively new to this. But is positioning in build up and care with the passing at the back need major tuning.
I’ll accept he is out of position but I don’t remember the likes of Brahin Diaz last year or RLC Puli or Giroud be so careless with the ball in our 1/3.
Adli is horrible. You are attacking the players who actually won the game for us with goals and assists. What did Adli do other than jeopardizing the defense? Several sloppy passes, some good ones in second half, that’s all. Average, mediocre player that you guys fell in love with for some inexplicable reason.
Not for no reason. Adli is the reason we don’t have to see Krunic on the pitch, and for that we should all be grateful. It’s also the reason the Krunic fanboys hate him so much. I don’t think DM is a good position for Adli but I would still prefer him over Krunic, and the team’s record would bare that out.
Haha 😂 mate you are funnier than Dave Chappelle! Adli was a bit better today but his defensive liabilities were on full display again. He was lucky the back line was solid.
Are you kidding? Only two minutes before the Traore goal Empoli crossed the ball to a player all alone at the back post and it was Pulisic that sacrificed his body and blocked the shot because Bartesaghi got drawn into the goal mouth.
Then, the assist came after he intercepted the ball after an Empoli corner, ran 40 meters with the ball, drew both defenders, and then set Traore in all alone (when a Leao or RLC would have put their head down, run another 20 meters and taken the shot).
You can also throw in the header that was saved and his cross to Giroud that should have been a sitter except Giroud was slow to react.
Pulisic didn’t have his best game ever, but he was fair value for his 7 and he was more effective than Adli.
Braindead comment
The issue isnt that hes too slow, its the giving up on plays. It is so frusterating to see a team get two shots on goal because he will just stop running on defense. If I were coaching a player who did this…id sub them out immediately…maybe you can’t catch the first guy but you can clear the rebound…plus its just a horrible look to stand there watching…70th min
https://youtu.be/Ujr9_Zdiu-w?si=I9DxODfgS6etuSco&t=503
Adli was horrible as usual. Except for some turns and holding a ball a little he has zero contribution in the attack and as usual awful performance at the back. The guy need to accompany Krunic to the next club somewhere… far away.
Thanks for the win Forza Milan
I was happy to see us park the bus after the second goal. Tho indo admit to yelling at the TV a first, “No, not again, stop playing in reverse!”
I really like all but three ratings (including Piolis).
Jimenez – 5 please – Harsh for the kid but when he moves to the right he was a clear liability. He is exciting on the ball for sure but his pace today looked more mortal against an Empoli first team. He needs more seasoning. Barts, on the other hand, is showing that seasoning. I hope to see him in more games and for more time.
Adli – 5 – great vision and his long balls are exciting. He was more than lazy as a DM with touch passes in the first half. Against Atalanta, he gives up a goal. He gave away another dangerous free kick just outside the box. The other part of this was his movement without the ball. He was literally clogging up space for Reinjders on several occasions and often seemed to be tracking a defender when we were building from the back his positioning and availability were so poor.
Giroud – 5 – The game against a toothless Empoli was clearly too fast for him. Other than the penalty heis most obvious contributions were on defense. Dude is talented and it’s rare to see a drop line we have from early season to now. My theory is that he is carrying a knock or two. Might be time for some creativity on the front line like we have had on the back.
I’m excited to see Traore, Barts and Jimenez get the time on the field today. Hope this trend continues.
That first goal … What a great team effort. Can we get more of that please senor Pioli?
Forza Milan
Agreed about Adli. Hard to know why some fans grossly overrate him. Maybe because he is a nice guy with good attitude and is a true milanista, but he is just an average backup player who is very dangerous for us due to defensive liability. I’d have subbed him out rather than subbing Loftus-Cheek out who was having a great game.
Jimenez was reckless and sloppy. Agreed with the 5 you gave him. Not as good as last game.
I do think both have upside and we need to get them more time at end of games.
That said, Barts is ours and he looked crisp. He looked like he expected to be in a Series A game today. I hope he gets a good portion of these developmental minutes at the end of games, etc!
You keep talking about defensive liability, us who Believe in adli’s talent do not blame him for this, we know he is not a defensive midfielder, I blame pioli for the way he utilize him. His defensive liability is clear and obvious for everyone. If you put Chaka on left back I won’t blame him for struggling defensively.
Exactly
“attack” – nope. Observe objectively (as I can) – yes.
My biggest issue was with is short passing building out of the back. Passes were too light. It’s as if he didn’t adapt to the wet pitch.
Second biggest issue was him being available building out of the back. He tends to follow a defender instead of move to space this taking away an option for the build.
He had one terrible foul and generally I’m forgiving. Game moves fast. But this is a pattern with him every game. Against the top 10 we will drop points on average because of it.
Now follow me here please.
I like the player. I think his vision is excellent. He is slick on the ball. His passing range is superb.
However I want to see him in the last 20 when the game is won working on the weaknesses above until he is sound enough to start.
all midfielders must defend. RLC plays the 10 and he has to guard man to man…if he is not a midfielder, what position is he to be played?
These Adli fan boys think he is world class and should start every game and it’s Pioli’s fault he can’t get a match in his true position and only get minutes out of position which he is terrible at. If he was as good as they claim Pioli would play him in AM but the facts are he’s just not that good and it’s okay. Maybe we will get a proper DM and let Adli find his happiness somewhere else.
A Win, 3 points and a clean sheet vs the worst team I’ve seen in serie A this season.
Milan was pretty good in the 1st half but gave up control of the game in the 2nd half and risked giving up 2-0 lead again.
Theo and RLC were definitely the 2 players that were better than the rest. Great finish by RLC on the 1st goal.
Theo is growing as a CB. Looks more comfortable with every game but hopefully he goes back to LB soon. The team misses his runs on the left.
Reijnders must have lung capacity for 2 people. Runs non stop and plays every 3 days. He and Adli are so comfortable on the ball. Add Bennacer and a proper coach who knows how to use them, and we might have something special there.
Giroud was very poor again. Passing the ball to him is like passing it to an Empoli defender. Nice penalty but Jovic needs to play more in the 2nd part of the season.
Leao had an assist but outside of that he wasn’t that good even though he was going against Gyasi, who is a forward.
Showcased his awful shooting technique yet again.
Jimenez looked good initially but his play dropped off after the yellow and especially after he got moved to the right side.
Cancellieri was abusing him every time he touched the ball. The kid has a ton of talent but his defending needs a lot of work, but at 18 and coming from Spain that is expected.
Happy for Chaka. That was a nice finish. I’d like to see him go on loan to get some playing time and gain experience just like Romero.
Pulisic stacking up goals and assists. If he stays healthy he’d be easy in double figures in both categories in his first season in serie A.
Calabria and Kjaer were solid.
On to Atalanta and then Mourinho’s Roma.
Hm, what, Zagablione? Loftus-Cheek was indeed clearly the MOTM. Best Milan player today. Not slightly improved; a lot improved, great game for L-C.
Adli was sloppy and imprecise in passes in first half, and again a defensive liability, almost conceding a PK (fortunately the fall was just outside the box) and losing his man in other occasions. Worst player in first half. Vastly overrated by fans; he’s not better than average and can’t play defense if his life depended on it. He did improve some in second half. I think Pioli should have removed Adli for Musah instead of removing L-C who was doing great.
Giroud’s PK was perfection. Otherwise not good. I think he did get service but didn’t do much out of it. I’d have liked to see Jovic but I guess he’ll start against Atalanta. PKs are not unimpressive. Many players miss. Giroud very rarely misses and his PK today was absolutely impossible to save. That’s class. So, not so great for Giroud but did score so I give him a pass.
Nice to see Musah coming back from injury and impressing, showing good form.
Theo has learned the CB position. By now he is a good CB on top of being a great LB.
Bartesaghi wasn’t good. Too many imprecise passes. I think with Terracciano joining, who already has Serie A experience and should be able to contribute immediately, Bartesaghi is headed back to Primavera.
Leao with lovely assist. Soggy field works against his characteristics but he still did well enough.
Jimenez was less good today than last match. He had one impressive dribbling action but was reckless and in risk of collecting a second yellow.
Regretful that Florenzi got injured as he has been solid. He always gets injured when he plays too many games in a row. For this reason he is a good backup but not more than that.
Kjaer was very solid as usual. He’s been again an asset for us, calming down the whole defense.
Puli wasn’t great today but helped the defense and managed a lovely breakthrough and assist, which rescued his performance.
I’ll agree to disagree with you on Barts :).
But your comment on Musah got me thinking. Runs his socks off. Great ball control. Pairing he and Reinjders/RLC in a double pivot is an exciting prospect for the future!
Kjaer comment also is uplifting. He made it 80 min today and as Isak said played some of those sweet long balls. I hope he is still coming fit and we see him at yet another notch up with Atalanta.
Loftus cheek motm, really? Leao giroud RLC and pulisic with a higher rating than adli? 🤣🤣🤣, theo hernandez was the motm, its not all about who scored or assisted, theo was superb, the way adli reijnders and musa controlled the tempo of the game to protect the lead was so beautiful to watch, is it FM also giving these ratings???
Leao, Giroud, RLC, and Puli all had a goal or an assist. Adli nearly gave up a PK and lost the ball way too often. He is average at best because despite his nice technique on the ball and passing, he is slower than molasses and not strong enough in challenges.
Amazing. You watched a different game. Adli was our worst player, and L-C, Leao, Giroud, and Pulisic had goals and assists, and you want them rated below mediocre Adli? LOL
I didnt know that the ratings are about goals and assists, if its that way, then the ratings are correct, personally i look at the game overally, different phases of the game, different responsibilities, different roles with different instructions, its easy to say the losing team played poorly, but did anyone noticed how that poor team was nullified and made to play poorly, its the role of certain players to nullify the opponent and detect the tempo depending on the scoreline and the phase of the game, we have been throwung away leads recently against low sides, but obviously we see the goals and assists, we see leao’s assist to RLC but we dont see adli winning the ball in his own box, turn comfortably under pressure, and start the very same attack that ended with leao assist and RLC goal, but i understand that it has always been like this in football, goals assists, giroud did brilliant with the penalty, and did nothing else, many crosses, square balls into the box in the first half, but its easy to say the crosses were misplaced than to say the striker wasnt occupying the right positions in the box, anyway, different takes, different opinions, the good thing is milan is winning convincingly, and playing beautifully, i enjoyed the whole match
This game was same as any other. No improvment what so ever. Typical Leao move + a very lucky penalty. If Empoli had just a bit more quality they could have easily scored two goals from the chances they created.
Happy for win with a half of squad we’re back
I don’t have any complaint. It was a solid performance and a solid win.
We ended 2023 with a win against Sassuolo and started 2024 with a bang (won 4-1 against Cagliari at Coppa). Now we won 3-0 against Empoli which last season we draw 0-0 against them in the first match.
Right now we solidify the 3rd position with 6 point away from Fio who lost against Sassuolo and 4 point from Juve which probably will be win against Salernitana.
Hopefully the win streak continues against Atalanta, Roma, Udinese, etc.
Giroud överskattat med 6,5 så kanske 5,5 är rymligt betyg 😎
Pioli : “oh shiiaat,these kids can play,i should have used them earlier and save us some points”
Amazing penalty take by Giroud 🤩 You dont see that confidence often anymore
Why is Pioli playing Gabbia? Can’t wait this season to finish and ged rid of this clown. Entire managemt is lost. Why play Simic when Gabia can play, who neither Milan or Viljareal wanted him.
??!! Wtf is this comment?? Makes no sense……firstly Gabbia did nothing wrong ? Only played for 10 minutes and was solid, secondly you say why play Simic when Gabbia can play….??!! Simic didn’t even play today…did u even watch the match
Yes, my point is why didnt Simic play? Whay Gabbia who come back from loan termination and Milan sent him cos didn’t need him? Insead of developing players Pioli uses flop. By doing nothing wrong in 10 min play time with team who cant score is great argument that he is great defender. Even you wouldn’t make mistake in the last 10 min against Empoli.
Gabbia has never been great, but always solid and reliable, he didn’t flop in Spain, we needed him back, he knows Milan, is a youth product so can fit right in and be a good squad player, that is no reason to hate him. To many people quick to hate on our homegrown talent.
But it’s all a matter of opinion, personally I would rather support our players than hate on them.
I dont hate him, but Milan decidet to let him go some 6 months ago. And since then in the last period some new fresh blood has appeared. And would be much better to give Simic 10 min against Empoli than to Gabbia.
Milan unilaterally terminated his loan because we need him. He wasn’t rejected by the other team; we were the ones bringing him back. He was solid and prevented a goal by Empoli, blocking a very dangerous shot that would go in. Simic is promising but he is a kid. We actually have adults who are paid to play for the first team. The Primavera guys help in an emergency, sometimes doing very well, sometimes with mixed results, but the senior players are the ones who man the first team. I love our youngsters but they are in a supportive role only, during emergencies brought up by injury crises. They need to grow and get more experience with Primavera and loans before they are fully integrated into the first team. You guys always complain that supposedly Pioli doesn’t play the youngsters when he is by far the head coach that has played the youngsters most in all of Serie A. But when the senior players return, they should be the ones playing. These youngsters’ time will come in a couple of years but they are still kids.
Adli, give the dog a bad name just to hang it? He is not a dm for heaven’s sake! The questions should be to the coach who out him there. Why not play pulisic as dm so we could have him run through the center at pace like kaka?
For as long as he is being converted to a new role, then he will be excuses in my opinion.
A coach who plays RM as RB because he can run but forgets he can’t tackle well or lacks defensive awareness and positioning hints at where the blame lies. Adli is just ready to play for milan in whatever position he is required to.
Lord Krunic who was the favorite of pioli for reasons best known to him often played as a #10 for his country, yet pioli based a whole seasons tactic on him playing as DM!! Cut Adli some slack.
If Adli is played in his favorite position and he sucks, he can be criticized, otherwise leave the kid alone to adapt to his new role.
Leave them, when krunic was played at CB, what happened? What about how Musa was made the scape goat at RB, the geniuses blame Adli for being played out of position and exempt the coach from the blame, he’s probably the only player that can split an opponent’s defence and play a through pass, Leao got a 7 and yet he couldn’t even beat his man, even when he switched to the right, all they do is pick on a player, can’t just be happy with the results and move on
This is a bit apples and oranges (as someone who fits the mold you describe)
Adli trains for the team exclusively as DM. Musah doesn’t train at all as FB or RW. Krunic doesn’t (didn’t) train as a CB.
Adli has had half a season now to adapt. I believe the criticism (the thoughtful sort not the vitriol) is in bounds.
Again for me, I want to see hime develop. Seems like a very high ceiling there. Krunic (I’m a fan) not so much.
How is Adli supposed to play CAM with that slowness and sluggishness. Jesus, it is not 1994.
good point mate, he also holds on the ball far too long. Nothing like a CAM getting dispossessed in the middle of the park, can someone say counterattack in the making?
Exactly. Play him in his original role.
STOP PLAYING ADLI AS DM. ALL THESE FANS JUST COMPLAIN AND ARE BLIND TO THE SITUATION.
Happy for the 3 points to stay in touch with the leaders. However, Tijji should have been the MOTM, RLC was a bit sloppy at times. Wish there is a way that Adli can work on his reaction time, he is a liability when put under pressure, but there are glimpses of a good passer/vision of the ball in him. I can understand the drop of momentum, provided it’s managed correctly and not put undue pressure on the team. It is good to preserve some energy where possible, there are still too many games coming our way.
Loftus-Cheek 6.5
Pioli is a solid coach, but with many shortcomings. His main disadvantage is that it he is difficult to change decisions, he is not adaptable to new challenges. If he chooses one tactic, he doesn’t change it for half a year, he doesn’t have a backup plan, he hardly trusts new players who, when they finally get a chance, usually show that they should have gotten it a long time ago. He has some fixed ideas that are difficult to change.
The reason he is a SUCCESSFUL coach (see Scudetto and back to back Champions League qualifications) is because he doesn’t trust new players…
It’s like people on here have never met or worked with other human beings before.
Who do you work better with – the people you have worked with for years or some newbie?
There is such a thing as chemistry, familiarity, heck friendship and camaraderie, and these are often far more important than arbitrarily deciding one player is ‘better’ than the other.
Mourinho (before he lost his mojo) used to build teams around his go to people like Terry and Lampard. Neither were the greatest ever humans to play football but it doesn’t really matter because they won multiple titles.
A Terry and a Lampard or a BBC is what Milan were lacking for years. The reason Pioli is the most successful manager we have had in a decade (no less) is because he tends to stick to his guys.
He lost his mojo because he kept relying on the same players that got old. Not sure if you or Mourinho is the real “special one.”
Nobody knows why he lost his mojo because football is random.
The way people interact down here though maybe you haven’t met or worked with other people.
Calm ur tits Maldini,and don’t forget that he wouldnt win scudetto if there was no famous bologna match,also he wouldnnt even qualify for CL if there wass no suspension for juventus for something they did 5 years ago and has nothing with last season
If you are one of those folks that jumps right to the comments, please take a moment to see the link provided on the site’s rating system at the beginning of the article. Great stuff and informs the conversation here well!
Milan could have won 10-0 but the same football manager kids here would still call for him to be sacked. Incredible. Some things never change. They always think they could do things better.
Also stop bashing on Adli. The guy clearly has talent. And the defensive aspect of his game can get better.
When he stops being a defensive liability who jeopardizes our results I will stop bashing him. He has some talent but nothing to write home about, and as of now he has more shortcomings than assets. For some mysterious reason some fans are in love with this average player. If you consult ratings from most media venues, he got the lowest ratings. There’s a reason for that. It’s not hating him; it’s being realistic that he is a liability at the moment.
Wow. This criticism is so off based, so inaccurate and it seems like you didn’t even watch the game. You’re bashing everyone who even says they like him. You’re out of your mind.
Yeah, yeah right. Me and all the professional journalists from major venues, we know nothing. You guys are the ones who are right, obviously. He is the best player in the world. He is the next Pirlo. He will win the Scudetto and the Champions League for us and the World Cup for France. He will ultimately be sold to Manchester City for 500 million Euros. He will win the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA best player of the year. What a gem, this Adli!!! Only ignorant fans like me (and like all the professional journalists) think he is just an average player with defensive liabilities. I’ve been watching soccer for 60 years since I was 6 years old (I’m 66 now) but you kids are the ones who know it all and see this stupendous world class player for what he is: the best in the world. I tip my hat to you. I know nothing.
LOL. You are the mastermind. Adli will win it all and make us all look foolish. Maybe when I am 66 Adli will finally lift the Ballon d’or and surpass Messi as the goat. Do not blame this young kids here their brains are still developing and they have reactive egos.
I dont hate him, but Milan decidet to let him go some 6 months ago. And since then in the last period some new fresh blood has appeared. And would be much better to give Simic 10 min against Empoli than to Gabbia.
Milan didn’t decide to let him go. Milan simply loaned him for more playing time, and brought him back once the defensive injury crisis caused a need to have more depth. He is not brilliant but he can be solid sometimes.
Traore did in 5 mins what Leao couldnt do in 73 minutes : being useful to the team.
Apart from an assist Leao is like always lazy, and luckily he has speed and thats his only weapon, and don’t forget we played against a serie B quality team, good luck passing real defenders only with speed Leao, determination and and skill is also needed.
this was what scares me , gabbia in ,simic full bench…
I think Napoli there are in poor run of form advantage for Milan
Even inter, they were just lucky this weekend
Mazzocchi got sent off in four minutes after just joining them… I wanted him to join us for a while.
Napoli is in a total free fall
Giroud 5,
if not for the assist, pulisic 5.
RLC 6.5.
Tijani and RLC touches the ball too many times. They kill attacking moves in most occasion. The attack seems too predictable because our Giroud don’t join the play as often.
It high time Pioli gives Jovic more playing time. Giroud is good in the air, but our wingers are not known to crossing the ball.
Jimenez ability to play RB and LB is an added advantage. I hope Milan sign him permanently. I am happy for Chaka and Berthesaghi.
Forza Milan.
Good team win. We dominayed except for a 10 minute stretch between about 65′-75′ where they had us on our back foot. As people above commented Adli was meh, but I think it’s to be expected. The one real issue with player selection in this game was Giroud. Aside from the penalty, which he almost missed, he did nothing. It’s incomprehensible why Jovic isn’t starting and didn’t even see minutes here. The only explanation is that he’s getting the start against Atalanta. If he doesn’t, it will certify another act of Piolismo (to be clear, “Piolismo” is not a good thing), in this match and that one. That said I agree with the 7 to Pioli. We got the expected result against a side like Empoli and the subs were fine with the exception of not using Jovic.
P.S. We lost another player to injury…
Good solid win today. I know some have and will say it’s only Empoli but we could have lost or drew but be we won 3-0 so applauds to all involved today. The tactical changes that took place during the match were interesting and all the youngsters coming on showed us what our future may hold.
Mike did what he needed to do and looked the part between the sticks.
The back line looked strong again this week. Theo was great on both ends. He made many fantastic defensive stops and looked smart going forward. Calabria had a nice first half in both phases of the match. He and Pulisic have a good understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses. When Pioli pulled Pulisic central that left Calabria on an island and his involvement dip. Kjaer looked solid again and Flo was doing what was needing (filling the space left by Theo) before he pulled up.
The midfielders looked lively today. RLC played well and his finish is quality. We definitely needed that goal from a midfielder. Reijnders was all over the park doing everything other than shooting. Adli had a good outing. I know he keeps position in our final third to long but some of those long passes were class even I an Adli doubter can acknowledge that.
The guys up front provided pressure on Empoli’s defense. Giroud put his penalty was perfect no keeper could have gotten to it. Leao looked more open to passing and getting teammates involved. Pulisic had an interesting match to dissect. Early on he got a few balls in the box but Giroud was to forward to connect with them. After we went up 2-0 Pioli tried overloading first the RW with Leao drifting central and it seemed to disrupt player positioning but it was interesting to watch. In the second half Pulisic roamed central but he appeared to take on positions to close to either Giroud or RLC. We should take our hats off for his assist because this was a frustrating match for him and I could understand if he wanted to put one on target but he made the correct decision with the pass and Chaka rewarded him with a classy finish.
The subs came on and kept the tempo where we needed it. Jimenez looked solid as a LB but struggled on the right. Musah looked fresh and I felt comparable with him in both phases. Some of you here have mentioned him being Bennacer’s under study and I’m with you on that. Chaka’s goal was extreme quality. Perhaps more first team minutes somewhere he could develop.
Pioli set us up and got the clean sheet. He wanted RLC in the box more and it worked tonight. The Subs didn’t cost us and some impressed, so well done Pioli.
And finally to our community moderator Isak Möller, I rate you a 9 today. Great analysis and ratings were spot on. 😃
It never fails – the same haters are now hating on Adli..
Lest not forget: HE IS LEARNING A NEW POSITION.
Not just any position. Arguably one of the most difficult to learn – DM – especially when you played your whole life as an attacking mid.
Adli said it himself: “For me it’s a new role that I’m learning. I needed time to learn it, but I think I’m on the right path. The first months were difficult, now I have to continue like this. Playing allows you to find the right rhythm.”
He needs TIME TO LEARN and PLAYING TIME to learn from his mistakes. Pretty simple. Let’s see if he improves over the next month or if Pioli benches him again and plays him once every 5 games. The only way he gets better and we find out IF he can play that position and develops into it – is IF – he gets CONSISTENT playing time. Something that hasn’t happened.
So many haters on this chat. The same Adli haters probably said the same thing after Tonali’s first season and probably said he was a bust. Or the same people that say other young players like Bartsaraghi or Simic etc… need more consistent minutes but won’t offer the same for Adli. Patience friends, patience. Is he a DM?? who knows YET. Maybe, maybe not. The only way to find out is to give the kid the opportunity. BUT what we do know is that he has the talent and creativity/vision that anyone could use in the mid moving the ball. The talent is there. Just have to find the right position. Someone made a great comment above. Put Traore at left back and see how he does lol.
Patience. If he’s not good enough we will sell him. But if he is we have a gem and an eventual Bennacer replacement (because we all know he’s going to SA or the EPL soon). Only way to tell is to give him some PT and let him learn from his mistakes.
I personally never rated Adli, some people are just in love with passing and 2009 Barca orphans. He just lacks the athletic talent and Pioli was right about him from the start.
If we win, we suck. This player sucks. Pioli needs to be fired, etc. Nobody can ever find happiness in anything.
Milan is in a catch 22 situation with some fans here. Might as well just pack up and close up shop. Sell all the players and shut the team down. Nothing they do is ever good enough.
I’m no Krunic fan to admit and have been critical of him to be fair, but he had a ton of playing time. Adli never had the chance to even establish himself. But people make him out like he’s a spy for Inter or something. The guy stayed here, and fought to get playing time.
The same people screaming at him are the ones that demand other young players get more playing time lol
People are acting like an AM has never been converted to a deep lying creative role!
Pirlo, Rui Costa, Pjanic, Verratti, F De Jong, Jorginho….had we managed to keep hold of ONE of Cristante/Locatelli/Tonali they would’ve all done a better job.
Adli has been awful. And this is coming from a person who usually defends players.
It’s inconceivable that people who laid into Krunic could be defending this guy.
He had 95% passing accuracy yesterday. Including some lovely long balls, he also has great feet. Yes he has lot’s too improve but he has different characteristics to our other midfielders, which is very useful.
Add to that, the guy has a great attitude which is what will keep him working hard and improving
Ok there’s lies, damned lies and statistics, and me watching the game and seeing (with my own eyes) him losing the ball quite a few times including that cross thing he tried while he was out of position on the left hand side!
What is passing accuracy?
Hitting it in the general direction you’re aiming for!
I watched the game also and thought he played some very nice forward passes
Good match. Glad that some of the young guys got playing time.
Good to see Musah back in there.
Jimenez looked really good on the left, and not so good on the right.
We are so lucky to have Kjaer on this team. As solid as they come. The defense looks so much better when he is in there. He proves that CB is not about speed, it’s about positioning and reading the game. For those that don’t believe it, just go look at Milans goals against in the last 2 seasons when Kjaer plays vs when he does not. Look at clean sheets when Kjaer plays vs when he does not. Now he needs someone with pace alongside of him like Tomori or Theo, but he is the better option than Thiaw. Thiaw is young and can learn and get there hopefully.
Kjaer leads that backing by example. We will be hard pressed to replace him.
*back line. Not backing.
True.
At times we need to manage games, as long as we have a safe lead… We need to learn how to manage individual players game-time, manage energy n injuries. It appeared to me that Leao needed some more rest time. We could have brough in more youngsters at 60 Mins, we have Atalanta next.
Adli is natural AM playing as DM for half a season. People call him trash but he’s playing one of most difficult positions. Oh and he’s not there to be our Desailly defensively. He’s there to create. Remind me who Pirlo had next to him supporting in defensive play? Oh sorry, I forget that most of you are Milan fans since 2019 or fresh with yanks. At least the ones taking opportunity to bash non stop the likes of Adli and Calabria.
Give. Him. A. Break.
In fact problem with our midfield is lack of a player such as Desailly or Rino. That’s why our midfield stinks. But Adli-Reijnders duo in 4231 are doing a lot better then new 60 million trio we were watching before in flat 433.
The thing is players like Calabria and Krunic got so much playing time even after making successive mistakes, yet Adli never had much of a chance. That is what annoys me with some here. They think he needs to gel instantly and needs to be next Ambrosini.
What mistakes did Calabria and Krunic make?
Can you point to a single goal that Krunic cost us?
The goal against Juve.
This season?
The deflection???
You’re blaming him for a deflection?
That’s the equivalent of Thiaw getting sent off in that game or Adli giving away a penalty???
Own goal against juve to lose….derp
How was it an own goal?
Lol wow. I never said he was the next Pirlo. Thanks for your entire life story. Donald Trump is 76 and has no clue about anything. Okay I am so sorry about expressing my opinion. It won’t happen again lol. Why don’t you just tell me to get off your lawn?
This is to Luigi. I didn’t hit the reply button right. The football expert who must work at numerous sports publications since he knows so much.
But I am just a darn kid… and I need to get off his lawn.
No, don’t get off my lawn. You are the king. Come into the home and I will prepare a lavish meal for you. I will be honored to host such a great soccer expert like you, who can see the GOAT Adli for what he is (that is, the GOAT, better than Zidane and Pirlo, oh wait, even better than Messi, better than Maradona, better than Pelé). Adli is perfect and can do no wrong, and people like you who were not even born when I was already watching in person the greatest players in the world, know everything and like I said I know nothing. Who am I after all? Just a guy who watches soccer for 60 years which is likely four times longer than you. So, I’m likely demented and can’t compete with a superior young soccer brain like yours. Please teach me everything. I’ve learned that Adli is the GOAT. Next, please teach me that Origi is the vice-GOAT. He is probably one of your idols too, right?
Hey, you know it all. The only thing you don’t know is how to properly respond to a post. There is a red button written REPLY on it, do you know what REPLY means? Yep, it’s used to reply. Try to click on it, OK? I’m glad that as a know-nothing, at least I was able to teach you that, to such a bright kid.
Trump is 77, just saying.
Hey guys, I think we played a great game! Great from just about everyone! Adli needs more playing time and it’s good he’s getting it.
It’s great to be positive and feel positive for a day isn’t it?
Hope this team keeps it up against Atalanta who are still dangerous.
Great Win today, but we need to improve some defensive issues. Milan again continue to allow opposition players to shoot on goal. We don’t seem to be cling players down fast enough. Against a better team that can cost us.
Jimenez looks raw still. Outplayed multiple times on the RT and tended to overdribble a bit. But looks very promising and versatile. With more minutes and guidance can excel.
The senior team looks great. Despite Pioli’s words I still don’t like Adli as a 6. He’s better going forward but not defensively. Did relatively well.
As for the ratings, THEO is the MOTM for me. He was absolutely spectacular in the center of defense. I’m sure having the Great Dane back there helps for reference, but THEO didn’t put a foot wrong today and continues to show up for the team in this defensive crisis.
Overall, Pioli is doing good to steady the ship in difficult waters and with 3rd place looking secure so far with a 6pt cushion, I don’t see a reason not to let him coach out the seaon.
FORZA MILAN ⚫️🔴
Yes, Theo was great. Arguably co-MOTM with L-C. Kjaer third best.
Hey, any day Adli doesn’t cause a goal for the opponent, is a day when he did relatively well.
You are also right about Pioli. Our bad season has more to do with injuries than with his shortcomings, which do exist but are not as severe as some fans here seem to believe. Can you imagine if, like Inter, we always had the same core of uninjured senior players? We would have survived the UCL group and would be challenging for the Scudetto.
The only problem is, Pioli is also responsible for the injuries for backing his incompetent director of the training department, and for overplaying certain players, running them to the ground. And Pioli can be stubborn and take long to rectify an issue; he tends to repeat the same mistakes for a while. But he is far from being the worst manager out there.
Your opinions are always sound. You are one of my favorite posters.
Indeed, forza Milan, I think we’ll do better in the second half of the season.
Great game, great win. We controlled most of the game which is always good to see. Theo is becoming quite good at CB but I hope it’s not because of the opposition quality. For me he was MOTM (not sure how RLC got that tbh). I’d wish for Pioli to bring on Gabbia earlier and revert back to 2 proper CBs. Puli had a quiet but neat and tidy game. As did Deers. Calabria rating was out of fear of backlash maybe lol 🤭😅..he did ok.
We all know Adli’s limitations, no need to risk playing him so close to defence. On the subs I thought positioning-wise Bartesaghi was better than Jiminez. Jimi seemed to be tucked in (inverted) and caused some issue when trying to pass the ball out as he was too close to the central defenders. Bart’s positioning was good and he uses it as his main defensive thought process whereas Jimi relied on his pace. if Milan are serious about Jimi then they need to resolve that issue with Real. No sense having another Diaz in the group with nothing to show for after 2 years other than Real gets a player who has racked up experience. Finally, Leao did well but needs to work on his technique and accuracy of his shooting. Sometimes these balls fly wide off the mark after being in good positions. Good job guys and again great to watch
A good result. I know some will and have said that we won against lowly Empoli but we still could have drew and even lost so applauds to all players and coaching staff for the deserved win.
Mike was present when called upon and did everything he needed to do to keep the clean.
The backline was great today especially with all the subs and moving parts. Theo played exceptional in both phases today especially in the defensive third. Calabria was lively in the first half contributing both defensively and sparked a few attacks going forward. Calabria and Pulisic again showed they have a good understanding of each others strengths and weaknesses and compliment each each. After the score reach 2-0 I think a few tactical changes in particular Pulisic coming more central left Calabria on an island causing him to be less active in the attacking department. Kjaer looked solid keeping the defensive spine strong. Flo did what was asked of him (filling the void when Theo attacked) pity he came off injured.
The midfielders looked more active today. I was hoping this was going to be the case especially with Empoli’s attempt to press instead of falling into a defensive shell. RLC had a fantastic match and his goal was quality so I was pleased with his performance. Reijnders was all over the field and as usual played his usual game both good (well rounded defensive/attacking player) but bad his final product stills lacking but he is a high caliber player. For Adli he was better today. We saw his defensive liabilities again on full display and he holds onto the ball in our own defensive third way too long but those long passes today were class, even I an Adli doubter will acknowledge that.
The boys up front kept Empoli on their heels. Giroud’s penalty was high quality. He put it where no keeper could have block it. I think (for today’s match) as play progressed down the flanks Giroud found himself too close to goal so when the crosses came he couldn’t get on the end of them. Leao looked smarter today as he tried to get his teammates involved and delivered a nice ball to RLC for the goal. Pulisic had an interesting match to me. In the first half he work the right flank well delivering a cross that could have been useful if it found our target man. I think a little tactical change came into play after we went up 2-0 with Leao overloading the RW in the first half on occasion and Pulisic going more central in the 2nd half. IMO, these changes did not produce what we would have liked because RLC was to forward and Pulisic was mere feet of him or he was to close to Giroud and the RW was left empty so I didn’t like this move but given the scoresheet and potential it was an interesting experiment. Overall, it seemed to be a frustrating outing for Pulisic but credit him for the assist because given the fact he hadn’t really put a stamp on the match I wouldn’t have blamed him for taking a shot on goal during that fast break but he made the correct decision by passing off to Chaka and was rewarded for it.
The subs did a good job by not letting the match turn due to Flo’s injury which has happened in the past. Jimenez looked good as a LB but lost his footing when he switched over to the right. Musah looked good on the ball and in defense. I felt comfortable when he subbed in and I knew we were going to maintain the clean sheet. I agree with those calling for him to become Bennacer’s under study. Chaka had his first Serie A goal and what a goal it was. This player needs more time on the pitch perhaps a loan spell could help him develop.
On to Mr. Pioli, well done mate you put out a lineup that scored 3 goals and kept a clean sheet. He asked RLC to get forward and the the first goal came from Pioli’s prompting. I enjoyed to tactical tinkering even if I didn’t like the result, the game was in hand and we all want to see Pulisic central so he is trying it out at the right times. The young lads got a bit of a run and we looked in control throughout so Pioli deserves our applauds for the match.
Finally for our moderator Isak, I give you a 9. Your analysis was spot on and you and the rest of the guys at sempremilan give us fans a platform to come and discuss our thoughts on the match so thank you all for the work you put in.
Great comments per usual
How many goals this season does Giroud have that are not penalties?
Can’t be many.
Admittedly his assist count is better this year.
Good solid win and we now have a bit of a gap with the other teams chasing champions league spots.
The first goal was beautiful. Probably our goal of the season so far.
Other than that we were comfortable for most of the game.
Yes we slowed the game down in parts and went backwards including when we had hit them on a counter attack (which caused me to shout at the TV) but a win is a win.
I also shouted at Adli quite a bit. For those saying he’s not a DM well neither was Pirlo or Rui Costa or Pjanic or so many other actual creative players who dropped into the role.
And those players were actually creative. Adli has contributed zero assists (and cost us a few goals).
There was a moment when he was out left and he tried some kind of cross thing but just passed it to the Empoli defenders.
Adli was probably the only concerning part, and the fact that we’re developing a Real player over one of our own.
Dude you are soooo salty your idol Krunic is gone haha
Don’t worry Pioli will be next, try not to cry
What’s this got to do with Krunic?
Adli was awful.
Can you explain that cross thing he tried?
Can you explain most things he tried?
Why is he so slow!
I would say that you can’t on the one hand despise Krunic and on the other hand love
Adli. They’re two contradictory views.
Adli v Empoli
92/95 passes = 95%
5/5 long balls
That’s far from awful
Maignan and Musah should have been 6.5s not 6.
I’m pretty sure you don’t know what you are saying…. non of this midfielder can bench Toneli, Toneli of last season was more compact, technically vision, energetic, defensively, attact minded , pace , concentration and assisting,covering , good kicker with accuracy. He never lost lost ball in a battle. If you don’t know what ro say please just read and pass. Imagine having Toneli in this team. The worst attacking and overhyped attacking midfielder in seria a presently this season is in Milan LFC 🤣😅 with only 1 assisting, maybe with 2 goals…. Calebria as 2 assist with more attempts on goal and creativity to the attack than him, even tomorrow, theo. But many people have eyes can’t see. That guy is waste of money and body. How was he man of the match? Defensively poor, attacking poor, dribbling poor, pace poor, power average, strength below average,laziness very high, shooting very low, very sluggish. That guy is off.