AC Milan clinched an important win away at Hellas Verona and now sit three points ahead of Juventus in the standings. There were a few standouts in the game 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 (6.5): He made two good stops to deny Verona and he couldn’t do much about the goal. Unfortunately, during his last save, he seemed to pull his hamstring so it remains to be seen if it’s anything serious.
Calabria (6): The captain had a very promising start, with some good combinations on the right, but we saw less and less of that as the game went on. He also could have been a lot stronger in defence, with the goal conceded coming to mind.
Kalulu (6): A solid display in his first start since the game against Napoli last year. He wasn’t really tested that much, in truth, and Pioli subbed him off after 45 minutes.
Tomori (6): The Englishman performed with his usual confidence and his pace was needed, as Verona liked to counter on the right flank. However, the centre-back was also booked for a very late challenge, which shows that the timing is still not 100%.
Hernandez (7.5 – MOTM): In our eyes, he was the most important player today as his combinations with Leao created loads of chances for Milan. Not to mention the goal, which showcased great perseverance from the Frenchman. The yellow card was very harsh and unfortunately, that means he will miss the Fiorentina game.
Bennacer (6): An okay display from the Algerian with some nice passes here and there, though also some misplaced ones. He’s an important player in the defence phase, there is no doubt, but he got beat in the 1v1s more than you would expect today.
Reijnders (6.5): The Dutchman has this great ability to drive forward with the ball, sometimes making his way past one, two or even three defenders in the process. In tight situations, this ability is essential for Milan.
Pulisic (6.5): It might sound like a harsh rating, especially since he was unlucky not to score with a great strike which hit the bar. However, although he deserves praise for getting on that rebound, the defending before Verona’s goal was really poor. You could see it in the American’s reaction too when he was subbed off.
Loftus-Cheek (6): We have become used to the Englishman winning many duels, making life easier for Milan in that sense. He wasn’t as involved in the final third this time out, though, and when he was the end product was missing. But still decent considering.
Leao (5): By his standard, this was a very poor display. He made the wrong decision on several counters and also missed a 1v1, somehow sending his effort wide from close range. He was often able to put the defender in difficulty, but his final touch/move was shocking really.
Okafor (6.5): Almost bagged a wonderful volley goal, denied by a great save, and he made the most of a Verona mistake to set up Pulisic’s goal. A very promising display from the Swiss international in the No.9 role.
Substitutes
Gabbia (6): He did what he needed to do, showcasing good positioning, but not much more than that.
Musah (6): It was a borderline 5.5 performance, with a few sloppy moments, but he worked hard in the end to get a pass here.
Giroud (5.5): Offside too many times, which shouldn’t be the case when you have fresh legs.
Chukwueze (7): What a goal! Finally, he got his first in Serie A and that was the perfect way to do it, sending a volley in the bottom left corner. Hopefully, he can build on this.
Kjaer (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
The manager
Pioli (6): It’s hard to criticise him for the substitutions, although perhaps Chukwueze should have replaced Leao and not Okafor. The problem is that Milan needed something more to control the game at 2-0. He did appear frustrated himself, so maybe the players just failed to follow orders.
Leao makes the team move, but you only look at the scoreline.
Leao gave up on a play in the first half and any coach would be furious with him for it. I don’t know how he explains such things when they review film.
Leao cleared at least two balls with his head on defense. He tracked back and slid to cut out a pass and hit his mate with the subsequent pass. Leao was playing a different game today than we typically see IMO. He was far more active
The rating was very biased, he was defending well, and had an assist on Theo’s goal, whoever is doing this rating is just anti Leao
Was not an assist by Leao as Theos initial shot didn’t go in.
Defending well? He defended like twice during the match. Everyone else defends 90mins.
Leao-fans are thrilled when they see him do a simple thing once that the others do 50x per match. But it is how it is.
Good to see Chuk get a league goal. Hopefully he’ll become more of an option going forward. He is very different from Puli on the right side, so putting him out there forced the defense to adjust quite a bit if he’s effective.
I agree on the goal, but he is still lost in that he doesnt’ know where to be and his team don’t know where to find him.
Hopefully the goal will see him get more minutes and this will sort itself out. But, it is still so noticeable I have to wonder what he is doing during training.
The goal came off a corner so there was no adjustment. What should we do give him a rating of 7 for one volley? Oh what we did. 😂😂😂
I think Chuk is strugling with playing to wide as a RW. He is better closer to the edge of the box from where he can use his dribling and shoot.
Giroud had a good entry and should’ve had an assist, he doesn’t deserve a 5,5
(website is glitchy so I hope this isn’t a repost)
Leao was pretty quiet but still made runs and opened up spaces. Should he had scored on that one occasion? Probably. I bet he’s still pretty tired from EL.
Bennacer looked sloppy today. With passing, with distribution and with losses of possession.
Great game by Theo today. And Okafor looked really good as a mobile 9. Created chances, took shots. Set up Puli’s goal – unlucky not to score that himself.
Great win. Glad Chuky scored. The boys could use a break. Hopefully Mike skips the call up to recuperate after doing the splits. Looked like he pulled something.
you know, everyone is running and working hard but leao is tired from the EL.. why isnt theo tired? He playes much more minutes and works hard every game
That’s valid. But I still found him very useful in the build up and dangerous with his movements. If anything I guess, Leao does come across like that in certain games. he’s far from finished product and could definitely improve. But again, this is what we’re getting out of him. And he still is the most dangerous player on our team…
He’s very very good. But not World Class yet.
I don’t care about all that. My focus is was he or was he not tired. Because if he was he needs to raise his stamina. I say this every season about him. And he obviously never does it. What happens when he play a 120 min match and we need him to make runs but the dude ran out of steam almost an hour ago.. theo doesn’t run out of steam. So far i haven’t seen pulisic “tired” mid game.
But yeah, sure. He is super dangerous and when he gets a little space he is an instant threat. And his trademark smile while he dribbles is just awesome to see.
I just want him him to he super dangerous 90m per match, full power.
jUST rAiSE sTAmINA LOLLLLL
For his fans it’s OK if he makes a one successful dribble and one interception per game. Then it’s “job well done”.
Compare that to what Pulisic does and what is “demanded” from him.
Mister dragon fire. You don’t think a player can’t raise their stamina? Go watch pro cycling and you’ll see what proper stamina looks like. Think does guys are born that way? Or did they get it from training?
I don’t wanna shît on leao but there are a few fundamental things that are missing in him as a football player and as far as i see he hasn’t done anything about it over the years..
@turtle
In pro cycling there are three basic “types” – Domestique, climber and Sprinter.
It’s the domestiques who have the incredible stamina to control the front of the race and still make the time cuts on each stage of a grand your.
The painters however “hid” in the peleton. Often they didn’t make it through the mountain stages.
“Hid” because I. Peleton of 100 going 55kph, you can nearly not pedal. Your heart rate may even be below 100 bpm. You only expend energy to maintain your position.
Yet sprinters are key to their teams coming out at the end of a flat stage and winning for the team and pleasing the sponsors.
I was a domestiques (semi pro, not with the real pros) I guarded our sprinters and climbers from the wind and placed them in good positions to launch attacks from. I enjoyed the prize money and accolades for the team they won.
Leao is a sprinter. When he makes a full effort he is required by the nature of his body and the effort itself to recover. Could he do more? Maybe. But every effort in a game shaves a bit of the edge of his next move.
I’ll take the Leao is see growing into a fuller role. He is on Puli and Puli is not Leao. They are exceptionally complimentary pieces and I believe we are on the cusp of watching a great tandem for years to come!
Good win and solid display. Yes we could have scored more as we had plenty of chances, but we still scored 3 which is no small feat. Everyone did well, yes even leao that missed a couple of chances. There seems to be a good harmony in the group now. They seem to be having fun in the field, and thats a very good thing. Good comfortable win. Let’s keep it up boys.
Good comment. Yes the guys do seem to enjoy playing with each which wasn’t the case when our form dipped after the last international window.
Agreed.
That is a title winning performance.
We’re making light work of games we should be winning, and we’re actually winning.
If it wasn’t for that dip in form/injury pandemic before Christmas we’d be closer to Inter who are themselves having a phenomenal season.
Chuks on the mark!
Good win. Milan was in control most of the game outside of the 10 minutes around the time Verona scored the goal.
Very good game by Theo, Okafor, Pulisic and Reijnders.
Very poor game by RLC, Leao and Bennacer. Bennacer got slightly better in the 2nd half but the other 2 were poor throughout the whole game. Lazy, disinterested, selfish and wasteful. Another miss in 1v1 with the GK by Leao who had Okafor wide open for a tap in.
When it comes to the coach can someone explain the Giroud introduction. He took out Pulisic to put in a 38 year old Giroud who just 2 days ago played 90 min. Why?
If you are taking out Pulisic, you should put in the man who you spent 20 mil on this summer, not Giroud.
His management of players is always bad. You need to keep players engaged, involved where they feel as part of the team.
Why wasn’t Jovic introduced instead of 38 years old fossil?
Same with Terracciano. You couldn’t find 5-10 minutes to put in the kid vs his old club in his home town, up 3-1, but instead you bring in another fossil.
I don’t know if you meant “fossil” in a fun way or not because one of our “fossils” has the best G+A amongst the team this season.
There is more context in my comment than just focusing on the word fossil.
Giroud has produced, no one is debating that, but he played 2 days ago while Jovic who didn’t play is kept on the bench. Also, you are trying to decide if you wanna keep Jovic for next season or not. This was another opportunity to test him.
There was no reason to throw in Giroud in the game, who also might have injured himself.
I agree that Jovic should have subbed in instead of Giroud, or even keep Okafor as a CF till the end (since he is not a RW) and sub in Chukwueze instead.
Giroud coming in simply didn’t make much sense to me.
Milam at that point was struggling with The aggressive press from Verona. Giroud was put in to be an outlet man that they could pass to over the top to beat the press and it actually worked successfully on multiple occasions and he did put leao in for what should’ve been a goal. So it did make sense
Yep, some decisions from Pioli I will never understand. Gets very frustrating.
How good was pulisic on the goal score by Verona? Leao was poor but was defending well, yet he was rated lower, Leao, Theo’s goal is still an assist for Leao, cut the guy some slack.
“Why wasn’t Jovic introduced instead of 38 years old fossil?”
Simple. Jovic is useless as the lone striker. Giroud? LOL, best scorer in the team and best assist machine in the league. I guess the stats speak for themselves.
Now was that so hard to understand? 🙂
Daft your score for Leao, he had great work rate and moved the team forward a lot. Might not always come off but he was a good part of the win today.
Tale of two halves. We were in full control in the first and it was a bit nervy in the second. Good win and a nice win going into international break.
Maignan was good today. He made several saves and held it down during Verona’s onslaught.
The backline was okay but not challenged much. Theo was doing his thing again and that goal was ridiculous. He kept with it and used his magical powers and produced a goal. Calabria was decent. He lost the ball a few times but he does have a good understanding of how to play with and off his teammates. Tomori had a foolish yellow and he needs to clean it up if he wants to be considered a top CB. TBI I didn’t like Kalulu starting as he hasn’t impressed since returning and again I didn’t see much and getting injured again is not looking good.
The midfield wasn’t the main issue tonight as they played solid. I think Bennacer was better than the rating. He was there in defense allowing Calabria to venture forward to create space for Pulisic which worked well in the first half. Reijnders pressed forward a bit more today but more so in the second half once Theo’s activity level noticeably dropped due to the yellow most likely. RLC had a good first half creating a couple chances but no decisive actions.
The frontline was mixed. Pulisic was better than the ratings and Isak always justifies his lower rating for him so that’s telling. We saw that he never gives up on a play and his tap in is the evidence. Now it’s understandable to see why he “stole” Leão’s goal against Prague. To sub him off straight away after Verona’s goal was real work by Pioli. That goal would not go in 9 out of 10 and to yank the yank you blame for it created more havoc. Leão was off today and that happens and yes I was surprised he missed that shot on goal but that happens. Okafor was very active and his volley was quality and his hard work made the second goal possible.
The subs did have an impact. Musah was poor playing a10? He drove nicely but pulled a RLC and l passed the ball. He needs to be playing defense not creating goal scoring opportunities at least for now. Chukwueze’s goal finished the game off so well done by him. I’m still a little wary of him playing in tighter games where the defenders are on top of him where he can’t openly volley a broken play into goal but again he converted so he does deserve praise for that. Gabbia’s introduction to the match was settling since I knew he will keep the box clean and fight off Verona. Giroud was poor but I’ve never seen him perform well as a sub.
Pioli’s grade for me was mixed. I liked starting Okafor at the nine. I didn’t like Kalulu starting and the subs were done in a messy fashion. Pulling Pulisic and switching Okafor to the RW was stupid and he should have introduced Musah in a defensive role after we went up 2 for Benny. Subbing Chukwueze in was right but should have been differently.
A M Milan Fan. Yes, the writer has a very clear bias with Pulisic. These ratings are crap in general but unfortunately are picked up by other sites. Good to see Chuck get a goal, but a 7 -LOL.
Commentator said Pioli had those subs ready before Verona’s goal, he went out of his way to say Pioli already had them ready and that current play was going to be the last for Pulisic.
The plan was the shift Okafor to the RW where he isn’t suited? I don’t buy it.
Pulisic will be playing two high-intensity matches for the Nations Cup semi final and (hopefully) final this Thursday and Sunday, both of which can go to extra time. The coach doesn’t want him to get a muscle injury and subbed him accordingly. It would have been better if he didn’t play at all for his long-term health, but he is undroppable — all the play in the 1st half went through him.
The Verona goal was 100% on Benny’s awful clearance. Gabbia was just behind him ready to put the ball miles away but Benny intercepted and placed it on a silver plate for the opponent to score. Also RLC was watching 1/2m away from the player and let him score.
The rating of Leao is harsh. Nobody can play superb every 3 days. He was decent, not great but still decent.
Maybe a bit harsh 5.5 or 6 might be more in line of reality but on one hand he did make some fairly obvious mistakes but at the same time also caused some troubles for Verona so I lean more towards 6 as a rating.
It’s a puzzle why Pulisic is pulled and Leao stays in. Leao wasn’t even trying. He is blessed by having moments of excitement but burdened more often not with mediocrity but simply lazy, inept play. What was the manger looking for in such a move? More defense? Pulisic did make an error on the goal but he hustled so much more, breaking up plays. Chuck was a good move. Whatever.
Pulisic and RLC were both pulled from the game immediately after Verona scored.
Pioli said in his post-match comments that he felt both were getting tired, having played a lot in Europa League just a few days earlier.
But, if you replay the events around that score, both were negligent in their defense, which led to the score.
It started with the ball popping up in the air off a header.
Pulisic tried to chest the ball down, but somehow managed to pop the ball up again right to the Verona player.
RLC was closest, but barely moved to try to stop that player from setting up for a shot.
Bennacer, from a greater distance, ran to try to block the shot but got there too late.
Not sure why this article blamed Calabria, I didn’t even see him in the frame on the replay of the video. Calabria is the right back, and the shot was from the middle of the field.
So, both Pulisic and RLC contributed to letting the Verona get his shot off by not doing a great job of defending.
I think taking both of them off the field right after the goal sent a bit of a message from Pioli. He was just too polite to state it right out in the post-match conference.
Leao with a score of 5 is ridiculous. Yes, not his best game, and he missed a comfortable shot on goal (which he created beautifully), but come on …
Milan were in control 90% of the match, so a good performance overall. If anything the midfield (LFC mostly) were not strong enough, but overall good match
Agreed. He looked tired from Thursday. But still moved around well. Just needs rest.
Leao looked tired from Thursday?!
How come Theo and Pulisic didn’t look tired? Those 2 played last Sunday, on Thursday and again today. Leao didn’t play last weekend.
Also, if he was and looked tired why wasn’t he subbed off?
People need to stop with the excuses.
Leao drew defenders, made runs and opened up spaces for others. He didn’t score a sitter. OK. But that’s nowhere near a 5.5.
You wan’t to sub him off? For who? oKafor who also started and got subbed off? He played well regardless of seeming tired.
I’m not sure what you’re arguing here, bubbles.
“He played well regardless of seeming tired.”
Bubbles, you said that he was tired. Can you follow your own conversation or not?
If he was tired according to you, shouldn’t he be subbed off to rest? 🤷♂️
I didn’t think he was tired, he was just lazy.
Theo and Pulisic also drew defenders, made runs and open up spaces for other players. Milan was mostly attacking thru the right side. Leao made one run in the 1st half and 1 in the 2nd, that was it.
Try to keep with your own narratives, bubbles 🫧
And the Pulisic that wasn’t tired caused the goal scored by Hellas whereas the tired Leao had an assist for Theo’s goal, and one clearance and interception on a goal bound pass from Hellas. It’s not about stealing goals or scoring cheap tap in. Leao deserve a better rating, even the goal missed was well executed, finishing was only poor and great player do miss, he also created lot of problem for Hellas defense to say the least
“It’s not about stealing goals or scoring cheap tap in…” What an a$$ for thos comments. That ball from Leao was not certain to go in. As for a cheap tap in look at the hustle to get himself in position to finish the play. His teammate was half-heartedly jogging basically assuming Okafor would score – was not in position despite being ahead of Puli who assume Okafor would miss.
I’m not able to reply to your comment below. How he comes across is just optics and thus subjective.
Yes, he can look disinterested. But again, I don’t care how he looks as long as his game frees up others and causes double/triple coverage putting others in scoring positions. (Theo’s goal for example). I don’t need him to score every game.
like I told Turtle, Leao isn’t world class yet, but he’s very good. I would like to see more out of him. But as is, he is very useful to this team and still the most dangerous player.
Straight up facts!
We get so accustomed to space in the middle not realizing the reason why. And it’s really down to Leao. Opposition’s entire team shift to the right to adjust to him, leaving the middle and left with space. He draws 2-3 players all the time, it’s really down to the other guys to exploit
Its true Leao attracts many players to him. Just think how many of Pulisic goals have come fro the center of the box. The defenders must be going someone and that’s toward Leao.
He look uninterested not tired, dragging his feet around with his head down. I think Leao is a sensitive person and all the criticism this season has got to his head. He is there he still try to do his job but his confidence and will is very low
I’m not worried about how he looks on the field. Interested, disinterested… The truth is, he is the most dangerous player on this team and can turn the game at any moment…
The rest is optics.
It is surprising how much criticism Leao does receive from Milan fans. Even Messi and Ronaldo made mistakes and had bad days. In some matches you do not see Haaland or Mbappe do anything on the pitch. The player needs support from the fans and club to give his best. He is the best player of Milan, that is obvious from miles away.
Just because you don’t care doesn’t mean it is not important. He is far from the most dangerous on the field this season, his contributions are not as good and a happy and performing Leao is in our best interest. Market value or sporting result.
@Inter Fan.
Leao has scored 4 goals this season in serie A, the same amount of goals as your player Di Marco who plays as a wingback.
Leao has 7 assists, just 1 more than Di Marco.
Leao being Milan best player doesn’t mean that he should be immune to criticism when he doesn’t play and produces, and he hasn’t been producing
this season. The players you mentioned also were/are getting criticized, just like your best player Lautaro is getting criticized.
The player is getting support from all Milan fans, but that doesn’t mean people should pretend that he plays well when he doesn’t.
In addition he is the most dangerous player in serie A, he can raised the bar and make the difference any day any time
“that doesn’t mean people should pretend that he plays well when he doesn’t.”
This. Applies (or should apply) to everyone. You review the players for their performances in that match and that match alone – without looking back two years ago.
Kalulu should have stayed on but at RB, while Calabria is taken off, Giroud shouldn’t score more than 4, he was barely seen at all, compared with Okafor that played the CD position, Leao was who he his, non repentant, lazy & today, selfish, RLC also was invisible, others played their bit well, congrats to us all for the win
Leão’s criticism after a “bad” match is astounding. No one is 7 or 8 out of 10 every match and he can do things no one else on our team can.
What game did you watch? None of what you said makes any sense.
Just wanting to see how it feels when all these criticisms go for certain players, lots of times, same negative comments are chorused on some other players when they have just some bad moments in games while some are excused
Good win. But I always get a laugh when I read these ratings. If That was Adli playing for Benny he would have been rated a 5 lol. Leao a 5? Sure. Ya the constant double and triple teams he draws which opens up the lanes for all the other attackers doesn’t count I guess. We tend to judge Leao as if he were M’Bappe or Halland. News flash – he’s not. Yes he def should have scored on that one-on-one but a 5 rating is funny. Okafor did well and can be used as a 9 occasionally against weaker teams like today. Would rather see him with more PT there than Jovic IMO. Why on earth is Calabria still the captain? Now that’s funny as well. Theo should wear the C and Calabria to the bench. Would have like to see Jimenez get some PT in a game like this to spell Theo or anybody to give Theo a much needed break. Nice to see Rejinders have a good game. Kalulu too.
I love Theo but he’s not really captain material either. Vice Captain suits him well.
Agree on the Leao take. While the ratings are subjective on this site, it underlines a lot of input from the peanut gallery that only rates Leao higher when he scores.
Surprising how few understand how his movements affect the rest of the team and allow them to get into scoring positions…
I think Pioli dropped a hint about Puli becoming captain when he suggested Chuk needed to score and work like him.
Oooooh. I like Chris and his qualities, but I don’t know how I feel about him becoming captain of Milan one season in…
How do you feel?
I don’t think so. Pulisic is to quiet of a person and only been in Milan one season. If we resign Mike he could be captain or we could just keep Calabria as captain since he does represent everything Milan except he isn’t the best player on the team.
Pulisic is an introvert and tends to lead by example. He can’t be capitan until he speaks decent Italian for media reasons either. That said, he can definitely be 2nd or 3rd capitan and wear the armband when applicable as an example to other players. Hard to think of a player who works to maximise his skillset and work for the team more than Puli.
I am unclear.on what qualifies as Captain. It seems to vary.from team to team.
I think both Krunic’s Heir and Lars bring up excellent points. And thanks for painting a picture of what it means to be a captain.
I think a captain should have history with the club. So Puli would need to sign a second xo tract.to show he is in for the long haul before he qualifies.
So we’ve reach the point where Leao basically should get a 6 as the starting point for each match as “he draws 2-3 players to himself and opens up space for others”. For his fanboys that is enough. He doesn’t need to touch the ball once to get a “pass”. One intercepted pass at own half and that’s 6.5. One assist or goal and it’s 7 or 7.5. 🙂
I’m really bummed that Isak suggested Kalulu was subbed off for a mediocre performance when he was clearly injured and gutted it out through the last 25 minutes of the first half saving us a subsitution window.
The replay showed his knee bend side to side in an ugly way.
Just watch him move (esp laterally) at any time after he was knocked.
Good performance today. Most played really well. Bennacer gave the ball away too much, and I still prefer Florenzi at RB, but can’t complain about this game.
The new signings continue to come through for this team. Pulisic again, Chuku with a great goal, and Okafor with a very good performance. Anyone still complaining about the summer signings just looks foolish at this point.
Leao’s rating is sus. He beat his man for pace /dribble many times even though double teamed. Yes that one chance he really should have put away but his typical chance creation was there. If Pulisic could have finished the chance he set on a platter for him maybe he’d get a better rating ,🤷♂️ but he does create many. He’s been more consistent as of late.
I felt he was a bit sloppy at times and mishandeled some controls/dribbles and that 1vs1 he missed.
With that said, his rating is pretty harsh (as well as Pulisic’s but we’re used to a certain rating bias against Pulisic), he was still correct defensively and served Theo for what ended up as a solo effort. I think a 6 should have been more accurate and if Chukwueze got a 7, I don’t see why Pulisic shouldn’t get a 7.
“I felt he was a bit sloppy at times and mishandeled some controls/dribbles and that 1vs1 he missed.” Totally agree, that’s the part that gets to me too and his shooting and ball control. Sigh. He still has so many things he can work on that can make him even more dangerous, yet still creates so much for the team.
Lol funny u mentioned Puli, i thought the bias is usually towards him not against. But now that u mentioned it, yea if Chuk gets a 7 Puli should too. I think Chuk is getting a first goal bump in the rating 😂
Oh btw, 3 points YAY 😁
Great game. Credit to Pioli for the selection, and to the boys for rising up to the challenge posed by Hellas Verona. This team is really stubborn! They all did well. Aside from a few players that have not been used for some time, most are beginning to feel they are a part of the team. It’s good for team spirit. See how they lifted Chukwueze up, and celebrated with him, after his goal. Rotation is truly good for the team. Really enjoyed the game. Great determination from the boys.
I think Giroud did extremely well when he come on held the ball up really well,and worked extremely hard .won every header in the air alsop put leao clear on with a super pass , which should have been taken . deserves more than a 5.5 rating
A M Milan Fan. Yes, the writer has a very clear bias with Pulisic. These ratings are crap in general but unfortunately are picked up by other sites. Good to see Chuck get a goal, but a 7 -LOL.
@Rosso and Neri (Guildencrantz & Rosenstern?) above pointed out how much fun it looked like the team were having. I appreciate that observation b/c it was a fun game to watch and that was part of the reason why.
Magnion was solid today and might have even had his wand on him.
Theo was sublime. It wasn’t just the goal. He was everywhere today on the left and towards the middle. Some of his dribbles both in tight spaces and while on the run were gorgeous. He was a men among boys. (Boys who are playing really well). I would have suggested he was an 8 or even an 8.5 today.
It was cool to see Kalulu and Tomori start together and it was clear by how far forward one of them would play that they were looking for that form from 2 years back.
Alas Kalulu took a tough challenge and was hurt early. He limped around the field until the half saving us a window and was subbed off. He did his job well so a 6, and thanks for sticking in there. Tomori I agree with the 6.5 and the description.
Benny looked much better today than Thursday. Still missing some speed, still not completely crisp with his passes, but faster and crisper than the last couple of weeks. 6
Reinjders reminded me of early season. He was aggressive in both dribbling and passing. He even got a shot off. He was often the link b/t defense and offense seeming to almost trade off with RLC. I hope to see more of this Reinjders.
RLC. His role is still a mystery to me. He is not a 10. He is more like a second striker that is also a mezzala? He mates know where to find him and know where he is going, so clearly he is doing what they want/expect. I just don’t think he is doing it as well as he should with many a missed pass or losing the ball the moment he matches up to someone with a high work rate. 5.5
I don’t get the criticism of Leao. He played much more defense than I have ever seen. At least two clearances with his head, at least two interceptions midfield. When Kalulu was hurt he was down in the _middle_ of the defense covering for him. Sure he had an off day on offense, but his work in other phases gives him a pass from me anyway. 6
Puli was a 7.5. He also came back hard in the first half to cover for Kalulu. Much of our offense started on the right and it is clear that he and Leao work to feed each other. If the ball goes to Puli on the run he is looking cut to the middle and play in the left. Leao is doing the same in reverse. While anyone could tap in that goal, very few would have made the run to be there.
Ok4 was really fun to watch b/c we were such a different team. In the first 5 min, Puli missed a great pass b/c he put the ball where Giroud would have wanted it and you could see Ok4 telling him, “No man at my feet here!” Ok4 doesn’t press as intellignetly as Giroud, but his pace means trouble for any errant pass as seen on the Puli goal. He was versitile enough to play on the right for Puli when it was time to rest. I think he was a 7.
I would very much like to see Ok4, Leao and Puli again next week against Fiorentina! If Chuk does start that improvement, then suddenly our front line goes from dangerous to deep&dangerous.
Pioli was forced to bring on Gabbia who did a solid job. He an Tomori complement each other’s strengths but it’s not as dynamic as with Kalulu. Gabbia was a solid 6.
Giroud looked a bit out of sorts coming off the bench. He seemed to have a hard time being available as the game moved quick up the outsides of the pitch. 5.5
I love me some Musah, and his work rate was there as usual, but he seemed to be lost once he got the ball. 5.5 (bordering on 5 really)
Chuk got off the schneid! But he still seems out of poisition too often. His team don’t know where to find him. He can be found in the way. It’s far better than a few months back, but by this stage of the season there has been enough training it shouldn’t be that pronounced. 6
Pioli – 6.5. I’m glad he was able to rest Puli and Giroud like he did. Ok4 clearly deserved the chance he got and the team was prepped to play with his sort of 9.
All in all a fun game to watch where our guys were having fun and Theo was a thing of wonder to watch!
I think we need to appeal Theo’s suspension. It isn’t justified.
What a run from Teo. This guy is irreplaceable. Instead of looking to cash in on him the managment should look for players of similar quality in order to show him that the club matches his ambition. The guy is a champion. Despite all the negatives for Leao and his bad rating i still think that he did good. And i hold him in high regard similar like Teo. I think people expect so much from Leao that even when he has a good game that is seen as a negative.
Who says the management is looking to cash in on Theo? Journalists. No manager has said anything in this sense.
Leão was good, agreed. People still call him “lazy” – I suspect it is a racist stereotype – but he tracked back and helped the defense in 4 or 5 essential moments. He again, as usual, disorganized the opponent’s defense. He was unlucky when he missed the sitter but otherwise, good game. 6.5. It’s interesting how FotMob which does ratings based on objective stats, granted to Rafa the third best rating today, 7.5 (Theo 8.6, Puli 8.2).
Theo, wonderful. Pulisic, great. Okafor, phenomenal. Maignan had a great game, negating what I have perceived lately as a decline. Shame that he got injured.
Gabbia, Tomori, Kalulu were all solid.
Bennacer had several good defensive moments. I don’t know why people are criticising him so much. He wasn’t as effective to help the offensive but he did fulfill some defensive midfielder duties. By the way, FotMob gave him the fourth best rating, 7.4.
I cant say if some comments in regard of Leao are written by racists but Leao can be frustrating in regard of tracking back and that is regardless of his color. I think he has improved a lot though but the fact that he is at the absolute top of athlete amongst other top athlete doesn’t really makes it better. Anyone who has played football will have experienced playing with other people who just wander around which also forced the rest to work harder and that is absolutely frustrating. Same goes for him.
Not to say that this is traits of leao but ive always hated if players dived, complained or expected to get a freekick when they could keep fighting until the ref made the call and that goes for all players regardless of color or creed.
I do NOT think that Leao is lazy. I do NOT think that he just wanders around. It’s just his style. Sometimes he is discreet but then just suddenly explodes and assists or scores. He also DOES track back, quite a lot. Some players are very mobile (like Musah); others are more static (like Leao). He doesn’t move as much as Musah but he does accomplish much more than Musah.
Even Messi is a more static player who goes long stretches apparently not doing much then produces a burst of genius and scores.
For a player to be helpful to the team, he doesn’t need to be always in the run like a headless chicken.
Every time I hear that Leao is “lazy” I cringe.
The amount of criticism directed at Leao by a segment of the fan base is just unreal. He is our best player but still some people bash him nonstop. It’s hard to understand unless one thinks of other motivations (such as racism; it’s definitely a possibility).
I’m not saying that everyone who criticizes Leao is racist. But I suspect that some are, especially given the use of stereotypes like “Lazy” which some people utter even when Leao works very hard.
I absolutely agree that he is at the bare minimum is one of our most important players for us and that his contribution is indisputable even though i think that theo probably is the one most difficult to replace. Even when he doesnt score or assists his movement opens up spaces for others to target. I think previously his tracking back could be questioned more but as i said his game has improved a lot since then. Even though i wouldnt call him lazy i think people knows what he is capable of and simply sets the bar of expectations higher and in that sense i think criticismn is fair to some extent but everyone can also have an off day. In the end some comments might be written in malice but i can certainly say that mine isnt,
“I do NOT think that Leao is lazy. I do NOT think that he just wanders around. It’s just his style. ”
😀 😀 😀 😀
“I suspect it is a racist stereotype”
Wow. Accusing everyone criticizing Leao of racism. Job well done. 🙂
Yes, I like Leao and don’t agree with the people that are more critical of him but I don’t think they have racist undertones to their comments. Football isn’t politics where you can call someone racist to get your way or to scare people into self censorship. If people think he is lazy so be it, but its a “lazy” argument to say their comments might come from a racist attitude with zero evidence is irresponsible. I usually agree with @Luigi’s posts and enjoy his optimism about the club but this racial talk is not correct. No one linked Leao’s play to race other than a few commenters and non of them were the critics.
Bennacer should have a 4, if we talk crap of chuweze for his poor performances, we need to do the same for the bennacer crap he pulls more often now.
Bennacer wasn’t bad. He’s the main man in that midfield anyway
They used Leao to create space for the rest of the team, often switching him wings to the right, messing up the opposing marking. Created overloads and definitely covered significant ground. He had a 6.5 in my books, 7.5 if he scored. We used him as a decoy and to wear down the other team’s line with his dribbling, plus speed.
Bennacer is still not 100%. He is gasping early in games, stamina is lacking. Missing that second to half second in his longer strides as well as initial explosiveness when running. He is also less solid and slower during his pivots/turns, strength in 1 one 1 duals for possession and body control are just not as dynamic as when he is in shape. He was never that powerful enough to begin win in order to be a complete player. Still solid but he usually struggles when physically engaged with quick, skillful and fluid opposition at superior competitve environment. He just doesn’t have the physical attributes to play a defensive game at CL or top teams in peak shape. He relies on agility, speed and timing to be effective , even in distribution phase. He just isn’t back in the flow or rhythm yet, a lot of that seems to be mental sharpness and over conditioning lacking. The injury absence was long and the recovery doesn’t end when you are cleared to physically compete. He has ways to go before he can be his old self. Add to needing to adjust to new teammates after little playing time with them, at a point in the season other players and teams are in full gear. He is also needs a more physical and solid defensive partner to make up for his lack of strength and running speed, even when at his best. Letting Kessie and Tonali go will expose him. Very good player, but not elite, top level at anything he does. His passing is pretty good, but he isn’t complete enough to be without complimentary players.
Pioli out….LOL
Lol nice one 😂😂😂😂
Way deeper than meets the eye. Simple yet effective!
Notice less comments when we win, vastly more when we lose. Such are humans 🤭
As someone who:
a) obviously criticised last summer’s revolution;
AND
b) would’ve preferred for Pioli to have been replaced last summer;
AND
c) would like to see Pioli replaced this summer,
I am TORN!
2nd is phenomenal and how can we sacked a 2nd placed manager!
Lucky opinions are like some part of the anatomy that everyone has…..
Last summer’s signees have now scored, all together, 40 goals, breaking Milan’s all-time record of 38 goals in a season by new players, and 8 times more than the 5 season in total achieved by players signed in the precedent mercato.
Yes, Inter this season is better than we are, but we are a deserving second, ahead of 18 other Serie A teams.
I have no doubt that we would have survived the UCL group stage if we hadn’t suffered the biggest injury crisis of all professional soccer teams in the world.
Pioli is now two wins above the total achieved by Ancelotti, and he got it done in fewer games and with a less good roster.
At this point I’m not sure if we should really fire Pioli. He has had a lot of success with Milan although a segment of the fan base doesn’t seem to see it.
Comparing transfers is not helpful given:
a) for most of our history we signed far fewer players;
b) most of our signings in recent years have been a disaster!
Even comparing this summer to 2017/2018 is problematic given we had Montella back then and he’s shown himself not to be a winning coach.
And for most of our lost years we had coaches of that caliber.
Pioli came along and soon afterwards we stopped being a mid-table team.
The coach is absolutely key. A different coach (not saying better) could potentially turn us into champions if things clicked.
Things clicking is the hardest thing to predict in football.
I think I commented once on the transfer comparison between this season and the last one but to sum it up:
– Excluding Thiaw who was largely succesfull, none of the players purchased during the 2022 summer was a starter in any position during the 2022/23 season during which we kept pretty much the same starting as 2021/22 minus Kessie. In contrast, this current squad is made in big parts by players brought during the 2023 summer window. None of the former right wings remained so ANY goal from the right wing was always gonna be from a player purchased in 2023.
– We brought many more players this summer than during any season since 2017/18
– It has to be said, the players were of a higher quality than the previous summer due to the fact that we had more money to work with.
It all depends on who is a better fit for the club. We shouldn’t sack Pioli just to sack him. We need someone better which seems easy to do by all accounts here. I heard someone say his mum would be a better manager than Pioli.
Ha ha.
Yeah the bar has been set a 2nd (or even 2nd, 1st, 4th and 2nd…in the past four seasons).
If someone’s mother can do better than that…..
The “hopefully new” manager needs to able to compete on many tournaments. With Pioli we won a scudetto but dopped early in the UCL and next season we reached the semi-finals (thanks to a nice draw) but dropped early in coppa italia and were out of the race in the scudetto since january.
Winning something is never a guarantee, but the 2024/25 AC Milan needs to be competitive, which means always in position to be actually able to win the scudetto, which means either first or close to first till the very end WHILE also remaining in the UCL till the quarter-finals or even semi-finals.
Maldini’s Heir can join Krunic 🙂
My only gripe is Gabbia not starting which I think is going to become a trend.
It’s hard to shift the stench of being a youth team product…..
Speaking of which I’d have probably given Calabria a lower rating given he did actually lose the ball in some dangerous places!
But, having said that, it’s noticeable how tactically he created space in attacks by moving into the center and in defence Verona generally avoided his side. It’s noticeable how teams usually attack us down the left.
The ratings are good. I think Theo deserved a rating more than any player so if get gets a 7.5 then 6.5 is fair for the closest player to him. So I’m good with the ratings, aside Chuc who should be lower even tho he’s had a good game and a nice goal. Not considering a fixed pass-grade and so on as the site already set, I think all this only depends on the gap of the ratings between each player performance. If Theo for example is given 9 then the next best would be 8. Like wise if Theo is given 6 next to him should be 5. I think Isak today decides that he’s gonna keep them low! Perhaps because it was against Verona. Lastly Leao may not have contributed less then Calabria or RLC for example but if his expected standard is to contribute more than what he’s done then the low rating is kinda fair, otherwise it could be deceiving for someone who haven’t watched the match if Leao were to get a 6.5 just because he’s done nearly the same as Okafor who’s gotten a 6.5. Leao is one of the main stars even tho he does aften frustrate me to death. We’ve had a good game and I’m especially pleased to be going into the breaks happier than Inter.!! Going to be a long long break for them 😂
We’re second, with completely revamped and injury ravaged squad, overlaping Juventus who been together for seasons now and had only domestic tournament to play.
Pioli🍻
Season 2023/24, all competitions, most prolific Milan players in terms of goal contributions:
1. Giroud, 14 goals, 9 assists – 23 goal contributions
2. Leão, 10 goals, 11 assists – 21 goal contributions
3. Pulisic, 12 goals, 8 assists – 20 goal contributions
4. Theo, 5 goals, 10 assists – 15 goal contributions
5. Loftus-Cheek, 9 goals, 2 assists – 11 goal contributions
6. Jovic, 8 goals, 1 assist – 9 goal contributions
———
Of the top 4, it is interesting to realize that fans usually praise a lot Giroud, Pulisic, and Theo, but they tend to criticize Leão a lot.
Considering that Giroud is the designated PK taker, and considering that Leão was never given the opportunity to take PKs (although he has never missed one in his career), had Leão taken some of the PKs taken by Giroud, Leão would be easily in first place, instead of being two contributions below Giroud.
I love all of these players, and I have also enormous respect for Giroud; I just don’t understand why fans while being so favorable to Giroud (which is well-deserved), are so critical of Leão.
The thing is Giroud is almost 38 y/o, what he is doing considering his age, his skillset and considering he was never regarded as one of the best in the world in his position, is close to be overachieving. I don’t know what is the mind of many fans, but personally I didn’t expect a man who is on his last legs, who many thought would be benched soon, to have the highest goal contribution among the team.
With Leao, we know how good he is and what he can do, so of course the bar is going to be set higher for him than other players. But I find some criticism unfair because he was negatively impacted by the 4-3-3 earlier this season, and since january he has improved massively and also became more of a team-player and tracks back more often.
“Of the top 4, it is interesting to realize that fans usually praise a lot Giroud, Pulisic, and Theo, but they tend to criticize Leão a lot. ”
Higher salary demands means higher expectations from fans. As they should.
Plenty of Giroud-criticizers here yet no one calls them Giroud-haters. Why’s that? Because Giroud-fans don’t act like they have a lil girl crush on him and get offended when he’s criticized.
Btw, Inter got knocked out of the CL by Atletico Madrid in a penalty shoot-out in which Lautaro Martinez skied a shot into the cheap seats, a la Roberta Baggio at the 1994 World Cup.
That being the deciding penalty, Atletico team mates swarmed to congratulate their goalkeeper, like he was the one who had saved the PK.
Martinez apparently is terrible at penalties, with something like a 61% success rate (you have to be at least 80% to be considered even a decent penalty kicker) and isn’t Inter’s designated penalty taker despite being their top scorer from the field.
Inter also dropped two points this weekend, tying Napoli.
It’s obvious Pioli has no tactics attall ,,what a lucky coach/// no hate but new coach next season please
Individual brilliance is simply pushing milan nothing more
Finally can we just acknowledge Theo🔥
I am not sure giving Chukwueze a rating of 7 for scoring a goal is justified. It’s great he is trying to re-discover himself, and this was a good match for him.
But a 7 rating is quite on the high side. 😕😐