AC Milan host Napoli on Tuesday evening at San Siro, and reports from Monday evening suggest that Rafael Leao is set to return to the bench.
Paulo Fonseca is looking to take risks once again in a big game, and after they paid off against Inter, the Portuguese head coach is hoping for the same. His victory against the Nerazzurri strengthened his position significantly, and a win on Tuesday would have similar effects.
Throughout the summer, fans campaigned for the opposition manager to join the Rossoneri, but Antonio Conte was hired by the Partenopei instead, even if he had wished to be on the touchline of San Siro permanently.
Fonseca will look to take some risks to strengthen his and Milan’s position once again, and these start in defence.
As Milan News write, inbetween the sticks, Mike Maignan will remain, and the full-back partnership of Emerson Royal and Filippo Terracciano will remain unchanged. Strahinja Pavlovic will be partnered by Malick Thiaw, though, even if it seemed like Fikayo Tomori was likely to start.
In midfield, Fonseca asks for physicality, and he will get this from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Youssouf Fofana.
Once again, the Portuguese will look to Noah Okafor, Christian Pulisic, and Samuel Chukwueze behind Alvaro Morata, opting to leave Rafael Leao on the bench as his poor start to the season continues.
If you want physicality in midfield, put Musah and RLC on either side of Fofana. Play 3 up front.
agreed
as soon as Musah stops trying to dribble past 5 players in dangerous positions and losing the ball sure
But that the bit he does well. He carries the ball better than anyone we’ve got. It’s the very average passing he needs to work on. He’s a good player.
If this is the lineup then Fonseca is making the right decision. Leao should be on the bench. I have no doubt about that. Okafor and Chukwueze deserve to start the game against Napoli.
It should be a 433 with Yossouf, RLC and Musah in midfield, then Noah, Alvaro and Samu up front.
LOL leave the guy with 10 goal contributions in 10 games out of the line-up?
Yeah silly to leave out Pulisic
Dumbest take ever. Then we would be without our 2 best offensive players. We are already without Theo. You trying for a zero – zero draw?
What abt Tijanni
Leao wont get out of his funk until he gets minutes – I do agree his form is not up to par for this match but he needs to get minutes soon!
Last 12 minutes are minutes? If he does well then perhaps 25 minutes in the following match. That’s how you win back a spot. With the right dedication and discipline he’ll get there. You don’t skip certain processes.
As much as we love Rafa Leao,the facts remains that he cannot become a champion with lazy attitude despite being the highest paid player within the squad & his time is ticking fast now,he needs to think about his career and start to be a serious football player before it is too late
I wish my beloved Milan all 3 points tomorrow.. Forza Milan
Chukwueze would love to have a good game and a little momentum.
Leao being benched by his own countryman is significant. It may be effective. But his talent is too great to keep off the field for long.
Lineup is good given what’s available. Would be great with Musah taking up Loftus cheek spot. Musah should play. He won’t get a better chance after doing well in the last match and Reinjders now unavailable with Loftus cheek too going to be unavailable on the pitch!. I thought Fonseca would be tired of giving more starts to the ghost by now.
We’ll need fresh legs in the second half. If we put all of our “defensive” mids in from the start, they’ll be gassed by the 60th minute. Musah’s legs will be useful later on. What’s is most worrying about this lineup is defense. For various reasons we have not had a stable CB pairing all season, we have a relegation team level player starting at LB and then there is Royal. They have to deal with Politano/Neres, Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia.
Then Loftus Cheek can be that fresh leg in the second half. With him starting ,team will be one “defensive “ midfielder less if not a man less from start.. there will then be no point in bringing on a fresh leg defensive midfielder being 2 goals down already. I prefer having him for 20 minutes then 70. And I’m actually happy with Thiaw-Pav pairing. I used to like Tomori but he seems to be losing motivation or something.
I think it was Kessie that made Tomori look like a decent CB
I almost wonder if, just for this game, we might have gone with a 3-4-3 formation. Pavlo-Thiaw-Tomori as the CBs, Terra at LWB, Royal ad RWB, Fofana-Musa/RLC in the middle, and then Okafor, Morata and Puli up to. Out of possession Okafor and Puli drop down into line with the central midfielders for a 5-4-1. We cannot lose this game. It’s a “must not lose game”.
I’ve been a defender of Fonseca for having the courage to make tough decisions but I don’t agree with benching Leao here. This is one of those decisions where it better work out, because if it doesn’t it could have disastrous consequences. You risk losing Leao for good and the rest of the team.
I was in support of him benching Theo (which he didn’t even do, he made him captain) Tomori and Abraham for disobeying the coaches orders in the Fiorentina game. But Leao did not do anything to disrespect the coach. He is still our most dangerous player. He is thin-skinned and takes these things personally and I’m sure this is not going to go well, and you also risk to lose the rest of the team when you bench the player who has been our best offensive player the last 4 seasons and the team doesn’t end up winning. Everyone in the locker room knows how talented Leao is and how he can take over a game. I would stick with the plan of starting Leao and if it’s not working out you bring in Okafor like he has done successfully in the last game and other games this season. That’s better than the other option of bringing in a sulking Leao with 20 minutes left in the game to try and save us. Let’s hope this works out because if it doesn’t there may be no coming back from it.
Fonseca is in love with Loftus Cheek. He must play every game. Wtf is he seeing in this guy.
It makes me sick to realize we have NO one else to start except RLC, we could have had Adli.
Emerson and Terraciano is a nightmare-though Terra is only 21 so I’m still prepared to give him a go.
I’m happy IF Tomori is benched, he’s been average for too long.
Leao hasn’t been what we need, but I’d have given him a last chance here and if he doesn’t do well, bench from the Monza game.
Difficult to for-see a positive result, but here’s hoping. Forza Milan!
Adli Adli Adli (insert icon of a crying Adli fan here if one existed).
Adli is a mediocre player; slow and a poor defender; capable of a few good games (most players this level are, even the not good ones) but also capable of horrible performances often rated 4.5 or 5 by most experienced professional raters from the various sports newspapers and reputable websites (and I agree with those raters).
Good riddance.
Adli for a while was the most overrated Milan player. A segment of the fan base was inexplicably in love with him.
Not that RLC is much better.
My regret is not purchasing a good DM to play along with or to be the backup for Fofana. Or else, selling RLC to purchase a good replacement. I don’t regret at all that we got rid of Adli because he was not such replacement.
In terms of creative CAMs we have Pulisic and Morata when they play in that role. Reijnders is not bad when he is paired with Fofana in a 2-man midfield.
Not having Adli is far, very far from being one of the multiple problems we have.
Much worse is the lack of a good RB, a more effective second striker, a good deputy for Theo, and a senior CB to be the defense’s leader.
Oh, and a better head coach. Fonseca is actually not so bad (he grew in my respect) but he’s not great either.
As much as I agree that Leao’s recent form might warrant a start on the bench, I disagree with starting Okafor, for the following reasons:
1. Even though he IS lazy and has shown a poor attitude early this season, he’s also paid a price recently (no minutes v. Lecce and a sub appearance v. Brugge), and you need to bring him back in the fold at some point. Be up front, tell him what you need him to do, and if he doesn’t do it, pull him at half time (that would also make a statement).
2. Even though I agree that Okafor has shown a bit more, recently, and might deserve the start, it’s also true that Leao’s ceiling is FAR higher than Okafor’s, even if his floor is also lower. Again, if Leao is closer to his floor than his ceiling, give him the hook at HT.
3. There is some truth to the fact that Okafor DOES seem to be more effective as a sub, bringing his energy and pace 60+ minutes in, against tired legs. If the Napoli RB has to chase Leao for 60+ minutes, he’ll already be knackered when Okafor comes on.
4. This is too important a match not to put our best team forward, especially with Theo and Reijnders banned, and IF he shows-up, Leao is either our best or second best offensive threat.
I say we start Leao, pray he’s motivated, and I have no problem embarrassing him by pulling him off at half time if he isn’t doing what Fonseca asks of him.
I completely understand that some will disagree with me, and that’s fair, but I firmly believe that the best managers adapt to circumstances, and the match against Napoli is not the same as a match against Venezia. We need to be our best, and as long as he shows-up, Leao is CLEARLY part of “our best.”
Best regards, all!
Would have agreed with you but the the only reason I would start Okafor is because I can’t trust Terracciano and so he might need help defensively, which is where Okafor is far more effective than Leao. But for the restand I do think it is a game Leao can be motivated for., sure you have a point.
If you had told me a year ago that Chuk and Okafor were starting and Leao, not Puli, was on the bench I would have thought you crazy or stupid.
I don’t have any concern with how Leao is playing offensively. I just think if our wingers don’t get back to help defensively we’re going to be destroyed on the counterattack. That’s also why I don’t really miss Theo, he’s more concerned with helping offensively, where we don’t really need it, and is almost always late getting back on defense. I think a lot of the criticism leveled at Emerson, Pavlovic, and even Tomori is due to the lack of coverage on the left.
Maybe a rested Morata will score and maybe Puli will, too, as usual. Then we need to pray that Emerson and Terracciano don’t concede more than one goal.
It is possible to win this game, but I have a bad feeling with how fragile our defense is likely to be.
This is a losing line-up.
Taking out cheek is not good enough but has a chance
Acmilan should sign Dejan kulvshevki of Tottenham as attacking midfield why Armand lauriente of Sassuolo to replace leao thank you
Your days are numbered you will be sack soon you useless coach