It was a season that threatened to deliver the promised land, but once again AC Milan fell just short in their top four hopes.
In the end it was a fifth-placed finish that the Rossoneri had to settle for in a rollercoaster campaign both on and off the field.
Here, we have given ratings to the first team squad…
Goalkeepers
G. Donnarumma: One of the best keepers in the league and an absolutely wonderful luxury to have on the team. His stats speak for themselves really, second least goals conceded only behind Juve’s Sczczesny, and had the third most clean sheets despite having maybe 10 different backlines over the course of the season. His season is slightly tainted by key mistakes against Inter and Sampdoria but overall the season is far worse without his stellar shot-stopping. 8/10
Reina: Very competent backup and the drop-off between him and Gigio is probably one of the lowest in the league in relation to backup keepers. Filled in well when Gigio missed a couple games during the season. 7/10
Defenders
Calabria: Continued his upward trajectory and is well on his way of becoming one of the finest RBs in the league. Showed significant improvement in his 1v1 defending but still needs work on his off-ball defensive awareness. Should be an extremely valuable cog in Giampaolo’s system. 7.5/10
Conti: Having come back from two major knee injuries it was always likely he would need time to readjust to the pace of play. Had some nice moments going forward but was generally a liability defensively. This season might’ve been a wash, but next season might be make or break for the former Atalanta man. 5/10
Abate: Filled in very admirably at CB in the midst of the midseason injury crisis that saw both Romagnoli and Musacchio go down, and was more than competent at RB. Probably his most productive season in the past couple of years and a good way to end his lifelong career at the club. 7/10
Romagnoli: Had a shaky start to the season by his high standards but recovered form quickly and was probably our best and most consistent performer. In addition to his stellar defense he also kept us in the CL race with game winners against Udinese and Genoa in back to back weeks. 9/10
Musacchio: Had a very tumultuous season plagued with mistakes. Proved he can be a very good backup but definitely not the long-term solution as Romagnoli’s partner. 5/10
Zapata: Was fantastic when asked to fill in and was uncharacteristically consistent and lacking bonehead errors. Really thought he had earned himself another contract as an excellent backup off the bench, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. 7/10
Caldara: A write-off of a season due to two injuries that limited him to just two appearances in all competitions. Hopefully he comes back fully fit next season and ready to be the long-term Romagnoli partner that we’ve craved and believed he would be. N/A
Rodriguez: Another steady season from the Swiss LB, good defensively but offers little going forward, although that’s likely to change under Giampaolo whose narrow midfield allows for much more offensive output from fullbacks. 7/10
Laxalt: Didn’t offer the offensive boost from LB/LW his signing was trying to produce and was very questionable defensively when he featured in the back four. He’s already been linked to various moves away so his time at the club may just be short and disappointing. 5/10
Midfielders
Bakayoko: One of the greatest in season turnarounds we’ve probably seen at this club. Had an abysmal first 2 months at the club, consistently made mistakes which lead to significant speculation about the termination of his loan. After getting booed by San Siro he comes out saying that he “hopes they will applaud me soon” and boy did they ever. Following Biglia’s October injury, Gattuso turned to the Frenchman and he never looked back. From that point on he was one of the season’s best performers and one of the finest defensive midfielders in the entire league. 8.5/10
Biglia: Had a decent start to the season but his injury in late October seems to have sapped whatever was left of the 33-year-old’s ability. Once he came back, he was a significant liability and showed the need to move on from him in the summer. 5/10
Kessie: Second straight season with the most minutes of any outfield player. The personification of reliability in an injury prone season with an injury prone midfield. Still needs a lot of work on his finishing and decision making on the counter. His defense however is simply phenomenal and will keep getting better. 7.5/10
Paqueta: Came in during the winter transfer window off the back of a full season with Flamengo, and almost immediately fit in. Showed lots of flashes of quality and toughness defensively for such a young player in his first European stint. He’ll no doubt continue improving with a full preseason under his belt. Only negative was his stupid lash out at a ref against Bologna causing him to miss the final 3 games of the crucial run-in. 7/10
Bonaventura: For the second season in 3 years his season was cut short due to knee problems. This time knee surgery in October ruled him out for the rest of the season and deprived the team of a valuable piece of midfield. Bonaventura is obviously a beloved member of the team and we all hope for the best but it’s highly unlikely he comes back as good as he was. N/A
Mauri/Bertolacci/Halilovic: Very little playing time, very little impact, none of them will be at the club moving forward. N/A
Suso: Consistently the best offensive player for the team and once again upped his productivity on the previous season. 18 goals and assists on the season, his highest total at the club with his 10 assists being the highest since Zlatan did it in 2010/11. That obviously hasn’t stopped the boring criticism because he went through a dry spell of goal involvements. If you watch the games you can clearly see his impact and the sheer amount of chances he creates (and his teammates miss). 8/10
Castillejo: Such a weird player to judge. His pace and skill that can be great off the bench but mixed in with his horrible decision making. Clearly not good enough to start ahead of Suso but is probably as good a backup as we can get. 6/10
Calhanoglu: Very up and down season but as a general rule the team fluctuated with his performances. With such limited creative talent in the squad it’s that simple with both him and Suso, his inconsistency directly correlated with the team’s. 6/10
Borini: For what he is, Borini offered exactly what you expect from him. Lots of energy, not a whole lot of quality but ultimately, he did come up with a couple game winners and was average when called upon. 6/10
Attackers
Cutrone: Once again kept up his knack of scoring important goals with an added time winner against Roma and two extra time goals against Sampdoria in the cup. Started the season behind Higuain and now is behind Piatek but as backup strikers come, he’s one of the best. His tenacity is always great off the bench and with Giampaolo’s arrival he’s expected to feature in a much more prominent role. 6.5/10
WATCH: Cutrone breaks the deadlock, Suso with the assist! pic.twitter.com/t5nkcHBrj7
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) October 28, 2018
Higuain: Undoubtedly the biggest disappointment of the season. Brought in to be the piece to put the team over the top with his goalscoring prowess and experience. Instead we got a petulant and lazy shell of a once great striker, who ended up sulking and leaving to Chelsea in January, where as expected his struggles continued. 3/10
Piatek: Arrived in January following his spectacular first 6 months in Italy with Genoa and hasn’t looked back since. Hit the ground running almost immediately with a brace against Napoli and gave the team the goalscoring kick that Higuain couldn’t provide. His goals weren’t enough for CL football but it’s quite clear Milan have something special on their hands. 8/10
