AC Milan added another win to their pre-season tally this evening as they managed to beat Marseille by two goals to nil. There were a few standouts for the Rossoneri and down below are the player ratings.
Starting XI
Maignan (6): He didn’t have that much to do this evening, it cannot be understated, but he made a decent stop on Milik and also performed well with his feet.
Calabria (7): Although he didn’t always burst forward, leaving that to his opposite man Theo, he was responsible for a few well-placed long balls this evening. One came just before Giroud’s goal, picking out Messias in space.
Kalulu (6): He kept it simple when in possession and did what was required of him in the defensive phase, which wasn’t that much really. He should dare to drive forward more, as he can do it so well.
Tomori (6): Just like his colleague, there wasn’t all that much to do but it was a solid display by his measures. Too many fouls were committed, which is unusual for him, but that might have been the referee’s fault.
Hernandez (7): If Calabria decided to stay back often, Theo made the most of his trademark runs forward and it paid off for the Rossoneri. It was the start of the first goal and it could have been more, with Milan coming close on a few occasions.
Bennacer (8 – MOTM): He looked outstanding this evening as Milan often trusted him with the ball in the build-up phase. Tonali took on a slightly different role and this allowed the Algerian to shine, not making many mistakes and keeping the tempo up with his distribution.
Tonali (6.5): He covered a lot of ground this evening and that helped his rating, seeing as he wasn’t that involved in general. The physical battles are something that he seemingly enjoys and that is good for Milan, as Bennacer can focus on the distribution.
Messias (7.5): The Brazilian really strengthened his position in the pecking order tonight and the feeling is that he will start against Udinese. It was a wonderful finish to open the scoring and he also got the assist for the second goal.
Diaz (6.5): Just like last time out, he looked quite good and although he lost a few battles at the start of the game, he grew as time went on. Towards the end of the first half, he had a few wonderful passes and that was nice to see.
Rebic (5.5): His first touch was simply too poor this evening to give him a good rating. He was often involved and no doubt opened up space with his runs, but he needs to be a lot better on the ball.
Giroud (7.5): He battled against two tough defenders and it was a very smart finish to double Milan’s lead. There’s no doubt that he’s in very good form and that bodes well for the start of the season.
Substitutes
Leao (6): It was an okay display from him. He had a few good runs but nothing came of it, which inevitably affected his rating.
Adli (6.5): He ran a lot and helped Milan keep up the tempo in the second half. He had some very neat passes/flicks that showcased his creativity, although there are still some things to work on.
Gabbia (6.5): He nearly scored with a fantastic strike and he asserted himself in the duels with the Marseille attackers, more or less winning them all.
Kjaer (6.5): Oh how we have missed his long-distance passing! He was calm in possession and also nearly got on the scoresheet with a nice header.
Florenzi (6): He perhaps deserved a slightly higher rating but his impact wasn’t that obvious, aside from a wonderful cross to Leao in the dying seconds of the game.
Ballo-Toure (N/A): We didn’t see enough of him to give a rating.
Krunic (6): Some nice flicks, calm in possession, and strong in the duels. But a very average display nevertheless.
Saelemaekers (6): Just like Krunic, he had his moments but he also came on when the game was slowly dying.
Lazetic (6): He seemed eager and combined well with his teammates. He nearly converted a rebound as well, showing a striker’s instinct.
Bakayoko (N/A): We didn’t see enough of him to give a rating.
I am beginning to think that Gabbia has improved a lot and we could use him as a 4th CB this year, instead of loaning him out. What do other Milanistas think I wonder? 🤔
As I have said it over and over, Milan need Gabbia to stay. Milan squad will be in registration trouble without him as he is 1 of the 3 academy product remaining in the first team. It will be very good if he improve with Milan this season.
He deserves more guaranteed game time…I think a loan would do him good
Loan no question. He need to play consistently. He deserves more playing time that we cannot give him at the moment. Loan just like we did with Poegba and he will come back next season that much stronger and ready.
Yes definitely. Milan will play 4 competitions (league, UCL, Coppa, & Super Coppa) this season. So rotation is the key and so far Milan only have 4 CB; Tomori, Kalulu, Kjaer, and Gabbia.
If Gabbia leave for loan, there’s only 3 CB and Milan will be in trouble because they also need 8 (iirc) homegrown players to register in UCL.
Super Coppa is just one match. Hardly worth mentioning.
And Milan will join the Coppa Italia in the latter stages.
No, we need to loan gabbia for 1 or 2 years until kjaer contract expire. After that gabbia can step up & more mature to compete in CB . Most likely AC Milan wont extend kjaer contract in 2024
AGREED
Gabbia had been very solid playing with Kjaer when Romagnoli had been injured. Then Gabbia got injured and we had to rent Tomori. Since then Gabbia never really had any consistant playing time.
We should keep him and give him playing time instead of wasting money to buy another back-up.
Rafael Leao needs to stay in Italy for the rest of his career because in any other league he would be an average player. His understanding of football, movement and finishing is horrendous.
We used to call Suso one trick pony, that’s what Leao is. One step over, kick the ball forward and try to outrun your defender. That works in Italy because most full backs are slow and not as strong as him. In EPL most full backs are as fast and as strong as him.
He would have adapt there as well, perhaps focus on Milan and their Serie A dominance for years to come. ⭐⭐
I see where you going but Leao is tons of more potential than suso ever had. 8/10 he does that run you referring to he beats his opposite and would do the same in PL. currently I would say leao is top 10 in the world at his position
Funny a Milan fan called Leao one trick pony…where were you all through last season bro? You sure you ain’t going us now?
Some fans be delusional
@Zdero LOL. You are delusional friend. Comparing Leao to Suso is beyond comical. Stick to your day job sir.
@Zdero, uh what? Are you sure you are talking about the same Rafael Leão? Have you actually watched the last season? Rafa was Milan’s best player in 2021/22. Extremely talented player, on his way to being a world-class left winger.
Dude, his physiqe is tremendous. He would fit in anywhere
To all of Leao emotional fans who got their feelings hurt without trying to even understand.
1 guy said Leao was Milan’s MVP last year. Didn’t I say he needs to stay in Italy because he looks like a good player in that league?
Another guy said how can you compare him with Suso. The Suso comparison is because both of them have only 1 move . Obviously Leao has physical advantage over Suso but technically, no sir.
3rd guy mentioned Roben. That’s a good comparison. Roben wasn’t good enough in EPL or Spain and made his name in Bundesliga. 3rd tier league as current serie A is.
Leao only relies on his strength and speed . His understanding of the game is very poor.
@zdero you clearly have 0 football knowledge, I would advise to stick to making carpetsbor farming turnips or whatever you do.
One trick pony? The great advantage of Leao is that he can go both ways. Suso never did that. He always went inwards – always! That Leao does not creates the unpredictablility Suso never had.
The touch that settled the 60 yard pass in full movement with a defender on his back v Wolfsberger certainly showed no technique…Start watching curling.
Sorry to say bud but this is a dumb take and EPL defenders are definitely not better than Serie-A.
Thats a big BS to compare Suso and Leao, i mean Leao is a lot faster and stronger, has better techniques than Suso anyday and very explosive when unmarked. Even in games when where Leao is nowhere to be seen can explode anytime in the game and change the odds of the game. He lacks sometines his last touch abd maybe misreads the game but he was at least the 2nd half of the season our main and probably solo weapon in final third and even so heavely marked still managed to give us goals and asists.
@ zdero: Arjen robben has only one pattern of destroying or taking on a defender, yet no one can stop him, he will do the same thing over and over, beat his marker assist or score by him self. Leao is a wonderful player… nowhere around average.
Every game has its opponents, we should access our players base on the game and approach of the opponent.
Maignan: Nothing to do apart from one save and OMG, the dude is too good with his feet to be a goal keeper.
Calabria: always sacrificing for the team, Theo was going up everywhere because he knew Calabria will always shift back to make it easier for Tomori to cover him. He also is very good with long balls. Very good performance.
Tomori and Kalulu: both were very bored. One time they just kept passing the ball between themselves and maignan out of boredom, those Marseille strikers didn’t try at all. TK Power House which is my nick name for both are simply our starting CBs. Master class performance.
Theo: this dude no longer surprises me, Marseille midfeilders must be wondering, “is this dude a left back or a winger or a midfeilder”, dude was just enjoying himself, running up the pitch, taking players off and attracting fouls. this team chemistry is very high. Very good performance
Tonali and bennacer: I was happy when I saw this pairing because personally I wanted this pairing to work, I love both players. Tonali did for benaceer what Calabria was doing for Theo. One fight for every ball while the other distributes the ball. These two showed those Marseille fans what it means to play the champions of Serie A. Total outstanding performance from both.
Diaz: I don’t know the match that semper was watching that made him give Diaz 6.5, was it the assist that even balotoure could give? The dude time is up. The dude was the only weak point in this Milan team in the first half till he was taken off, one time he had a chance to shoot One on one immediately but he slacked and ended Missing the goal….I do not care what anybody thinks, it is over for this dude, he should be shipped back, his stay might scupper Adli or CDK development, pioli is always too loyal. Mediocre performance.
Messias: Well well well!!! Seems like this dude have been reading our comments here. It was like the dude was on steroids, every ball he touches was so graceful to watch, amazing goal, constantly going past his man and also was always there to defend. This is his best performance for me since he is a Milan player (my own personal view). I wish him the best. Very good performance.
Rebic: Something just doesn’t work out any time we pair giroud and rebic. Rebic/Leao or Rebic/Zlatan always works but it seems like rebic suffers anytime he plays with giroud. Giroud always loves being in the box so the link up with rebic at wide left will always suffer unlike if he plays with players that moves around more….poor touches, sloppy in possession but very aggressive pressing which won the ball back to us alot. Average performance.
Giroud: This dude finish for the second goal just shows that he might be the most dangerous player for us this season, you do not see him for minutes, then he pops up and scores, classic number 9 and also runs too much for his age, I love that he presses with the other young players too. Good performance.
Leao: anytime he gets the ball, we all know something is going to happen. The dude got speed and I understand he Came on with a different badge of players which affected his performance but Leao is Leao, if he gets the ball, the defender better be careful because that dude is more determined now than last season. Good performance.
Kjaer: Calm and a composed performance. That is his magic, he brings calm to the defense and distributes the ball with ease, especially those his trademark long balls and everybody listens to him but from his movement, you can tell he is not 100% yet but I am happy he is back. A good performance.
Krunic: This dude is just like blinking electric bulb. He does good this second then he is off the next second. We can Not truly trust to have this dude as back up To our CM/DM, he is just good for the rotation or injury but he should not be a certain back up, Milan need Sanchez or some other good CM/DM. Krunic is simply not good and consistent enough. Average performance.
Adli: sometimes I wonder how we bought this kid for 10m and bought CDK for 35m. Adli is that player that takes the ball and want to make something happen, thats why I like him, he is not looking for easy pass and he is not afraid to loose the ball so it made his contribution to the team anytime he have the ball, enormous. There is more to come from this guy. A very good performance.
Balo toure: this might surprise you guys but I will say it. Balo toure have potential but his confidence is -0.0000000001%. I don’t know how pioli can work it out but the dude is freakingly low on confidence. You can see there are things he wanna do but he is just too afraid. The Milan shirt is heavy on him. Nothing special in the match but he is just not where he should be. Average performance.
Florenzi: whenever he gets in, it seems like he wants a goal to be scored immediately, he rarely passes the ball back and never afraid to take the shot or try the long pass. His experience is visible and his confidence is enormous. Good performance from him.
Gabbia: What can I say about my dude, I watched him when he was 19 and till now, I think it’s time to establish himself, the potential is there and you can see that in his plays. what he needs is To play constantly and we might have another gem in our defense so I highly support he goes out on loan. Good performance.
Salamaekers: This dude got potential too but his problem is that he is trying to force things and that will wreck him more (already happening though), sometimes he does good flicks and take off his man but the final ball becomes hard, this match, it seems like he is fighting against himself, probably to match messias performance. Average performance.
Bakayoko: I see a man who is looking for something to belive in, I remember when he was on loan in Milan in the past, he was a monster and he marshalled Milan midfeld single handedly. He now runs slower, doesn’t enagage much and just keeps giving the ball back to the defenders easily. Average performance.
Lazatic: it is only Maldini that knows what this dude is doing here. He simply needs to be on loan and not here. Dude have so many things to learn.
CM, CB is a priority. Generally it was good performance.
TLDR
Damn… Bennacer is too damn good. Those through balls piercing Marseille defense… were just BEAUTIFUL to watch. Let him and Adli rule the midfield, goals will come.
Tonali… Just awesome when he plays defensive. Nothing and no one gets past him without a challenge or losing the ball. That’s exactly what we needed.
We just need to try this midfield out against a champion team and see how it goes.
Also… Adli’s performance on friendlies..
…It seems 10 mil for him is a plain robbery on broad daylight. Fantastic signing by MMM.
Saelemaekers would be the 3rd option in the right wing after CDK and Messias. If an interesting offer come, he can offload this summer.
Hopefully, Sanches will come and Milan can return Bakayoko to Chelsea. We still do not know about Pobega, is he suitable enough to adapt with Pioli’s style of play or not when he plays as double pivot. Ideally, with his physical advantage he can play as backup for Tonali, while Sanches or Bennacer plays to distribute the ball to playmaker or to both wingers.
Agreed—-
As far as BAKAYOYO—What has he Done???
GIGI
Yes I agree that Gabbia has improved a lot and Pioli should use him as a 4th CB this year, instead of loaning him out.
LEAO—We have not seen anything yet of his potential
GIGI
Yes messia has shows
He must be loaned. Sitting on the bench will not be the best option. He must either go to Atalanta, Empoli or Torino.
Now the lions in Milan are ready to devour and retain title, fight hard for their 8th Champions League accolade. Origi, Giroud, Rebic, De Ketelaere ,Leao etc could help us. Inter, Juve, Roma may attempt to usurp us but mind you, we are going to see an unbeaten record in Serie A this season. Join AC Milan Global Fan Base on +233248637248. Just WhatsApp and be added. Forza Milan
Just like last year. Centre backs had a shut out, get ratings of 6. Smh. It’s so ridiculous sometimes I laugh 😂 like what more do they need to do? Because they didn’t do spectacular tackles but positioned themselves whole game to shut the ops out is not flashy? Is that it?
I am wondering where Pobega fits in the packing order…??