Player Ratings: AC Milan 1-0 Sampdoria – Leao continues red-hot form; one flop

By Isak Möller -

AC Milan managed to claim all three points against Sampdoria this afternoon and thus secured their spot at the top of the standings. Rafael Leao was decisive with the only goal of the game, and down below are the player ratings. 

Starting XI

Maignan (7): He wasn’t really tested that much this afternoon (Sampdoria had just one shot on target) but he was, however, decisive in the build-up for Milan. His pass to Leao sealed the deal for the team.

Calabria (6.5): He was very good in one-on-one situations, especially in the defensive phase, and he acted as a motivator for his teammates in the final minutes. In a game where there are a lot of battles, having him on the pitch is useful.

Tomori (6): It was a decent return from start for the centre-back, having recovered from knee surgery. There were a few dodgy clearances throughout the game but, other than that, he did well to stay focused.

Romagnoli (6): Another good display from the captain this afternoon. He did what was required of him and just like Tomori, he wasn’t tested all that much. His rating would have been higher if he had dared to break the lines with his passing a bit more (because it was often successful).

Florenzi (6): Given that he played out of position, an adjustment period was to be expected and we saw that in the first half with a few weird decisions. In the second half, though, he dared to move forward and did so with success, but the defensive part was still a bit fragile.

Bennacer (6.5): He intercepted the ball several times for Milan and was also solid in his passing. As mentioned already, it was a very physical game and thus he had to focus a lot on winning that battle, but he was good with his feet as well.

Tonali (6.5): The youngster has been very good lately and he played well today as well, although he got some fouls whistled against him. Against a midfield of Rincon and Thorsby, it was always going to be a battle and he handled it really well (though sacrificing some flair in the process).

Messias (6): He was unlucky not to score in the first half and had a half-chance in the second half as well. He looked good in open play and his rating probably would have been higher if he had played more (subbed off after 57 minutes).

Diaz (6): He was outmuscled a couple of times and it’s clear that’s still an area he needs to improve. There were some good intentions, though, and it probably wouldn’t be fair to give him less than a 6 (which is a pass).

Leao (8 – MOTM): We are running out of adjectives for No.17 as it was yet another decisive display from him. The way he brought down the ball and made his way past the defender was wonderful to see. He was also subbed off after 57 minutes, like the others in the trio, and hopefully it isn’t injury-related.

Giroud (6.5): You could see that he was very eager to continue his goalscoring form but it just didn’t happen for him today. He had a couple of nice headers and also a bicycle kick but the Sampdoria keeper stood in the way. He was, however, very useful in open play for Milan.

Substitutes

Saelemaekers (6.5): A bright appearance off the bench from the Belgian who gave new life to Milan’s attack. He unsuccessfully tried his luck with a solo run and had a couple of poor crosses, but he also had some very good intentions and moves to break the lines of Sampdoria.

Kessie (6): He played in the No.10 role and he wasn’t exactly welcomed with warmth when coming on. He did what he had to do but nothing more, adding some physical presence in the final third.

Rebic (5.5): If anyone had the chance to put the final nail in the coffin, it was the Croatian winger. He had several good chances to score, most notably a one-on-one with the keeper, but he wasn’t composed enough.

Krunic (6): He won a few duels and was also a calming presence in the defensive phase, not afraid to lock the ball at his feet rather than clearing it.

Kalulu (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.

READ MORE – AC Milan 1-0 Sampdoria: Early Leao goal sends the Rossoneri above Inter

Tags AC Milan AC Milan Player Ratings Mike Maignan Olivier Giroud Rafael Leao Sampdoria

46 Comments

  1. Yes we won! But this has to be the most boring game I’ve watch this season. Nothing has changed, no words for the RW, Diaz is still Diaz, he can’t seem to find the right touch, and that has nothing to do with the Yellow Card. Giroud looks starved of supply. Rebic still pretty rusty, and Kessie looking like a Passerby with each game. We need to start putting games to bed early enough, especially against weaker opponents. How long can we keep riding luck? imagine if by some stroke of good fortune Sampdoria got an equalizer? We would have sank back into the chasing pack. It’s quite clear already what Milan needs, no need to keep repeating it after every game. Enjoy the win guys, Forza Milan!!!

  2. TBH, for a dreadful match, I thought the ratings are overall 0.5 higher than it should be, except for Leao and Maignan. Saelemakers also get -1 from me for that silliest cross that you’d ever see, and Rebic was looking very out of sort.

  3. Yes Rebic could killed the game. But can’t blame him after his long absence because of injured + covid.

    Otherwise this is an important three point. Be grateful and don’t need to mock the coach & players who already work really hard for this match!

        1. try not to insult ,, you fkin fuul..then why is he cleared to play and .. does covid affect ur brains or is he the only player to have covid and injury

          1. You deserve the insult you dumbass. Rebic cleared to play because with playing more he can slowly go back to peak. Look at Diaz. After Covid his plays really bad but Pioli keeps playing him and now he shows more solid performance.

            Use your brain a bit oh i forgot you don’t have one. F outta here dumbass 👎

  4. Honestly.. rebic is the worst player in milan squad.. he doesn’t improve in anyway
    whenever he is in the game i just turn off the screen . cos i know our chances to a goal is 5% ,, he is so annoying,…

    his stat on my view
    concentration 40%
    finishing 5%
    workrate 30%
    1 on 1 38%

    milan chances of winning 15%.. that is if the other time doesn’t score

    1. Do you even watch milan’s matches? If you do then i really don’t know what kind of an ignorant fan would comment on rebic like that,in the past season, he was the reason we won against many big teams and he was good in this season too, a minor setback with the injuries and fans like you go batshit crazy. Rebic was always clinical in finishing and he was good too when he had to play out of position. He was and is a big contributor for this milan team.

      1. and who told i don’t know what he did in the past… and besides that my view .. trying to read what i said ,,, your view can never be my view.. take note and we will see if leao goes injured …..

        1. Lol calling me a moron really .if u have a problem with me .go lick the shit In my toilet……only moron calls someone a moron…

      2. I still remember that ice cold finish against Liverpool. The calming header against Juventus. Rebic will bounce back. He is a war machine.

    2. Makiavic — you are ridiculous. ALL players have rustiness when returning from long absences.
      Rebic’s workrate is maybe the BEST on our team and for you to write 30% workrate just shows you have NO IDEA what you are talking about. If you have watched Milan the past 2 years like most of us, you know that nobody runs back to defend from forward positions more than Rebic and nobody presses the GK and defenders of opponents more relentlessly than Rebic. Please don’t post on our message boards if you will write garbage like this.

        1. yes, I did read your post and I replied — I think it is ridiculous. Even if you mean that is your rating for today only, your original post said “Rebic is the worst player in milan squad” … makes it seem like you think that always, not just today. And while his finishing score must be low TODAY (not always, but today, I agree with you there because he shot the ball straight to GK Falcone); but still his workrate today was good. He was running and he also made some good crosses in dangerous areas like the one where Giroud tried bicycle kick. So, he was rusty today; but he still did some good things. “worst player” on Milan squad — how you can write that I don’t understand. Anyway, we will just disagree.

        2. Do you work at any footbal simulation game company? Employee like you would make any of such a company goes bankrupt. Or you just trolling

  5. I have to honest I excepted more from this game ,and was disappointed..Yes leao definitely man of the match …Giroud worked very hard ,but feel he should have found the net with one of his efforts but plenty more goals to come from him ,he certainly was starved of service today ..The game did not flow ,as there were too many niggly fouls ..
    I still believe we will be in with a shout for the title.

  6. 8 for Leaos is far to high a grade. He did nothing except score that amazing goal. It almost seems as if he was satifsfied with himself, and thought that he had done enough. I would have given him 6,5, at best a 7.

  7. Saelemaekers is terrible. He has great natural skill but is so incredibly unaware. He is one of the dumbest players I’ve seen on the pitch. If his brain matched his skill he’d be a star.

  8. Honestly, after Inter and Lazio this was kinda expected. Win with minimal effort to get us to the top of the table and crown a perfect week with well deserved 3 points.

    Discussing player rating in this game is pointless, opponent was completely outplayed with very little effort. These kind of games are necessary, so our players can get some rest while still taking those important 3 points that keep us in Scudetto race.

    1. I agree these are the cagy type of games that win titles. Taking into account how intense the last week was there was bound to be a drop in energy.

    2. Bro, this isn’t a matter of conserving energy or winning with minimal effort, it is clear that we struggled to score. Let’s not make excuses, the game plan wasn’t to win with minimal effort. It was good of Leao to get us ahead in 8minutes, and a Win was important today no matter the scoreline. The Samp goalkeeper, Falcone, made some incredible saves, but our profligacy in the final third today is one to be quickly forgotten.

  9. Leao great. Messias actually his best game all season. Some nice footwork; good header pass to Giroud 41 min mark when Giroud tried first time left foot shot went wildly wide. Messias also great quick powerful shot forcing Falcone to make a GREAT save. Also he made a nice tackle in extra time of firs half to win possession. I have generally be negative/critical of Messias over past couple months; but I have to admit — he was actually very positive today (certainly WAY WAY better than Saelemakers who had 2 horrible wasted crosses).

  10. Overall, of course while it would have been nice to get another goal and be more comfortable; but it is hard to complain. It is human nature in ALL sports after getting 1 or 2 very big emotional wins to have a letdown. So today to just win and get the 3 points is most important. Also, we were not lucky — Samp really had no chances…only 1 shot on goal (we had 7 SOG and Falcone had to make some nice saves). We had 15 shots and they only had 4. We had 4 corner kicks and they had ZERO. We had all of the most dangerous possession. It was a good victory — let’s be happy we are on top of the table (albeit Inter w/ a game at hand) and not complain too much! (except for Saelemakers! haha)

  11. But the way to get Rebic ready is to give him minutes in actual matches — not just training time. And perfect time to give him minutes is when we are winning already and against a team like Samp. Pioli is smart to give Rebic these minutes today. We need him to return to the way we know he can play. And he will return to that quality and help us win matches.

    1. This 🤝

      Pioli also did the same for other players who didn’t play for a month or longer because of injured / covid. Diaz for example, he plays really bad after he got covid. But Pioli keeps playing him and now he looks better similar to his performance from early season.

      Rebic will get better and return to his peak performance the more he plays.

  12. Totally agreeing with your points @DB. Anyone who watched milan’s matches on a regular basis, knows how important rebic is for this milan team.

  13. What about brahims killer pass in 46th minute? He split the defense completely, and if rebic was on he would have got an assist, but giroud didn’t have the pace to get there

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