Igli Tare did not have a happy return to the Stadio Olimpico, and he wasn’t thrilled with what he saw from Rafael Leao either.
Gustav Isaksen got the only goal of the game not long before the half-hour mark as he latched onto a ball in behind Pervis Estupinan and finished past Mike Maignan with his left foot. It was a defeat that dealt a huge blow to Milan’s already slim title hopes, but another incident is in the headlines too.
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Tare furious in the stands
In the 67th minute of the match, Massimiliano Allegri brought Leao off, with both Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Füllkrug coming on (the latter replacing Youssouf Fofana). The Portuguese didn’t take it well and made his frustrations known, as Goal recall.
As reported by DAZN, Leao appears to say to Allegri: “Coach, leave me on, there are 20 minutes left,” before kicking a few water bottles on the bench.
They also cite La Gazzetta dello Sport and MilanNews who are reporting that Tare was also captured in the stands at the Olimpico. A bit of lip-reading showed his reaction after Leao showed his reaction: “What on earth, how can he…”
While it cannot be certain that Tare was referring to the way Leao behaved, the timing means that it is a pretty safe bet. It was another negative episode on a difficult night, and now Milan must bounce back to make sure they are not dragged fully into a scrap for the top four.
He sure likes to put on a show on the sidelines vs Lazio at Olimpico. In back to back years.
Allegri is now in the same position as both coaches last year. Does he bench Leao for the sake of the team chemistry or does he try to smooth it over and risk another game with this lineup? If Leao continues to have outbursts you risk the team really dropping off but benching Leao also means you lose a potential game changer since Nkunku and Fullkrug certainly aren’t game changers. So really, the management should look at themselves because Allegri doesn’t really have any good options. I don’t think benching Leao will change his attitude but it will give the team more calm on the pitch. It’s tough, I’d say if he can get Leao to relax this week, they should go with a 433 with Fullkrug up top, Leao on the left and Pulisic on the right. Then you can sub off either one for Nkunku. The problem with that is, we don’t have another striker to backup Fullkrug lol. The team really is a mess, management wise, very poorly built. Tare has some work to do this summer.
Playing 3 up front is the right and only move if you want free up Leao. Unless you play a true #9 next to him to draw defenders to create space for him, Leao (and to a lesser extent Pulisic, who does in fact run into space) will continue to be unproductive.
But…Allegri isn’t going to change from a 3-5-2. He’s a ‘defense first’ coach. Milan has given up a league-low 21 goals. Allegri wants 3 central midfielders with a deep-lying #6 (and sometimes 2 6’s when Rabiot is on the pitch). Playing 3 up front takes away from the numbers he wants in midfield (which admittedly didn’t play well yesterday).
One alternative is to start Fullkrug and Leao up front and drop Pulisic deeper to a CAM…with the hope that Fullkrug will draw defenders…
One spat between player and coach doesn’t doom the player….but given Leao’s value ($70m EU transfrmkt), Allegri’s inflexibility to change formation and Tare’s likely reaction, I would say it’s 50/50 Leao is gone. Pulisic runs 6+ miles a game, Leao plays half-hearted defense.
On the other hand, if Milan doesn’t get in gear and offer Pulisic a new contract soon after the season ends….he’s back to the EPL.
I agree. Pulisic is like a Swiss army knife so he’s too valuable when compared to Leao, who is all speed so once that starts dipping (as it seems to be) then he’s 50% of what he was. I think Milan1899 guy said this and he’s right, Puli and Leao can’t play as the 2 in a 352. They both need a reference point 9 alongside them. They can play in a 352 but they need Gimenez up there making the runs and creating space. I said that earlier in the week, Gimenez can’t come back fast enough (ironically). The man with no goals is the one that will save this team lol. I don’t see Fullkrug as a real option, he hasn’t really provided a spark and hasn’t looked like the 9 we need. Again, the last few strikers we’ve bought (including Gimenez) were in the window transfer window. No real trophy winning club gets their starting 9 in a winter window. If they are serious about trophies, they need to make it a point to spend on a REAL 9, no Nkunku, no back up Füllkrug. Get rid of Nkunku and put that money towards someone real.
I would be fuming too if I did see Leao playing on the wing and just assume this what we saw is all he is capable off + what happened on the sideline. He need to play on the wing.
Leao acting like he gave everything he could to score.
Leao did absolutely NOTHING in the first half ,saving his energy for second half. What a joke ! Try working hard and playing some defense and win a ball once and than maybe your teammates will pass you the ball.LEAO is Not Injured ! Leao is LAZY. Pulisic runs the most and gives his all for the team. Leao plays for himself and not the badge. Leao is so unprofessional ! Go Puli ! keep up the hard work because it is not going unnoticed, any one that knows the game certainly appreciates you. Proud to be an american soccer player ,to hell with all this prejudice bullsh@$#!t. Making a big deal on one lost pass, Yea sure ,thats why we lost the game HA!