If the management have absolved Paulo Fonseca of exclusive blame for now, they have instead turned their attentions to a squad they believe is underperforming.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, there some players within the squad that are ‘in the dock’ at the moment because they are performing at a much lower level than expected. It is easy to point the finger at the big names, starting with Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez.
The Frenchman in particular is having his worst season since he arrived in Milan, symbolised by the two-match ban that he got after the full-time whistle in the Fiorentina. This became a ‘significant aggravating factor’ given that he had to miss the big match against Napoli following the Bologna postponement.
Theo is averaging a rating of 5.71 per game in the league as per Gazzetta, the result of constant ups and downs. He scored against Venezia and Lecce at home, but was decidedly less productive away or in big matches, with the exception of the 2-1 derby win.
The former Real Madrid man will be available again against Monza on Saturday to try make up for his absence straight away. Filippo Terracciano will sit on the bench again, who certainly didn’t shine in the occasions he had to step in: a 5.5 average rating, without a single score of 6.
Fikayo Tomori meanwhile was supposed to be one of the key players in the defence. Instead, the English centre-back has often been among those responsible for the defence’s fluctuating form, with some more obvious blunders such as Fiorentina’s 2-1 goal.
Tomori has an average rating of 5.66, among the centre-backs only Malick Thiaw has done worse with 5.38, but it must also be said that the German has only played four games, one of which for a handful of minutes.
One player who has often and willingly been a starter (seven out of nine in the league), but without enchanting, is Emerson Royal, one of the most divisive summer signings. The Brazilian has an average rating of 5.44 and has only gone above 6 in one game, in the derby against Inter (6.5).
Emerson was signed from Tottenham for €14m with the aim of providing a reliable alternative to Davide Calabria, who has spent a good part of the season so far in the treatment. The Milan captain only played in the first two games, but he certainly hasn’t done better: a 5 against Torino, a 4 in the disaster vs. Parma.
Among the midfielders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is not making an impact like last season. He has a 5.72 average rating, but above all no goals or assists so far after scoring 10 last season.