1 week ago
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Following the huge win against Inter, AC Milan were hoping to clinch another three points against Lazio. It wasn’t an easy clash, but the Rossoneri were victorious under the San Siro lights.
All things considered, the game was fairly even and rather cagey, as both teams struggled to create many clear-cut chances. The evening could have taken a completely different turn after just two minutes, though, as Mike Maignan was forced to make a great save.
Milan eventually broke the deadlock in the 51st minute through Rafael Leao, who got on the end of Fikayo Tomori’s cross into the box. Then, controversy struck in the dying minutes as VAR incorrectly instructed the referee to check a potential handball on the pitch.
Fortunately, the referee opted not to award a penalty, giving a free-kick to Milan instead, and that sealed the deal for Massimiliano Allegri’s men. Below are five things that we learned from the important win…
1. Give him a contract!
Milan have made some questionable decisions regarding renewals in the past few seasons, acting too late in several instances, and they cannot afford to do the same with Maignan.
The goalkeeper did have a questionable 2024-25 campaign, but so did the defenders who were supposed to protect him and not leave him for dead. Now, with a much better defence, the Frenchman has also been able to show his qualities.
Against Lazio, he again came in clutch with a ridiculous save early on to keep the score level. In other words, less than a week after the penalty save against Inter (and some other good saves in that), the goalkeeper made a big difference again.
It seems like a no-brainer to give him a pay rise, a significant one mind you, to keep him at San Siro for more than just this season.
2. Leading the pack
Excluding the early chance, Lazio didn’t have much to work with in attack and Matteo Gabbia is one of the reasons why this was the case.
The Italian has established himself as a key figure for his side and continued to prove this against Lazio with great positioning and lots of clearances. He also had a couple of last-ditch tackles, one of which prevented 1v1 with Maignan for Isaksen.
Indeed, it was a great display by the centre-back in terms of his own defending, but also his leadership skills as he motivated his colleagues to keep going even after mistakes. The reaction to the referee’s no-penalty decision says a lot about how much he cares about this team.
3. Unusually shaky in the middle
The midfield battle was won by Milan, but the performance definitely wasn’t one to brag about.
Luka Modric made quite a few mistakes, especially by his standards, with some lost balls and misplaced passes. Although the overall performance wasn’t bad, it seems he could do with a bit of a rest in the upcoming fixtures, given how much he has played recently.
Adrien Rabiot also wasn’t a decisive as we have become used today, even if he was still solid and comfortable in possession. A bit of directness was missing from his game, but we do have to complement Lazio on how tidy they were at the back, leaving very few empty spaces for players like Rabiot and Modric to explore.
Then we have Fofana, who, like Modric and Rabiot wasn’t necessarily bad but didn’t provide a whole lot going forward. Yes, he was involved in the goal with a good pass, but there were more moments in which he could have been decisive.
One sequence, which has made the rounds on social media, saw him run almost the entire length of the pitch, dribbling past several defenders, only to completely miss the ball. It’s a run that is very symbolic for his season so far.
4. Leao saves the day
The Portuguese international started the game alongside Christopher Nkunku, due to the injuries of Santiago Gimenez and Christian Pulisic. Unfortunately, the lack of chemistry was evident as we barely saw the two combining.
In the second half, Leao was a whole lot livelier than his colleague, getting the goal after great positioning and instinct inside the box. He also had another chance shortly after that was denied by the keeper, while pressing the Lazio defence hard when Milan were out of possession.
Nkunku, on the other hand, was completely invisible and fans can definitely have questions about his price tag in the summer (more on that later). Without a striker partner, it’s also very hard for players like Leao to perform, as the opponents don’t need to put as much focus on marking the second striker.
In short, Leao did well to make a difference under the circumstances and now has a very good tally so far this season, with six goals and one assist in ten appearances.
5. Flop of the season?
As said, Nkunku got to start in the game thanks to two absences, hoping to prove that he’s worth the €37-38m that Milan paid for him in the summer. However, it was yet another underwhelming performance from the former Chelsea man.
He felt completely absent in the first 45 minutes of the game, and although we saw a bit more at the start of the second half, he was rightfully subbed off by Allegri. Right now, the Frenchman doesn’t even seem fit even to come off the bench himself.
It’s rather ridiculous to be this unfit at this stage of the season. You can talk about the tough last few months at Chelsea all you want, but with several months spent with the Rossoneri, the fans have the right to demand a lot more.
So far, anyway, he can be considered a flop and it remains to be seen if he will be able to respond to the criticism.
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