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Despite a summer of change, AC Milan were beaten, deservedly, in the first game of the season by Cremonese, a newly promoted side.
Having recruited Massimiliano Allegri and Igli Tare in short succession, this was always going to be a highly anticipated season for Milan, especially after their eighth-place finish in the league last season.
There was plenty of good business in the transfer market with the management finally able to generate funds through sales, and there were also some interesting arrivals, although business might not have been wrapped up just yet.
Regardless, the current squad should have been enough to get past Cremonese in the Serie A opener at the San Siro. But Milan, again, managed to disappoint, as they have on numerous occasions in the last couple of seasons.
The Rossoneri did not start the game badly, and they were in control for most of the opening period. However, a lack of communication in the box allowed Baschirotto to open the scoring.
Just before the half-time whistle, the Diavolo levelled through Strahinja Pavlovic in added time as the Serb made the most out of Pervis Estupinan’s cross and headed the ball well to beat Audero.
The expectations for the second half were for Milan to push even more and complete the comeback, and the Rossoneri did start the half well. However, their familiar struggles in the opponent’s third prevented them from scoring, whilst Cremonese were patiently waiting for their chances on the counter.
And that patience paid off handsomely in the 61st minute when Bonazzoli scored an incredible goal to form the final 2-1 scoreline after finding himself unmarked in the Rossoneri penalty box.
Here are five things we learned from the opening game of the season:
1. New season, same problems in attack
A lot of work has been done during this transfer window, but the attacking department has still not been addressed properly.
The management sold quite a few players, some of which was very good business, but they have not yet brought in the new striker that Allegri wants and needs. In the 90 minutes against Cremonese, it was evident from the game that one must arrive.
Santiago Gimenez doesn’t look capable of leading the line, as he struggles with his hold-up play and ball control, and is more of a poacher, but against these low blocks, he will hardly succeed.
Then, it will be interesting to see how both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic fare in the 3-5-2 that Allegri is sticking with. The Portuguese showed that he can adapt during pre-season, but it is still unknown if the American will find his place in this new formation.
Finally, we saw Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Youssouf Fofana playing further up the pitch, and their attacking contribution was pretty much zero. Allegri will need to find a different solution if he wants to get goals out of his midfield, and having this particular duo on the pitch doesn’t seem like the answer, despite his 15-goal wishes.
2. Midfield department still feels incomplete
It’s been an overhaul in the midfield this summer, and one could argue that the quality now is higher than it was last season, especially given that Luka Modric arrived from Real Madrid.
Saying that, what Milan had in Tijjani Reijnders was a player who was comfortable in tight spaces and had the technical capabilities to move the ball around fast and dribble his way out of trouble, not to mention the goal-scoring abilities.
The management has not really found a solution to this, and we saw against Cremonese that Loftus-Cheek and Fofana offer very little in terms of passing, dribbling or shooting, really. Both of them struggled with the tight spaces and lost the ball quite a few times.
Not to mention that Fofana was not interested in marking his man on the second goal, whilst you can also make an argument that Loftus-Cheek should’ve kept a closer eye on Baschirotto on the opener.
The duo might be good when Milan play better teams, ones that don’t sit back and actually give empty space for Fofana or Loftus-Cheek to run into. Against most teams in Serie A, they will offer little to nothing in their current state, though.
That being said, Modric can play further up whilst Samuele Ricci can be the regista, which brings more technical ability further up the pitch. However, the issue with that is that the Croatian might not be physically able to play every game, and if he is not on the pitch, then the variety in that midfield is very little.
It will be interesting to see how Allegri addresses this and if a new midfielder does arrive before the end of the window. At the moment, the department seems a bit incomplete.
3. Shaky debut for Estupinan
The Ecuadorian had a rather disappointing debut at the San Siro, despite his assist for Pavlovic in the dying minutes of the first half, and he was subbed off by Allegri at half-time.
With good reason, too, the left-back struggled with his runs and lost the ball on various occasions. His only positive? The assist, if we are being honest, as harsh as it may be.
That’s not to say that he is a bad player, quite the opposite, he has proven himself in the Premier League. Instead, he still needs time to adjust to the team and the league.
The cross for the goal showed a glimpse of his qualities, but he has a lot more to offer and it will be interesting to see how he fares in that left wing-back position as the season progresses.
4. Leao dependant, again
Despite all the changes in the club this summer, it’s fair to say that Leao will be the key to Milan’s success during the season.
If Allegri manages to take the Portuguese to the next level, meaning the winger finally finds consistency, then the outcome of the season might be pretty good, given that the new manager should be able to toughen the defence. The real problems are up front, where no investment has been made yet, and again all hope lies on the shoulders of Leao.
The winger has shown maturity during pre-season as he did well in the new 3-5-2 formation, even scoring a couple of headed goals. Though a familiar problem has been exposed against Cremonese: there isn’t another player that can impact the game as the Portuguese can, and the squad lacks the creativity up front.
Hopefully, there is a reaction after the loss, and Tare manages to bring some firepower before the transfer window closes.
5. Modric dazzles
The Croatian got to start the game at the San Siro and, as you might have expected, he was the best player on the pitch.
Unfortunately, his good performance was overshadowed by the loss, but Modric played an excellent game. He covered a lot of ground and worked well in tight spaces, which was exactly what Milan needed to break down Cremonese.
Frustratingly, the former Real Madrid player didn’t receive any help from his new teammates, which marred the game.
The midfielder’s passing was class, and he barely got a foot wrong; he found the space between the lines perfectly. He was even close to scoring a goal himself, but the keeper denied him.
Overall, it was a very positive performance in which the Croat showcased his abilities on the ball but also his good physical condition. It will be exciting to watch him this season, provided his body does not catch up with him too much.
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