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AC Milan were once again held to a draw by a team at the bottom end of the end, and once again they needed a late goal to rescue it.
On Thursday night, Milan drew 1-1 with Genoa who were in 17th place before hand, with Rafael Leao’s 92nd-minute equaliser salvaging a point. This afternoon at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, it was Christopher Nkunku who scored late on against a side that are in 18th place.
Milan created several clear-cut scoring opportunities in the first half but looked like being made to pay when Pietro Comuzzo’s header went in midway through the second half. They did at least get another 1-1 to keep the unbeaten run, but could fall five points behind Inter if they beat Napoli.
Could it be four days in which the hopes of an unlikely Scudetto push were finally put to bed? Time will tell, and Thursday’s tough trip to Como will be another litmus test. Below are Ivan Stoev‘s five talking points from the draw at the Franchi.
1. Shooting boots left at home
Milan dropped two points against Genoa due to their lack of creativity in attack and now against Fiorentina they dropped two more because of poor finishing. Christian Pulisic has been the hero many times, but he was the flop on Sunday as he could’ve easily scored at least a brace if not more.
The American had two big chances in the first half as he went face to face with Davide De Gea but squandered both of them. For the first one he rounded the Spaniard when shooting seemed easier, and that led him to snatch a bit at the second one which he hit straight at the goalkeeper.
We published an analysis of the ‘first shot phenomenon’ that Milan have benefitted from this season. Since then, naturally, they have missed big chances that have almost cost all three points. Fiorentina took the lead and Allegri’s men themselves in an awkward position towards the end of the game, when it could and should have been comfortable.
Pulisic and Leao are both quite clearly playing through the pain barrier a bit, but they are the decisive men. When they don’t fire the Milan attack is not up for the challenge and with tougher fixtures to come it will be crucial for the coach to tweak things and find a solution.
2. Positive by Der Panzer
Niclas Füllkrug had quite positive cameos off the bench against Cagliari and Genoa, showing that he could offer something different. Starting games is always very different though, with less space and less rhythm in the game.
The German got the nod and impressed again. He should have had two assists as his hold-up play got Pulisic two 1v1s against De Gea. This was just what Milan were missing – a focal point for the ball to stick to – but sadly for him and Allegri the American failed to take the chances.
In the second half the 32-year-old was quieter and later taken off – most likely because he isn’t close to 100% yet – but it was a positive game and the impact was there. He should already have multiple goal contributions, and now we need to see him become a goal threat too.
3. Rough waters
Rafael Leao came on in the second half with Milan needed to do more to force the issue. In the first 15 minutes or so after coming on the Portuguese barely touched the ball and he just seemed like he was hiding instead of trying to make things happen.
In contrast, Pulisic might have missed his chances, but he at least dropped deep and asked for the ball, while his movement is always smart as it drags defenders around. Leao was a ghost, static both when his team had the ball and when they needed to press.
In added time he also wasted a counter-attack that could’ve resulted in his team stealing all three points, yet he wasted the opportunity yet again. He may well still be under instruction not to accelerate quickly, but if this is the case there are other ways he can be useful, and the Genoa game showed.
After the game, Allegri said something interesting to DAZN: “Leao isn’t feeling great yet; in the final minutes, he could have made more impact by taking a slightly more sidelined position to get into one-on-one situations. We’re getting all our players back, and I’m happy.”
Following games in which he had scored, the coach praised Leao for trying to get into dangerous areas (the box). In this case though he wanted him wider, i.e. more towards his ‘original’ position on the wing. Mixed messaging perhaps?
4. A chance not taken
Allegri rotated his squad given the game against Genoa was less than 70 hours prior. He opted to make changes in midfield, with Samuele Ricci and Ardon Jashari given an opportunity alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Fiorentina effectively played a three-man midfield with their 4-1-4-1, and they won the battle in the middle for large parts. Ricci and especially Jashari just never got fully into the game, with the latter being subbed off for Rabiot.
The chances Milan did manage to create came mainly from the forwards, because all three of the starting midfielders either couldn’t hold onto the ball or showed very little willingness to break the lines with penetrative passing.
In the second half it was a bit better after Adrien Rabiot came off the bench and even Youssouf Fofana added a bit more creativity to the midfield, as he got the assist on the equaliser. It’s evident that if both Modric and Rabiot are not on the pitch then the quality and presence drops a lot.
5. Constant lapses
Up to Fiorentina’s goal the host didn’t have big chances with most of their shots going straight at Maignan. Then, in the 66th minute the whole team again lost concentration as they have done on multiple occasions this season, resulting in lots of points dropped.
Davide Bartesaghi and Strahinja Pavlovic didn’t communicate well at all when the corner came in, and in the end it was a free header for Comuzzo at the near post. Given Milan often try this tactic themselves, they should have been able to prepare for it better.
What’s more frustrating is that this follows up the goal conceded against Genoa where Matteo Gabbia lost concentration and allowed Lorenzo Colombo to beat him in a situation where he should be in front of the striker.
Even with three centre-backs and a three-man midfield to protect them, Milan are continuing to concede goals in most games, no matter the level of opponent. There is no safety in numbers, so it begs the question, what is really needed to keep clean sheets consistently?
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