GdS: Milan ‘hurt themselves’ in cup exit – what they must work on for Scudetto challenge

AC Milan were beaten by Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday night, seeing their Coppa Italia journey end in the round of 16.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall this morning, Lazio ticked off two objectives: they booked a place in the quarter-finals where they will face Lazio, and avenged their controversial league defeat against Milan on Saturday at the San Siro.

Last night’s victory was a VAR-free one, snatched thanks to a late Mattia Zaccagni goal, when penalties were looming. Following a Tavares corner, the Rossoneri’s zonal marking let them down as the winger ghosted in and glanced a header past Mike Maignan.

Milan are out of the Coppa Italia, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Now the team has one big target: the Scudetto. An encouraging coincidence: last season, Napoli were eliminated by Lazio in the round of 16 of the cup and went on to win the league.

Like today’s Milan, yesterday’s Napoli didn’t play in Europe: the similarities are starting to become interesting. At the Olimpico, a see-saw match unfolded. A lot of Lazio in the first half, a lot of Milan for half an hour in the second.

Everything came down to the Zaccagni goal, but if Leao hadn’t missed a huge chance shortly before, we’d be talking about a different story. This defeat for Milan is the result of a certain amount of sloppiness, a lack of determination in front of both goals.

Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Modric dependance evident

It’s not as if Milan’s attacking style shone in the first half of Saturday’s league match against Lazio: zero shots on target, like yesterday’s first 45 minutes at the Olimpico. The game, however, flowed differently, because the lead was provided by Luka Modric, who was on the bench yesterday.

It’s unthinkable to expect the 40-year-old to play all the time, or it would expose him to a dip in performance. Being there all the time is tiring at 30, let alone at his age. It’s a fact, but it is clear how much the Rossoneri lack without him.

The flash of light, the sudden verticality that Modric can generate no matter what, was missing. Ardon Jashari, the regista for the night, was coming off more than three months of ‘biological inactivity’ due to a serious injury, a compound fracture of a fibula.

Not even Samuele Ricci – who was alongside him on the right – was able to generate deep passes or break the lines. On the wings, Alexis Saelemaekers and Pervis Estupinan had little opportunity. Bottom line: for a half, Milan watched Mandas’ goal through binoculars.

Rafael Leao was never involved, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek playing a hybrid position. Zero shots, on or off target. Lazio dominated the game, with constant pressure and courageous runs. The best chance belonged to Basic who dragged a shot narrowly wide.

Just before half-time, Maignan made a save – off the post from Isaksen’s shot. The first half had very little excitement, plenty of confusion and stagnation in midfield, but Lazio were more proactive.

A different Milan, but…

Things were different after the break as Lazio paid for their efforts in the first half and retreated into their own half. The ‘Allegriani’ dominated and enjoyed good possession, with Jashari more present and incisive.

Loftus-Cheek twice came close to scoring with headers. Jashari, with a Modric-like pass, found Estupinan at the edge of the left penalty area, and the Ecuadorian was quick to pass it into the middle for Leao: the Portuguese’s shot, with the ball going wide, was an unfortunate one.

Here we must reiterate once again how Leao sometimes moves with an irritating complacency. He just can’t manage the final mile: becoming a lethal striker at all times. On Saturday, against Lazio in Milan, a goal from Leao decided the match. Yesterday, he spurned a chance and the team were punished.

It must be said that Sarri made the right changes. First, he strengthened the midfield with Dele-Bashiru, then brought on Nuno Tavares on the left. The Portuguese, with his motorised legs, lifted Lazio and forced Milan to watch their backs more.

Down a goal, Allegri brought on his key players – Modric and Pulisic – and the American came close to levelling the scores but Mandas did well to keep out his shot. All things considered, a draw with a penalty shootout wouldn’t have been scandalous, but Lazio deserved to qualify.

It was Milan who ‘hurt themselves’, and that’s what they’ll need to work on to win the Scudetto. We take a return to the Champions League for granted: Milan only have the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia and 25 games left in the league.