11 hours ago
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AC Milan clinched all three points against Lecce after a decent second-half display, though it’s clear the Rossoneri needed to do a lot better than the first 45 minutes.
As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport this morning (see photo at the bottom), the most important thing was to bounce back after the Cremonese defeat, and Milan did exactly that. Let’s remember that there were many absences, and perhaps with Rafael Leao, the deadlock would have been broken earlier.
Furthermore, beautiful play isn’t top of mind for Massimiliano Allegri, the king of results. At least the 3-5-2 is starting to take shape, even if another centre-back is needed, and Modric has been the big exclamation mark so far. In short, there is something to build on for Allegri and Milan.
Obvious solutions shut down
The first half, as the pink newspaper continues, didn’t offer any surprises whatsoever. Milan attempted to break down Lecce’s wall with obvious solutions. Slow ball movement and switching play from one side to the other, like it was the pinnacle of innovation, not to mention the long balls as a last-ditch effort.
Lecce retreated to a 4-5-1, with occasional 5-4-1 changes as Pierotti selflessly dropped deep into the defensive line to plug Saelemaekers. In possession, they spread out into a 4-3-3, with Kaba and Pierotti excelling at infiltrating Milan’s left flank. Estupinan and Pavlovic, at times disoriented, were off guard a few times and that caused some issues.
Milan complained about Gabbia’s early disallowed goal, a header from a corner, and perhaps they had some reason for it. The push on Coulibaly, even if it was a two-handed one, which the referee explained, didn’t seem all that glaring. That said, it would be wrong to blame a VAR decision for 45 minutes of mediocre football.
At one point, Allegri moved Saelemaekers back into midfield from the second striker position, and ordered Loftus-Cheek to move towards the goal more. As a result, a few chances were created. Loftus-Cheek forced a save from Falcone with a header. Gimenez, found in behind the defence, fired his shot wide. Pavlovic tested Falcone at the near post.
Signs of life, but more than the bare minimum is expected of Milan. Against supposedly inferior opponents, the Rossoneri should be technically, tactically, and strategically dominant. In the first half at the Via del Mare, however, Lecce played almost evenly.
More confidence and fury
During the break, Di Francesco replaced Camarda with the new signing Stulic. The Milan loanee was forced off with a head injury, an injury that affected his performance; he only touched the ball eight times.
The tide shifted in the second half. On the one hand, Lecce dropped in quality, paying the price for overperforming in the first half. And Milan emerged, with their technical superiority and specific weight. The Rossoneri showed more fury and conviction, as Allegri likely made his presence felt at halftime.
Gimenez had a goal ruled out, the second goal denied to the Rossoneri, and this time it was due to a narrow offside. Having said that, the Mexican showed that he knows what he’s doing in open play. He shrugged off Gaspar with a natural-born striker’s move and beat Falcone.
Milan’s 1-0 goal came courtesy of a precise and well-timed free-kick from Modric, a cross that Loftus-Cheek hovered over and headed into the net. A dead ball was needed to break Lecce’s momentum, which in turn boosted the Rossoneri’s confidence.
In a trailing position, Lecce were forced to attack and expose themselves. Up front, they couldn’t get past a diagonal shot from Stulic deflected by Maignan. In defence, they couldn’t cope with the introduction of Pulisic, who had the quality that Milan had lacked.
Saelemaekers is a relentless runner and attacker, but Pulisic is in a different league, and he proved it in the 2-0 win: he showed no mercy for Gaspar’s mistake and fired a left-footed shot between the post and the goalkeeper.
Pulisic, Leao, and Nkunku promise to be an interesting trident. However, as the newspaper concludes, think carefully before letting Gimenez go.
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