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AC Milan travelled to Pisa for a long-awaited clash, after ten days of rest, and managed to extend their winning run with a 1-2 scoreline.
Due to the rescheduled Como game, which will be played on Wednesday instead, Milan had a lot of time to prepare for this one. Yet, it ended up being a rather difficult task as an 85th-minute winner was needed from none other than Luka Modric.
At the end of the day, however, getting the three points was the most important thing in the Scudetto race with Inter. And there were some positive things to take from the game too. Below are five things that we learned…
1. A true leader
Once again, Modric was pivotal for his side with a late goal to seal the win. The passion we got to see in his celebration afterwards was certainly the icing on the cake. The 40-year-old continues to impress with his physicality, but more importantly, with his mentality that keeps him going and makes him an example for others.
Excluding the goal, it’s probably fair to say that the performance wasn’t his best as he misplaced more passes than he usually does, while also losing possession a few times. However, as most veterans would do, he refused to give up.
Indeed, the energy to get into the box at that point of the game shows what a champion he is. If Milan were to be in a title race in the final weeks of the season, then Modric would definitely be a crucial piece of the puzzle as he contributes so much both on and off the pitch.
2. Mixed performances at the back
We definitely got to see mixed performances at the back, with Milan unable to keep a clean sheet after a lapse of concentration, really.
Zachary Athekame and Strahinja Pavlovic impressed, with the former getting the assist for Loftus-Cheek’s goal and the latter winning the penalty that Niclas Fullkrug won. The duo also put in a decent shift at the back, and especially the Serbian cannot be blamed for the goal.
Then we have Bartesaghi and Gabbia, who did well enough but didn’t quite impress going forward, apart from a few moments here and there from the youngster. Questions can also be asked about Gabbia’s positioning on the goal, in fairness.
Finally, Tomori was mostly at fault on the first goal as his positioning on the ball over the top wasn’t good enough. On top of that, he wasn’t really involved going forward, or at least he wasn’t as bold as he has been in other games this season.
Milan did manage to win the game in the end but had they not then Tomori would have deserved more scrutiny as the goal was very preventable.
3. Attacking duo did surprisingly well
Christopher Nkunku and Ruben Loftus-Cheek started up front yet again, with Massimiliano Allegri most likely wanting Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic to be fully fit for the upcoming game against Como on Wednesday.
It’s safe to say that the two did not disappoint. The Englishman is opening the scoresheet (his second goal in two starts) after a slow start to the game for Milan, and then continued to use his physicality well after the goal.
Nkunku stayed on the pitch just 45 minutes, and even though he lacked a goal contribution, he did well to involve himself in the game and make life difficult for the Pisa defenders at times. The criticism in the media this morning thus feels a little misguided.
In any case, Milan showed good attacking depth this time out and it all worked as planned in the end.
4. Impact off the bench
Whilst Fullkrug wasn’t particularly helpful with his missed penalty, which put Milan in an awkward position for the final 20 minutes of the game, Samuele Ricci, Leao and Pulisic did cause some troubles for Pisa.
The Italian, in particular, brought energy to the midfield and provided the assist for Modric’s winning goal. He also made a few good runs into the box and really was a game-changer off the bench, benefitting from being a lot more concrete in attack than Youssouf Fofana.
Leao and Pulisic also helped even if they didn’t get any goal contributions, like Nkunku, as they put the Pisa defence in some tough positions and helped keep the game in Pisa’s half.
5. Allegri’s choices paid off
The gaffer opted to rest Leao and Pulisic again, with the Como game at the back of his mind, and he also left Koni De Winter on the bench.
Even if you could say having De Winter on the pitch might have been better, him getting rest and Milan clinching all three points is a pretty sweet deal in the end. The same goes for Leao and Pulisic as, despite playing a little, they didn’t exactly have to run marathons.
Personnel aside, the fact that Allegri showed some tactical fluidity with the switch to 4-3-3 before the winner, and then back to the 3-5-2, is another good sign. Indeed, three massive points were clinched and the win will surely act as a morale boost.
Let’s see if there will be some changes to the starting XI against Como, apart from the suspended Rabiot, as Allegri now has some key players with fresh legs.
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