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AC Milan clinched their first win of the pre-season, beating Liverpool by four goals to two, and Rafael Leao was one of the key players. Below are the ratings for the Rossoneri.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Starting XI
Maignan (6): He made one good stop on a shot that came from the right, but he also had a rather strange ‘punch-out’ once. That being said, he could do nothing about the goal and was decent overall.
Tomori (5): Given his experience, you would think that he would do better than he did against the 16-year-old Ngumoha. It could have proved costly for Milan, and even though he improved in the second half, he wasn’t great when the Rossoneri needed him to be.
Thiaw (6.5): Considering the sloppiness we saw too many times last season, it’s been a pleasant surprise to see two very solid performances from the German so far. Today, he continued to defend the core of the penalty box really well. And his passing was good too.
Pavlovic (6): Liverpool created a lot down the left-hand side, as expected with Salah, and the Serbian struggled at times to keep up with the pace. He did, however, make a key recovery in the first half on a big chance. His work in possession was also good enough to get a pass here.
Saelemaekers (6.5): You can see why he was so successful at Roma and why Allegri wanted to keep him. The movement makes a big difference and his ability to combine with his teammates is impressive. Great assist for Okafor too, but for a higher rating, he would have needed to stand his ground a bit more in defence.
Loftus-Cheek (7.5): As we saw against Arsenal as well, he used his size and speed to make runs down the pitch. In the first half, however, he lacked the final touch. He certainly found it in the second, finding the back of the net with a nice finish. It wasn’t the easiest ball to control, in fairness, and then he helped set up the third goal.
Ricci (6.5): He blocked quite a few passes throughout the game, while also making himself available when Milan were in possession. In short, he was in the right place at the right time for most of the game. It sounds easy to do, though it’s anything but that. His passing was also nice.
Fofana (5.5): He somewhat helped set up the first goal, with the pass/hit that fell for Pulisic in the build-up. As for the rest, well, he had some good and bad moments. Above all, he missed a big chance inside the box as he failed to connect with the ball.
Bartesaghi (5.5): It was never going to be easy against a player like Salah, and sadly he struggled a bit at the start of the game. It got better but he wasn’t overly impressive in possession either. Saka then Salah, so it’s really good practice for him, but it doesn’t help the rating.
Leao (8 – MOTM): It was a great goal to open the scoring, keeping it simple with the run rather than trying to cut inside. And the finish, with his weaker foot, was fantastic. He squandered a good chance at the end of the first half, trying to square it, but made up for that in the second half.
First the assist for Loftus-Cheek, following another great run, and then the backheel to help set up the third goal. If he can play like this week in and week out, then he will be crucial for Milan this upcoming season.
Pulisic (7): He was involved in the opening goal, picking out Leao with the perfect pass (in the right channel and with enough power). As opposed to the Arsenal game, he got involved a lot and could’ve scored himself. He had two good shots in that sense. Hopefully the knock he picked up won’t cause an issue down the line.
Substitutes
Terracciano (6): He made a couple of decent stops and made himself known when the crosses came into the box. A very average, but decent, performance.
Musah (6): We didn’t see any sloppy mistakes from him, after far too many against Arsenal, but on the flip side that meant he wasn’t super involved. Still, he put the legs in and helped closed down Liverpool.
Okafor (7.5): He did really well in the build-up for the second half, even if he got a bit lucky with the touch, and then he extended the lead with a fantastic strike. Gifted a second goal at the end too, but good pressing I suppose to force the error.
Estupinan (6): An okay debut for the left-back, especially when you consider that he’s only had about one training session with the team. He won some nice duels, but also lost some, so it was just decent overall.
Bondo (6): Like Musah, he put the legs in and was able to win back the ball a few times, while also making some runs forward to ease the pressure.
Chukwueze (5.5): Started with a good pass for Okafor but then faded as the game went on. It no doubt affected him to play on the left (for most of the second half), as he couldn’t attack his opponent in the same way.
Dutu (5): Sadly, he lost his man at the back post, resulting in Gakpo’s goal.
Gabbia (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
Magni (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
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