Following a frustrating 0-0 against Newcastle at the San Siro, Milan headed into the game against Borussia Dortmund with the aim of claiming all three points. However, they fell short once again.
The game was never going to be easy for Milan and the first half was fairly even, with the Rossoneri having one big chance that Olivier Giroud failed to convert from close range. The second half started out in a similar fashion, although Stefano Pioli’s men improved slightly, with both teams lacking the courage.
In the final 15 or so minutes, however, the intensity rose and the game was wide open with chances at both halves and the bigger chances coming for Milan. For a second game in a row, the Rossoneri failed to be composed in front of the opponent’s goal which resulted in another 0-0 draw. Here are five things we learned…
1. Leao leads but no one follows
The Portuguese winger had a slow start to the game but picked up the pace in the second half, which earned him the Man of the Match award after the game.
His dribbling and pace were just too much for Dortmund as he was all over their defence in the second half and created a lot of chances for his teammates, but they failed to back him up and put the ball in the back of the net.
Whilst the management did a really good job in the attacking department in the summer, Leao still seems to be the game changer, especially against opponents where the intensity is high.
Giroud couldn’t keep up and wasted a lovely chance in the first half, whilst Christian Pulisic also offered little before being subbed off in favour of Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian was also disappointing after missing a golden opportunity towards the end, in addition to losing the ball on several occasions.
The depth for Pioli is there and the quality is better, but at the Champions League level, there’s still lots to be desired.
2. Impressive at the back
Despite lacking something in the final third, Milan were great at the back with Fikayo Tomori leading the line. The Thiaw-Tomori partnership seems to be at full speed with just 3 goals conceded for Milan in 8 games in which the Englishman has started.
Mike Maignan had little to do but did well when he had to, while Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez did well on both flanks excluding a couple of misplaced passes. The midfield obviously helped a lot, but even when the game was open in the final minutes there wasn’t a real threat for the Frenchman.
The next two games are going to be against PSG and Milan will really want this defensive solidity in order to put themselves in a good position prior to the reverse fixture against Dortmund at the San Siro.
3. Giroud is not up to the standard
The Frenchman had another poor game where he failed to really involve himself in the game, and when presented with the chance to give his side the lead he failed from close range.
It’s evident at this point that he’s struggling to keep up with the high intensity and that’s normal considering his age. Because of that, Pioli might be wise to include Okafor from the start more often so that when Giroud does play he is at 100%.
Not to mention that the more Okafor plays, the better the chemistry in the attack will be and it’s time to look ahead to the future and slowly give the Frenchman a supporting role instead.
4. Midfield fails to make an impact
Whilst the midfield has been dominating Serie A, excluding the Inter game, this time around it was rather disappointing against Dortmund, with Tommaso Pobega struggling and misplacing every second pass he made.
Yunus Musah started off well but faded as the game went on, whilst Tijjani Reijnders played an overall good game as he put a lot of energy into both phases of the game, but again he failed to keep his cool in that crucial moment and should’ve really scored towards the end off the game. The Dutchman really needs to bury his chances.
With Rade Krunic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek out injured, there weren’t many options off the bench but Yacine Adli was introduced in the second half and looked good it’s fair to say. Much better technically compared to Pobega and managed to hold off Dortmund’s pressure whilst not being afraid to go forward and try to make something happen. His upward trajectory continues.
5. No need for panic
Despite the rather frustrating result, the draw is still a good result for Milan who played away from home and Dortmund is not a team to underestimate. The goals will eventually come if the chances continue like this, but this defensive solidity will be crucial for a top-two finish in this group.
In the two games thus far, Milan dominated Newcastle, who crushed PSG 4-1 in England and were arguably the more dangerous side against Dortmund. With these positive performances domestically and in Europe, there shouldn’t be a cause for panic and Pioli is managing his resources well for the bigger part of it.
