CM: Goals and leadership – Reijnders becomes irreplaceable to Pioli

Tijjani Reijnders was one of the stand-out players for AC Milan during their convincing win over Monza at San Siro earlier, and he even got his first home goal for the club too.

Calciomercato.com write how Reijnders’ goal resembled Alexis Saelemaekers’ masterpiece against Napoli at the Stadio Maradona and it highlights the midfielder’s undoubted technical abilities, as well as his excellent mastery of dribbling in tight spaces.

For Reijnders – who scored his first goal in Serie A last November 11th against Lecce at the Via del Mare – it was his first at San Siro, scored right under the Curva Sud. A right-footed shot, which went under the legs of Di Gregorio.

It wasn’t just with the goal that he shone though. Today the former AZ Alkmaar man showed an excellent balance between the creative metronome that he can be but also attentiveness in the defensive phase and in build-up.

Since the start of the season, Reijnders has been the most glaring certainty that Stafano Pioli has been able to use and this also in light of his physical stamina, which allowed him to respond every time he has been called upon.

Taking a look instead at his appearances, no one is equal: he is at 22 (16 in the league and six in the Champions League), one more than Tomori who missed the derby due to disqualification. If we add to this that of these 22 appearances 21 were as a starter, with only the first match against Newcastle as a substitute, it becomes evident the importance of Reijnders in Pioli’s plans.