AC Milan have enjoyed a good run of form in the league since the turn of the year and were presented with a great opportunity to grab second spot after Juventus dropped points to Hellas Verona, but they fell to defeat against Monza.
Stefano Pioli’s men found themselves two goals down at the break after several individual mistakes, and they were a man down by the 52nd minute with Luka Jovic receiving a red card for lashing out at Armando Izzo
Despite the setbacks, the Rossoneri did manage to halve the deficit through Olivier Giroud and even equalised in the 88th minute through Christian Pulisic.
However, Warren Bondo and Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo scored in added time to seal Monza’s first ever win against their Lombardy neighbours.
Here are five things we learned from a dramatic yet disappointing encounter…
1. Way off the pace
Malick Thiaw was injured for nearly three momths and was thrown into action from the start against Monza which proved costly in the end with the centre-back making two extremely sloppy tackles in the space of a few seconds which resulted in a penalty.
In the sixth minute of added time in the first half, Thiaw was again under the spotlight after he was beaten with ease by Andrea Colpani as he pushed out of position to help Ismael Bennacer but failed to get the ball.
Then, also failed to block Danny Mota’s shot as it got deflected by his foot and went into the back of the net which was rather unlucky, but also a result of the poor positioning and decision making a few moments earlier.
It’s fair to say that that was probably the worst game of his Milan career. It wasn’t so much a physical fitness problem but more the mental side of things, and that is something which should snap back into place with game time.
2. Making a statement the wrong way
Thiaw was on his way to comfortably securing the title of flop of the game for Milan regardless of the result, but Jovic somehow managed to top him as he was sent off in the early minutes of the second half.
He reacted aggressively to a provocation by Izzo after the pair had come together and been warned by the referee moments earlier.
He got a shove from he experienced Italian and threw his hands towards his face. The contact may have only been a scrape, but VAR intervened and the referee had no choice.
That made things even more difficult for his team, but it’s just a pity that the Serbian couldn’t keep his composure because he hasn’t managed to make the most out of the chances Pioli has given him from the start and now he will likely serve a multi-game ban.
Luka Jovic's red card against Monza was the 6th for #ACMilan in the league this season. Only Getafe (8) have more in Europe's 'top five' leagues.
➤ Tomori vs. Roma
➤ Maignan vs. Genoa
➤ Thiaw vs. Juventus
➤ Giroud vs. Lecce
➤ Calabria vs. Atalanta
➤ Jovic vs. Monza pic.twitter.com/tqlpVgrFoh— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) February 19, 2024
3. Outthought and outfought
Whilst individual mistakes were costly for Milan and the outcome of the game it’s also fair to say that Monza were compact and disciplined on the pitch, taking their chances well.
With that being said credit has to go towards their coach Raffael Palladino, who instructed his players well as they soaked up the pressure Milan tried to put on them early on and played fast and direct on the counter.
It is a style which has been a problem for Milan for a while now and a reason why the team has done so poorly against opponents in the bottom half of the table whilst playing much better against teams in the top half that play a more attacking football.
Interestingly, Palladino actually spoke in his press conference after the game about how he watched Milan’s 3-0 win over Rennes and that gave him the conviction he needed to play a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 3-4-2-1, implying he felt more comfortable matching up with the opponents.
4. To the rescue (almost)
Despite the delicate situation in which Milan was they did manage to get a goal back in the 64th minute through Giroud after a flick from Pulisic that got the ball in the Frenchman’s reach.
That gave them plenty of time to find another goal and salvage the situation and in the 88th minute that moment came, when Pulisic showed some individual quality to beat his man by cutting inside onto his left foot and lashing a rocket into the far corner.
The happiness was short-lived with Bondo’s goal winning the game just two minutes later, but Pulisic and Giroud did well to get their team back in the game and we finally saw that killer instinct from the American who has been struggling a bit recently in terms of his production.
If not anything else, Pioli will hope that the goal will give Pulisic a nice morale boost, whilst Giroud hit 20 goal contributions in the league for his team, though he didn’t give much away before the game about his future.
ITALIAN CALL OF CHRISTIAN PULISIC BANGER. "Come On Baby! Come On Baby!" Love the smell of CP11 Goals in the morning. [Via @_carriexoo] 🇺🇸🇮🇹🎙❤️🖤pic.twitter.com/gmFsbCyNQB
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) February 19, 2024
5. Chances not taken
Similar to Jovic, Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze were given a big chance from minute one to show that they deserve more regular starts and yet they showed little to nothing that was positive.
Okafor has had some good moments off the bench, scoring three goals in fact, but failed to help his side against Monza as he delivered a pretty anonymous performance on the left side.
The Nigerian meanwhile has barely had a good game in Serie A (both his goals came in Europe) and you would expect more from the most expensive signing of the summer transfer window.
The third disappointment is not Jovic – who we mentioned in a separate point – but rather Rafael Leao who had a wonderful game in the Europa League against Rennes and got the goal he was craving, which we hoped would help him regain a bit of confidence.
In spite of this, against Monza the Portuguese didn’t get on the ball that much and didn’t create any dangerous chances when he did. Pioli admitted after the game that he felt a calf problem and that’s why he didn’t start, which makes his 45-minute cameo even more bizarre.
I think it’s pretty clear that the culprits were Thiaw, Jovic, and Pioli’s heavy rotation. I’m disappointed but not too much. This team have proved time and time again that they don’t have what it takes to win the Scudetto so finishing second or third makes no difference to me.
Despite improvements in certain areas, the team lacks proper balance and structure. I put it down to poor planning. We signed based on a 433 but switched back to a 4231. Reijnders was supposed to be an attacking midfielder but moved to a deeper role in order to function well. RLC has gone from a box to box midfielder to essentially a second striker. Bennacer and Musah still don’t seem to have a clear role. We sold the only defensive midfielder in our squad who, despite a few poor games, was not worse than most of the players during our tough period. Okafor was supposed to compete with Giroud, not become a utility player for the front line. Chuk seems to be a scouting bust. He needs a lot of work.
Totally agree with everything you have said.
Except I don’t think Chuk was actually that bad in this game. He was involved a lot in the first half. Did some decent runs. Got to the byline and did a nice cut back that lead to blocked shot by Jovic and subsequent volley by another player got hit off target.
Generally he has not impressed much over the season though.
Okafor whilst he was disappointing in the first half. When I rewatched the game I noticed that he continually received bad passes when he was in good positions. Particularly by Theo who otherwise had a decent game and Adli who we all saw had a bad game. Theo seems to struggle to adjust when he is not interacting with Leao.
I would like to have seen one of them at least get to the 60th minute to get another chance to show what they can do. I.e. only bring on Reijnders & Pulisic at half time.
Now we still need some level of rotation against Renne and all of Okafor, Chuck & Jovic are low on confidence.
Thanks Pioli!
What were Krunic’s poor performances?
Just interested in specifics v mythology.
“The most difficult thing is to play simple football. Thiago Motta doesn’t explain football. He does it,” the ex-Milan and Juventus coach wrote in an article published by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
He was a practical and efficient midfielder and he’s the same on the bench. I like Bologna’s personality, but behind their results, there is a clear tactical idea.
“The ball possession is not sterile but is used to go forward. Bologna players are not controlled as they were in a video game. Thiago Motta wants his players to have courage in all areas of the pitch and they take responsibility. It’s exactly what he used to do when he was in the middle of the pitch.
Being a former midfielder does not guarantee success, but it often helps. Think about Pep Guardiola or Xabi Alonso. Thiago grew up at Barcelona, and the Spanish influence is evident in his playing style. The La Liga influence is dominant everywhere except here,” continued Capello.
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) is followed by Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Unai Emery (Aston Villa) in the Premier League. In Germany, Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen) is the runaway leader. In France, there is Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain), while Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) is ahead of everyone else in Spain.
Motta was coached by Ancelotti, but also Mourinho (Inter) and Gasperini (Genoa). He has taken something from all his teachers and re-elaborated it. From Ancelotti’s philosophy to Gasp’s desire to dominate. And his management is reminiscent of Mourinho.
“Thiago played for top clubs, Barcelona, the Inter side that won the treble and PSG, so he already knows this aspect. For all these reasons, I am convinced he is ready for a further step. I don’t know the future, but the top Italian or European clubs that will pick him won’t be wrong.”
Capello thinks that Motta is ready for a big club like Milan but Pioli fans think he is not because he doesn’t have 20+ year career of being a loser like Pioli.
BTW, Thiago’s Bologna is only 7 points behind Milan with inferior squad. 3rd best defense in the league.
Kick Pioli out , bring Motta in. Whoever at the club wants to still keep Pioli should also be fired.
“20+ year career of being a loser…” Lol good one, you made me laugh.
A few things we learned.
1) Thiaw has an extremely low IQ and cannot be trusted. Milan should sell immediately.
2) We learned why Jovic can’t stick around at any club. He has played well so far as a sub, but finally gets a chance to start and this is how he reacts..
3) Pulisic and Giroud showed what Champions look like, never giving up and bringing this team back even down a man. More players like this please.
4) Maignan has become quite an average goalkeeper this season and that is putting it nicely. Continuously getting beat to his near post. Considering that and all of his injuries, probably not worth what he is asking for.
5) Everything is Pioli’s fault. Player loses his mind and starts fouling everyone in sight…Pioli’s fault.
Player slaps another player in the face and gets a red…Pioli’s fault.
Okofor was only €14 million. He’s a utility player.
Chukwueze should never have been signed for such an inflated fee. He has zero pedigree, no history of great performances at international level or in the UEFA competitions. La Liga is a weak championship, full of mediocre players (outside the top 3). He’s also nearly 25, at that age he should be the finished article. He’s one of the flops of the season and no, I don’t think he’s going to leave and do a CDK, at least with CDK he was much younger and showed flashes of brilliance.
I would add that Maldini and Colombo having a good game was a positive.
Nah all Pioli’s fault, thats the only analysis that teenagers who claim to be supporting for 20 years understand
Sack Pioli and Milan wins treble every year and wont lose a league game ever
One thing we learned : Pioli should be sacked at half season