AC Milan secured a comfortable win in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 against Cagliari, despite fielding a makeshift eleven. Luka Jovic was the main man with two goals, but several players did well and the youngsters impressed as well. Below are the player ratings.
Starting XI
Mirante (6.5): He made a tremendous reflex save at the start of the game, which was very important, but he had a few questionable moments after that. He couldn’t do anything about the goal, given the deflection, and overall he did well.
Calabria (6): An average display from the captain, who wasn’t really put to the test in the defensive phase. He was subbed off after 61 minutes as well, so there is not much to say about his performance.
Simic (7): Yes, the pass before Cagliari’s goal was rather unfortunate. However, he defended with great confidence and above all strength tonight, winning many duels against Cagliari’s star Luvumbo. Considering his age, we should all be very impressed.
Hernandez (8 – MOTM): He was great in the defensive phase tonight, making many recoveries and winning duels easily. The main difference, however, was made in attack. First with a great cross for Jovic, and then a trademark run to set up the Serbian once again. It was truly ‘the old Theo’ tonight.
Jimenez (6.5): A very encouraging debut for the Real Madrid-owned full-back. He played with great confidence and those of us who have watched the Primavera already knew that his acceleration is off the charts. Tonight he showed that as well, but he still needs to improve defensively. Just missed out on a 7.
Reijnders (6.5): As has been a theme lately, the Dutchman was always available for his teammates and did well when in possession. His ability to merge the midfield with the other two departments is impressive, it must be said.
Adli (7): It was the perfect game for him as Cagliari didn’t always press that high, or intensely anyway. He thus had the space to operate and was responsible for some very good passes tonight, especially the one where he set up Jovic for a great chance. The movement was also great, slotting into centre-back when Theo went forward.
Chukwueze (6): He gets a pass today simply because he was very lively, but it’s clear that the end product could have been a lot better.
Romero (5.5): Not his night, unfortunately, and he was the only youngster who didn’t really impress. It’s probably because he hasn’t played much lately, unlike the Primavera boys who have done the opposite.
Chaka Traore (7): He was perhaps a bit timid in the first half, but he improved in the second and also managed to bag his first Milan goal. He got a bit lucky with the finish, but it counts and the confidence boost was visible.
Jovic (7.5): Two goals for the Serbian, who has been in red-hot form lately. He did miss a good chance at the start of the first half, but he made up for that with a more complicated finish on the first goal. He also combined well with his teammates tonight, and you could make a case for giving him an 8.
Substitutes
Florenzi (6): He did what was needed, also showing off some good passes. Not much more than that, though.
Leao (7): He wasn’t successful in the first few 1v1 duels but then managed to find the back of the net in the 91st minute. It was a great finish from the Portuguese, who hopefully can build on this, as Milan need him in good form.
Pulisic (6): He got the assist for Leao, although the latter did most of the work, and looked decent overall. With a full game, he probably would have done more.
Bartesaghi (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Zeroli (N/A): He didn’t play enough to get a rating.
Hopefully this trend will continue , if young players are given a chance, and you show them love and trust, they will perform,good game…
Well said Sir. We don’t need to sign a bunch of back up players in January, we just need to give our youth a chance
Slowed waayy down after the third. Could have been a thrashing.
MOTM …. Ignazio Abate. Guess I needn’t explain, but he’s doing some good work with the youngsters.
You are 100% correct. Some of the youngsters look in better form than the seniors. Abate sure did a good job.
Solid performances overall and also a good start for a new year. A convincing win for sure.
From all the primavera Pioli played so far, i think Simic have the best chance to keep his place in the first team. The kid doesn’t look and played like he still 18 years old.
The problem is we already have 6 CB’s; Tomori, Thiaw, Kalulu, Pellegrino, Kjaer, and Gabbia which will make a return. If next season Kjaer retired and Pellegrino on loan, maybe Simic can get promoted to the first team.
If he’s to stand a chance we really need to avoid signing any CBs for another few YEARS.
With 5 of those CBs all under 26 these could form the basis of our defence for the next decade.
Imagine that.
Imagine if these players were hitting 500 plus appearances for the club.
Yeah Thiaw, Kalulu, Gabbia, Pellegrino, and Simic are all under 26. Tomori also just turn 26 last month and i’m sure he still have at least 7-8 years of his carrer. We clearly don’t need a new CB.
But i’m more worried if some team from EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, or PSG comes knocking Cardinale / Furlani’s door and offer a good chunk of money for our CB’s.
And if we don’t sell we don’t have to sign any replacements.
Not selling reduces the amount a club needs to spend and avoids dragging us into an arm’s race with oil oligarchs!
yup.. fvking disgrace pure capital gain
If we are playing Theo at CB, then yes we need another CB.
I expect at least one of the main 3 to leave.
Thiaw – Is already wanted by Bayern. They love German NT players. Thiaw likes Bayern too. There have already been rumors for the summer but I’m not sure if the injury changes things.
Kalulu – Essentially pure profit for Milan. They signed him for a low fee and he’ll likely leave for 30+ mil. If Thiaw stays, Kalulu might get the Tonali treatment.
Tomori – Unlikely to leave, but if a big offer comes in from England, Milan will likely accept.
I agree with that assessment, it seems unlikely all three will stay long term. My money is Thiaw or Kalulu leaving unless an unreasonably high offer for Tomori comes in. At the same time though given the growth decree situation maybe all three will be sold over the next few years.
Nice defeatist attitude.
And we’ll spend another billion over the next decade replacing them over and over again.
Who cares about profit?
Especially when we’ll just blow it on some other transfers.
It’s not inevitable these players will leave and if they do that should trigger fan protests.
It’s not acceptable (or successful) to keep churning through players.
Sigh.
You wanted to keep De Sciglio, El Sharaawy, and others that were past their best here.
What does ‘past their best’ mean?
How come other successful clubs don’t have as many players who are ‘past their best’?
Pique has 616 appearances for Barcelona, Ramos had 671 for Real, Chiellini had 561 for Juve ….why can’t Milan hold onto players for more than a few seasons?
Calabria is our most experienced player now with 238 appearances and it seems the media and therefore fans are pushing for his exit.
Well, that was quite a bit to take in. Them kids got talent.
Simic – 7.5 – he is the real deal. Cannot believe how physical he already is. Positioning is solid and passing is getting there.
Theo – 7.5 – nice assists. Clearly was helping with Simic and Jimenez positioning.
Calabria – 6 – solid defensively but not really available on offense. Might have been staying home with the two kids back there.
Jimenez – 6.5 – barely a foot wrong on defense. Looked rather line a right footed Theo on offense. Missed on passes in weight and precision but never seemed to lack for ideas. Hope we see him again. Let’s buy this guy!
Mirante – 6.5 – great reaction save in the early game. Could have been an entirely different game had he missed it. Could have done better in the goal but the reflection clearly threw him off.
Reinjders – 5.5 – just didn’t seem to be in the game. Glad to see him come off.
Adli – 5.5 – some sweet sweet passing, esp early in the game. But a couple of loose passes that would have converted were it Atalanta. Really seemed to fade end of game.
Traore – 7 – The goal was an 8 with him being drug to the ground by his jersey. He was active and available but his passing was slow and imprecise. Hope to see more of him.
Romero – 4.5 – he seems not to have the speed, technical ability etc to make up for his size. Lost the ball a lot and didn’t make the quick pass. I think he needs to develop a bit more before playing 1st team.
Chuk – 5 – Alas … He should have be awesome. He worked hard. But lost the ball a bunch, never really looked threatening. It’s almost as if his rhythm is based on a familiarity with those around him. Hope he gets some confidence at AFCON.
Jovic – 8 – MOTM – both goals were in part due to his movement. He was active in dropping back and linking up as well. Better he pressed well the whole game. He is fit and I am excited by the idea of he and Puli’s off ball movement up front with folks like Benny and Reinjders feeding them.
Flo – 6 – Did the needful in spelling Calabria.
Puli – NA – it was hard to track him in the middle. He was active and his first touch is really something. He clearly didn’t have a rhythm but seemed to be just about everywhere
Leao – 6.5 – got the goal. Was dangerous as heck but over focused on shooting. He still looks too easily out of breath, so glad he got some work at match pace today.
Barts – 6.5 – no drop off from Jimenez and that is saying something. Was solid in defense and up the pitch with Leao and Theo on offense. He was recovering from flu so keen to see more of him against Empoli I hope.
Zeroli – NA – He seems like a kid playing with his heros. Skill is there but not seeing the same fit and finish as Simic and Jimenez.
All in all out front line was constantly in motion. We appeared to switch to 442 in second half and this took some of the sting out of our attack. Given all the new and young faces I’d say this is reasonable and the team looked well coached.
Wow this site really has it in for Calabria. The new Krunic.
Great win. Thanks capitano and team.
Couldn’t agree more. Not sure what Isak has against him but what else does Calabria have to do to get an above average score from him?
I’m a fan of Calabria but thought it was an average performance today. What did I miss in this game?
(Note that I do believe he is the new whipping boy, but I had him rated 6 as well)
@mykidplayedsoccer – Compared to other players, particularly in the first half I thought he was one of the more effective players on the pitch. Good energy, strong effort, involved in the buildup play and solid defensively. I don’t have an issue with a 6 in a vacuum but I do when comparing other players with the same or better rating. As another example, I would argue that Florenzi’s performance was inferior to that of Calabria, yet they get the same score. My opinion for what it is worth.
I see what you’re saying. I rated them the same because Flo came in at a point in the game where slowing the game was the general battle order. I thought he did this well but not in an outstanding way (couple of nice passes and some solid hustle)
So I was trying to factor in the overall game situation.
Thanks for the explanation!
Fellas I have a Calabria shirt 😂 He just didn’t stand out at all
@isak Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I actually thought he was all over the pitch, up and down. I think Chukwueze makes him look worse by ignoring the overlapping runs (he has become a black hole in my opinion when he gets the ball). His influence waned in the second half but if Chukwueze deserves a 6, Calabria should have at least a 6.5. In fact, I am not opposed to a 6 but I have seen you use the comment “could have done better” to justify a lower score when the same can be applied 6 or 7 other players who have a higher score. Anyhow, like I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion but those are my thoughts for what it is worth.
Thinking back a few games, Calabria is much better with Puli on the field. He is also better when one of the kids is helping him in D explicitly so that he can roam. I’ll be watching for this against Empoli, thanks!
Calabria was fine tonight. I’d be more fair and give a 6.5, but he wasn’t anything spectacular. Just did his job.
As far as Krunic? He’s been awful and doesn’t play anymore. I mean he fell out of favor and even Adli gets more chances now. Should have left in summer.
Buy and promote Jimenez – what a talent!
Promote Simic
Promote Chaka and let him work with Leao
Sign Jovic!
How is it that we don’t own one of our youth players?
Presumably if he’s that good Real Madrid won’t sell.
So we seem to be developing another club’s player whilst denying Bartesaghi (a player we actually own) development opportunities.
I think we have a $5m option on Jimenez.
He is also right footed. So he would make a good bookend for Barts maybe?
If we have an option great.
Let’s exercise that option!
But doesn’t Real Madrid have a buy back option ?
Bartesaghi was also fighting the flu so would have otherwise started over Jimenez.
Please we don’t want anyone learning from Leao, He has huge talent (that’s why he is our main man) but his attitude is terrible.
Same deal we made with Diaz. Bad for us because real will only let us have him if he isn’t good enough. If he develops they will take him back
What do you know, the backups and youth can play, too?
Before someone says it was only Cagliari, don’t forget that the starters lost to Udinese and barely scrapped a point vs. Salernitana.
Theo was like a man possessed.
Jovic continues to play well. Just over 500 minutes this season, 5g 1 assist. That won’t stop Pioli from keeping him on the bench.
Saelemaekers brother Jimenez, needs to be bought. Wasn’t that tested defensively, but going forward, he is very good and very comfortable and confident on the ball. He and Simic need to be part of the 1st team, Chaka, and Romero needs to go on loan to gain some experience. They are wasting their time on the bench and in the Primavera.
Chuk was disappointing again. He just holds on to the ball and wants to constantly go 1v1, but then again, that’s the coaches system.
On to Empoli.
Good win, even tho Cagliari didn’t really want to be there it was still good to see the youngsters get some time. I really hope Milan try to win the Coppa Italia this time as it may be our only chance at a trophy this season and with Inter and Napoli out we have a good shot.
I thought Jiminez looked really comfortable and not afraid to push forward in attack. Impressed by him.
Jovic makes smart runs and always gets himself into dangerous positions. Should’ve had a hat trick by half-time. Would like to see more of him.
Simic looked really solid at the back. Strong young kid. Just wish he was a little taller.
The two I was not impressed with at all were Romero and Chuku. Romero just looks lost out there and Chuku is so one-footed it really makes him easy to defend against. Looks like he is going to be one of those players that will come up with a spectacular goal a few times a season but you can’t count on to be good on a regular basis.
Im happy Leao got his goal, maybe now he will actually try passing the ball to a teammate once in a while. Honestly up until that goal I thought he was terrible and selfish.
100% K
Especially about Leao and Chucky
Spot-on!
The last 20 minutes were a crucible displaying the essential differences between Leao and Pulisic. Leao is bigger, taller and faster, but….
Of course, anyone can create anything from anywhere, but keeping reality in mind, Pulisic had three chances to create something for Leao. In the 86th minute he crossed to Leao, who shot (saved). He then split the Cagliari defense to set Leao on his way twice in extra time, one resulting in a goal for Leao (the second pass was just as good as the assist, but Leao pulled-up).
Leao had two chances to create something for Pulisic. The first, Pulisic ran 40 yards to make himself open at the back post, but Leao cut inside to his right foot and shot wide instead of passing. The second, Pulisic set Leao free wide on the left, then ran 50 yards to find space between the penalty spot and the top of the box, but Leao ran all the way to the end line trying to line-up a shot, and the opportunity was lost.
Leao is the guy that can get you two goals and an assist in a cup final, or against one of the titans of Europe in the later rounds of the UCL, but I will not be surprised at all if Pulisic has better numbers, at the end of the season.
Players like Leao win matches. Players like Pulisic win championships. Having both SHOULD allow both to shine, since the defense can’t double team them both. Let’s pray that they figure it out.
Pulisic is so much better/productive than Chukwueze and Romero that he will probably be stuck out on the right, but he was creating chances from that ATM position, and might be better suited there, in a 4-2-3-1.
If Okafor is half of what he looked like, today, we have three very good LWs and no RWs worth their position. If Okafor can produce from the right, we could have that 3 behind the striker look like Leao-Pulisic-Okafor. Talented and pure track team.
Have a prosperous and healthy New Year, all!
That’s a tasty attack for sure! I was dreaming the same dream.
Looking forward to seeing more of Okafor, every time he plays he impresses me
To be fair to Leao, yesterday, just yesterday, he was in when we were pretty much assured to win, it’s understandable that he wants to have that goal he didn’t score since september.
If it was another game, I would have slaugheterd him in the comment section for being so selfish, but yesterday, I’ll give him a pass.
Well, to be fair it was a heavily rotated Cagliari side so regardless of Milan’s past results, the opposition wasn’t exactly a great barometer of the team’s performance. Good win, but that must be taken into account.
A very enjoyable game to watch for once!
Mostly due to the opportunities given to our young guns, who did well.
Jiminez was just great, no nerves, lots of quality and end product, he was always effecting the game. Bravo to him, possibly the best debut i have witnessed this season. He is ready!
Theo – Back to being a force of nature MOTM
Simic – He showed great strength against some big men, solid apart from the pass that led to their goal
Calabria – always motivating and organising
Reijnders and Adli showed some beautiful technique in midfield
Chaka, didn’t do a whole lot apart from the goal, nerves took a toll. Delighted for him , though the goalkeeper made it a gift
Romero- He ran around
Chucky – Awful, so 1 footed. Doesn’t even take on his man. We need to try him either as LW or AM because he cannot operate on RW with 1 left foot
Jovic – Surely this guy has to keep playing, he knows how to finish and that is a rare commodity (despite their goalkeeper being awful)
At this point I’d rather we keep playing him than Giroud or some unknown player who will need time to settle. He ran a lot too
Bartesaghi – did well, though from what I have seen, I’d take Jiminez over him
Zerolli – looked very bright and very dynamic
Leao – Well I really did not like his performance at all!!!
He came on, strolled around, messed up a bunch of chances that he could have passed (Jovic/Bartesaghi etc)
He was a terrible example for our youth and honestly was the anti-hero tonight (where we had youth,energy and workrate we got laziness)
Jovic was on a hattrick and Leao kept going alone. Selfish
Finally ABATE – Well done Sir, your boys did you proud
You are so right about Leao, it was so frustrating watching him how he kept destroying chances and just walked on the field like he didnt care. At least he scored a goal in the end. But in general very frustrating performance from him.
He doesn’t care. Read his interview today where he said he signed a contract because he wanted at least 1 more season. He’s leaving and to be honest I think Okafor will give us a lot more consistency on the LW, lot’s of talent too.
Wherever Leao goes he will flop because no club willing to pay his release clause will tolerate his attitude and they’ll have the money to replace him.
He’ll end up in Saudi like Pato in China, making money and cr^py rap music
No team is paying Milan the release clause to buy Leao.
Milan should be over the moon if someone actually offers them half of his release clause.
I normally am in the minority here in not beating up in Pioli and his decisions but I don’t understand his substitutions today. Winning 3-0 and instead of resting additional starters, he introduces “rested” players into the game. I know they only came on for 20 minutes or so but the game was decided so why not give them the entire match off?
In the Tour de France Giro de Italia, etc there are “rest days”. Most folks figure the riders get a massage and lounge about that day.
In actuality they generally go out on a medium intensity training ride of 3 hour or so. Otherwise their body will react negatively to the _lack_ of stress.
Soccer is a similar thing in terms of it requiring a highly developed aerobic capacity, huge burst effort and quick recovery. (Much of a cycling race is like walking/jogging the pitch due to the effects of drafting)
If I had to guess there were two things at play:
* puli and Rafa are fan favorites to give the fans some love
* They worked hard on the pitch so they didn’t have to work hard in the training room after the game line Giroud, etc.
The biggest risk is some sort of contact injury, not “mileage”.
I have a working theory that non-game intensity isnt being managed well and causing many of these injuries. This is both too high and not enough intensity at the wrong times leading to stress reactions in the players. But I am reasoning from a cycling background.
Apt.
Completely understand what you are saying. Players who logged fewer minutes or stayed on the bench typically have a more stringent workout following the match for the reason you outlined. In this particular case where this is a midweek clash, shortly after playing a previous match (3 days ago), I don’t think it would matter to maintaining fitness. I also don’t think the risk of contact injuries is worth it either. You may have a point about paying back the fans with a star name or two but Pulisic (who is injury prone historically) has logged heavy minutes this year so would seem an odd choice to do that with.
Totally agree with ‘Mykid…’ that the players who played on Saturday would have been running today. 20 mins on the field is nothing to these guys. Consider you had Sunday as a recovery day, Monday light training, 20 mins of game time makes sense. Only real risk is an impact injury.
Here is something to think about with the injuries. You specifically say “run”. But running is a destructive act (high impact) where as cycling allows for an active recovery.
So hop on a stationary bike and improve recovery with a specific sort of training plan.
But wait …. Cycling causes muscles to fire in different ways than running. Ask your triathlete friends about the transition and blood moving from quads to hamstrings.
So in this simple example there are all sorts of trade offs to be made in terms of maintaining aerobic and anaerobic fitness vs muscular training, vs …
Now consider duration, intensity, diet, massage intensity, cryo …
I am feeling the need to go back to school 🙂
My point is that managing a training plan to keep a top athlete in top fitness through destructive activities (games and intense workouts), injuries and the general rhythm of life (it’s impossible to be in top fitness at all times and will kill performance if you try) is super complicated.
Hope the perspective helps.
My son played soccer in the 4th defensive in Germany and he talked to me about what they did; today they would have been playing some sided games today which require quick explosiveness. 20 mins on the field in a game like today is nothing. That is not not high level conditioning but maintaining fitness.They would have been doing sprints after the game if they didn’t play.
I like your post. It’s true, that many supporters think there is some magical “optimum” fitness and a correct way to maintain it.
This is just wrong.
The truth is that during a sporting season, the staff is always trying to maintain an equilibrium, a balance between keeping muscle mass up, and watching it be also degraded always by running and aerobic type I overloads that are contradictory to keeping the strength mass up enough to avoid fatigue.
It’s like setting a string on fire from both ends and trying to the the flames to meet exactly in the middle over the course of time. And there is no perfect way to make a plan for a team. The ONLY thing that is known, is that each player must be managed with a highly individualized plan, in order to get the best results for each individual, physically.
And even that fact….is at odds with the managers wanting to treat everyone in the team “equally” for the sake of team unity, isn’t it? It can be hard for a player to accept he has to run more than a star player. But the truth is….that young players, and lesser players, should be accepting that they have to do what is asked of them, regardless of the “star” players getting a different program.
See, this is at odds with the yeomen worker, “team” dynamic that a lot of managers like on principle!
And it’s why a player like Leao wouldn’t last long in England in a big side. These leagues are just very different. Italy has a taste for the incredible goal. They want flair as much as they want results. The English mentality is results by outworking the other guy, and the beauty or flair is a luxury and otherwise unimportant.
And Italy is proving a better defensive league this year, I think, overall than England. While Germany are worse than either in that. Spain and France don’t have enough parity to judge for me.
It’s a shame Milan couldn’t go through that CL group. On their day, they can beat anyone.
@MyKidPlayedSoccer and @Zabaglione: I liked your exchange concerning the fitness of players in general, so I have a question for both of you: what are the reasons (or reason) for our high rate of muscular injury since 2020 ? It is Matteo Osti ? Is it Pioli’s overeliance on some players ? is it our tactics ? A combination of all ?
Thanks for the insights.
It does explain how the likes of Pep’s and Klopp’s teams manage with less rotation.
Pep’s Barcelona team had multiple players playing 40+ games a season at their peak.
In 10/11 9 players played over 40 games that season.
Messi averaged 39.5 appearances across his 17 seasons, Pique 41 across his 15 seasons, and Busquets 48 appearances across 15 seasons.
I do believe a lot of the obsession with rotation is tied to the obsession with the transfer market where the media and therefore fans are forever looking to solve problems that don’t need to be solved.
A bit like fast fashion.
Messi is a bit of an extreme example but consider his rep as a “pitch walker”. He plays in a way that allows him those appearances and his talent is such that coaches build tactical plans around it
I think Inzaghi today is another good place to look. His wings run themselves into the ground knowing they are coming off at 60. This allows them to better plan their efforts. Contrast this to Puli and RLC being toast after that excellent PSG game.
Workloads are managed (or not) in many ways. From training to sleeping to tactical plans to strategies for substitutions.
Direct to AC Milan I could care less how often Giroud starts. What I get bent about is that we don’t rotate in Jovic regularly at 60.
Applying this to Tomorri or Thiaw we should have seen Simic and Pellegrino more often and for longer spells. That’s my $0.02 on the whole injury thing.
I think Leao is bit of a pitch walker in hopes of netting a winner in the 90th based on his talent. Totally agree I wouldn’t mind seeing Giroud come off in the 60th minute. He too runs hard, plays physical, and appears spent in the later parts of matches.
It wasn’t just Messi though.
He averaged less appearances than Pique or Busquets or even the full backs. Dani Alves played 50 matches in 10/11.
I’ve never understood substituting CBs given the importance of continuity for that position and the relative lack of running.
I really wish we could go back to pre-Covid substitutes. The problem is that it managers aren’t restricted most will use the maximum and then matches become like international friendlies.
This is also directed at AM Milan Fan.
Hopefully Jovic’s form will force Pioli to use him more.
Keep in mind MH that some folks.are.gwnwtically made for higher loads.
Weird example’.it is likely the best cyclist in the world is some dude on the steppes of Mongolia or the Tibetan highlands that has never seen a.boke before. He has a long femur and a VO2 Max.and hematocrit score off the chart.
So Alves was made for.the workload I’m the same way Reinjders appeaes.ro be.
IIRC Busquets was not much of a runner.but much more cerebral? (I was not following the game back then). So he’d be another who had this weird skill and the right coach to maximize it.
It would be neat.to look at the actual minutes played and KM covered as a % of the whole team.
To the gent talking about Leao as a pitch walker. I agree but don’t get bent about it. Sprinters are made for huge efforts then must recover. I don’t know the physiology of it though.
A common strategy for winning a flat stage on cycling was to force the best sprinters out I to the wind and effectively cut off their true peak effort. Then mere mortals could work the field sprints. There are literally guys o. The team talked with keeping the sprinter.out of the wind for just that reason.
So when Leao makes a huge effort and then walks back insee it as a norm. Puli by contrast doesn’t have that top gear. But he can run for far longer at his near max this he tracks back after a run and we appreciate his work rate. Someone in these.commwnts pointed out it is great to have other types on the pitch. Think about how Leao is pairs with Theo to cover for his walking while Calabria was covered by high work rate dudes like Saelamakers and now Puli.
Okay nerding over.
So let’s keep Krunic till he’s 38. Winning strategy indeed.
15 years ago he probably would’ve played for us until he was that age. And 15 years ago we were one of the top teams in Europe.
The winning strategy has been churning through thousands of players and billions of Euros in the interim with 2 Scudetti to show for it.
Romero wasn’t having a good game, plus he doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs (the two may be linked), hence Pulisic, who was the only available option (RLC needed the absolute rest more). It would have been Zeroli if we were playing 433; also Zeroli was the only available option to replace Reijnders, who also needed rest (on paper, he didn’t look tired at all).
Leao needed a goal, or atleast to “get a run” and continue to build sharpness/fitness and no better time to put him on that when you’re 3 goals up. Bartesaghi couldn’t start the game so, makes sense to give him a cameo; Calabria needed a breather too, hence Florenzi.
(I was expecting the 5th sub, to be Nsiala for Theo, not the Bartesaghi sub).
Fair point, reverting to a 4-3-3 makes the most sense to me but I agree Reinders needed the rest more.
Maybe Pioli wanted to test Puli as trequartista with Rafa and Chuk on the wings?
That’s also a possibility.
I think so. This was a good match to test it out. If the match opens up, playing Pulisic in a trequartista role could really be interesting, It would be situational.
Imagine if either Leao or Pulisic had been injured, AGAIN, tonight?
It’s part of a campaign to push for a new RB.
More transfers means more content.
Jiminez is a right footed right back. I’d be happy with him, also Kalulu is good there too
The African Cup of Nations has come at a good time for Chukwueze.
Hopefully he can go away and recover his form and confidence.
Hopefully, then perhaps he can be sold for some portion of the money wasted on him
Well if he produced we wouldn’t need to sell him, would we?
Why are fans always looking to flip players like some dodgy stock brokers.
Should have flipped Krunic when we had a chance though. Look at how awful he is now. Even fell out of Pioli’s favor.
Chuk needs more time.
Or….the club didn’t have to create yet another problem that didn’t need solving.
We had an experienced utility player who has barely put a foot wrong but because everyone has big ideas we’ve pushed him out just in time for Bennacer to go to the African Cup of Nations.
Still who doesn’t love a good flip.
What problem are we creating?
Krunic was so bad he cost us points this season. That seems a problem to have kept him. His performances have been awful this season and Pioli determined that. Now Adli took over from him and look at the result. Way better player.
Erm Krunic started every game during our best run when we were top. But hey facts and all.
The problem we’ve created is we now have fewer midfielders with Bennacer heading off. But don’t worry we’ll solve that problem by signing someone else only to flip them again.
There’s lots of commission to be made.
Nobody wants to flip players, but when a mistake has been made and there is a lot of money at stake, it’s good to be able to move them on.
Milan don’t have fortunes to waste and we have about €65,000,000 invested in CDK and Chucky. Both of whom are nowhere near good enough (I don’t mean form, I mean ability).
If we are to challenge at the highest levels we can’t afford to lose those kind of sums.
Regardless of what you think of him, fact is he can only use 1 foot and is therefore being found out.
Disagreed on Chuk. He’ll do better. CDK was never up to scratch.
What mistake was made?
And what makes you think players aren’t being flipped when there are literally thousands being moved around for seemingly no reason every few months?
How many midfielders have Milan gone through in the past 10 years?
Over 100.
How many have we gone through since last season?
7-8 by my count.
A good performance and a win. Main takeaways:
1. We can rely on Primavera players in a crisis
2. A good midfield performance but for me it’s still the weak department of this team and the main reason we’ve struggled this season. We are yet to find a midfield formula that functions consistently. Bennacer leaving will not help.
3. Pulisic looked good in a central role, adding a lot of creativity to the midfield. I hope to see more of that but that will be tough with Chukwueze away.
4. Jovic is improving game by game despite not looking 100% fit yet. It was only a matter a of time and service for him. The same goes for Okafor although the lack of clarity over his position needs to be resolved.
5. I think calling Calabria’s performance “An average display” is harsh. He was better than Simic and Jimenez in my opinion.
Its so easy when 4231, but he will switch again in league to 433 and we will suffer as always
I don’t think many people here have realized that Cagliari also used a B team. They are facing relegation and don’t want the extra games. They did not want to be playing Coppa. Have you noticed the goalie they started? That guy couldn’t stop a shot if his life depended on it. It’s easier to score 4 goals on that bum, rather than on first team Serie A goalkeepers. Actually in Jovic’s second goal, the ball was not on target. The goalie deflected it in.
This said, it was nice to see the youngsters doing well. And Theo looked like the old Theo.
Sure, I enjoyed the win. but drawing conclusions from beating relegation-zone Cagliari’s B team is not very warranted.
Jovic does look to be in better form than Giroud. Chuckweze on the other hand continues to disappoint.
We may enjoy the victory, particularly the young guns. Your right tho, their goalie gifted us 2/3 goals
Na. There is money to be made in the coppa and their A team isn’t that much better than their B.
Their coach resting most starters (like we did) says it all. They didn’t really want to be there. Money only becomes significant for the teams that make a deep run and I don’t think Cagliari was expecting to make a deep run. They chose to focus on their relegation battle. Scuffet in my opinion is a better goalkeeper than Radunovic. After the latter’s huge mistakes, the fact that he was not subbed out should tell you all that you need to know about how much Cagliari wanted the victory.
Even if Cagliari used their A team, the result wouldn’t be different considering we beat them 3-1 at the beginning of this season.
And where did you got this “they didn’t want to be playing Coppa”? Don’t make baseless assumptions and spread it like it’s a fact when you don’t have nothing to backup.
It was mentioned several times on the telecast that Cagliari was also resting starters to focus on staying up this season.
That doesn’t mean they don’t want to play in Coppa.
Yes it does. Know what you are talking about before you go after other people. Cagliari didn’t want to be playing in Coppa Italia because they are trying to avoid relegation which is way more important to them, also they know they won’t win it, so they don’t want to risk their best players. This was already mentioned several times.
I agree with your statment. I was shocked by how bad their goalkeeper was.
I think we can’t draw conclusions from this game, but at least we’re in the quarter finals. Neither Atalanta nor Sassuolo are to be underestimated.
Man Calabria can’t catch a break….ratings-wise. But he did as well as any other player out there. Average? Really ?
Simic is good but he has a problem following the defensive line up the field and doesn’t look confident in that particular aspect (relies on having to look around way too often than just naturally knowing where to be, but he’s only 18 and that’s totally understandable). Decent performance though. haven’t seen enough of Jiminez to really say much but he seemed ok. Traore apart from the goal didn’t really do much up to that point imo but he looked to have massed up and I stronger than last I saw him. But overall the team played well. I’d say we look better with the youths than when the senior players came on tbh. Mirante made a miraculous save in the beginning only to undo the good work by that sloppy concession. He should have save that at that distance, the deflection was minor. Reijnders was pretty much invisible the entire game but that’s because he looked tired from the off. Dude needs a break.10 mins on and he looked like he sin the 80tu minute 🤦♂️
Otherwise, this game was enjoyable to watch, great win and hopefully we do well in this competition. it’s likely our only possible trophy this year
Calabria is next on the media’s list of who to blame. I thought he played a good match, no trouble down his flank and he kept the ball moving. He got some work in and looked in control. The only thing I can think of is he played it safe just like Reijnders and many others did tonight given the match a few nights ago.
Calabria is next on the media’s list of who to Blame. I think he played a good game. He kept his flank quiet and the ball moving. He got some good work in and played how you would want someone to play given the match a few nights ago and one in a few more.
Oh for sure Calabria is next. Krunic articles dont even get the same traction anymore 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ve already peeped the assessments on Calabria. Its incredible
Think of it this way: Calabria has played so well every now and then that the expectations for him have risen through the roof. He plays an “average” match if he doesn’t do a single mistake but doesn’t provide assists and block 5 shots at the goal line. For an “average” player his performance would have warranted a solid 7 or higher but since it’s Calabria people demand more. Because he CAN deliver. 😉
Good analysis overall. However, in response to point # 2, I would argue that a more mobile, faster, technically gifted CF helps the midfield. We saw some of that today. The midfield would look better on a consistent basis if the CF is able to hold up play and play balls in behind when the ball is at his feet. When out of possession, the midfield would look better if the CF is able to press. Most games, our high press is getting beat very easily because we are expecting a 38 year old to lead the press. Never gonna happen. A proper CF will have a positive impact on Milan midfield.
As I have been saying for a while. We have one of the best youth teams in Europe. Other major European clubs give their young players a chance, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Man City. We don’t need garbage like Gabbia or randos like Chukwueze. We don’t need anymore defenders. We only need a centre forward.
Please don’t call our players garbage especially players like Gabbia who helped deliver the Scudetto.
Care to elaborate why Gabbia is garbage? Have you seen him play? Any major mistakes he’s done in the past? He was always solid when called upon.
It’s hard to interpret cup match performances. Some players are on the field trying to keep their legs from going cold, while others are looking to impress. I feel Reijnders and Pulisic fell into the category of keeping their legs going and the youngsters trying to impress.
Two things I look at in these types of matches is player vision and decision making. We saw Theo and Jovic link up because they both saw the plays unfold and made good decisions. on the otherhand you have Chukwueze showing poor vision and decision making throughout. I am not sure if this due to limited playing time as he is trying to get into the starting 11 or what, but he is not having success. He should have looked how Leao did when he came on. Leao was looking for that goal and got into many dangerous positions and ultimately got it but Chukwueze did not and flub the few chances he had. I feel bad for being hard on him all the time but we need more than a few nice shots every once in a while.
It was a easy match to watch even though it did not mean as much as league games but nonetheless we could have bottled it and made a mess of things so hats off for a professional performance by the team. Pioli did a good job with the starting 11 and made good subs so he deserves some credit for the victory as well.
I agree but slightly harsh on Chuk there. I found his passes in right spots very timely and spot on but others couldn’t finish the job. Early on Chuk put Reijnders thru on goal with a threaded ball from the wing (which in and if itself insane) but his sloppyness and lack of sharpness meant he didn’t get an assist…once again.
I don’t think Leao was a model to emulate in this game- selfish and missing passes to open teammates. It was obvious his teammates, especially Pulisic who feed him 3 beautiful passes wanted him to score.
The kids are alright!
“We don’t have an bias against Calabria” – SempreMilan
Also SempreMilan *having to adjust his rating multiple times because they got their ass handed to them in the comments*
It was a good lesson for Pioli to let young players play at least against smaller teams.
We don’t need to sign back up for Theo. Jiminez and Bartesaghi can be a good back up. what we need are strikers at least two mobile, skillful and direct strikers. No need to sign CB. Good defensive midfielder can be a good addition.
Don’t understand the hate for Calabria. Seems if the player has quiet game he’s somehow garbage? People here want to see all our players doing dribbles and stunts and salto mortale and stuff. He kept his side tidy and quiet, nothing else needed from him there. Job done as usual.
Jimenez? What a mature lad. He showed good composure. Somehow we don’t need to spend on an LB, he can cover both RB and LB flanks.
Jovic now has 5 goals in his last 7 games. Okafor is also coming back so no need for additional spending here also.
What a difference 4231 with actual AM in the hole makes. Hope Pioli ditches that non functional 433 or even 4231 with b2b like RLC in the hole.
It’s not trashing Calabria. He gave him a six, which is an average rating. Did he do anything exceptional in this game? And let’s be honest, Calabria has been very up and down this season with more poor performances than good in my opinion.
I think the issue is that Chuk got a 6 for one good pass and a lot of errors vs calabria getting a 6 for doing nothing spectacular but also not putting a foot wrong doesnt make much sense
Better rating this time. Yet not 7 for Jimenez and 7 for Adli… just stop produce those ratings please. Reposting Gazette would be more than enough 😅
I think it also shows that we’re still more of a 4-2-3-1 team rather than a 4-3-3. Everytime this season that we played a 4-2-3-1, we seemed more fluid, more offensive and seemed to actually have a plan of attack. So much for trying to switch during the summer !
Anyways, I’m really happy about this game, I was very worried when I saw the lineup and how much rotation we did, but guess we were a class above Cagliari, so kudos to everyone, and to Pioli (for once!). This is a very weak team, but it’s still a very good win.
I think it’s starting to be clear that Jovic’s problem is lack of time and lack of confidence, 5 goals so far is really not bad for a rejected played that we got for free.
I think Theo is a decent CB against WEAK teams during HOME games (please don’t try it in other conditions). He’s finally showing aspects of the old Theo we enjoyed watching. I’ve made this theory before, but I think him getting the ball while facing the ball as a CB actually helps him running through that left side.
Happy for Traoré, a first goal for a young player in the first game he is starting. He also did look promising in some other occasions; I hope to see him more often.
I was a bit surprised by Jimenez, for a first game and not in his position, he did pretty well.
I liked Adli’s offensive contribution, there was not however too many threats from Cagliari to comment on him defensively.
Leao FINALLY managed to get that goal he was pretty much trying to force since he was subbed in. Anyways, he seems to be getting back his sharpness.
I don’t have much to say about the others, I think they did pretty well although I wasn’t really impressed by Romero and Samuel (despite his assist).
Chuk didnt get an assist
Adli’s pass to Jovic was a masterpiece. Reminded me of Krunic.
Jimenez & Simic should get more minutes against teams such as Empoli etc. No need to push the regulars to do overtime as clearly the young lads are up to the task against the weaker teams.
I have read what many of you have said and agree to a point ,,the youngsters we used deserved to have a start ,,,but let’s not get carried away ..
Calgari we’re not interested in this game at all ,and it was virtually there B team ..Their goalkeeper was appalling,,,has he ever player before .
You are now ranting on about jovic and he is on good form at the moment,,but if you think he can replace Olivier Giroud,dream on …Yes it’s good we have jovic ,as we don’t have to panic for a replacement centre foward ..Let’s see how good jovic can do against top sides ? Had Giroud played last night I believe he wold have scored a couple of goals ,,first let me tell you why .we actually put some dangerous crosses into the box and chances came to jovic ,,,to be fair to him he did well ,albeit one of his goals was not going in ,except from help from their goalkeeper..
Yes it’s good to have jovic as a back up for Olivier Giroud and not a replacement..
I believe Olivier will and should start the next game .
So yes we did win the game 4-1 …We can at least lift a trophy…full marks to pioli …He was 100 percent correct to give the youngsters a chance ..
I rate pioli very high indeed ..
Thea Hernandez definitely gets the man of the match from me ..pulisic when he came on looked extremely confident and he knows how to create chances ..
He has been a huge success for us ,,,as has Loftus cheek ..Rafeol leao ,,,amazing talent ,but overdoes things sometimes …That said he would be in my team anytime ..
Just another quick word Aldi is also an exceptional talent …We must keep hold of him ..
I think we are now going to go on a winning run in the leauge.