The importance of Sunday night’s result against Napoli cannot be understated from an AC Milan perspective. The Rossoneri now have a 13-point gap between themselves and fifth place and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Milan’s clash against the Neapolitan outfit will not be recorded in the history books as the greatest football game of all time. However, it will show the Rossoneri’s intent and ability to come out on top in those fixtures.
It was not a display of champagne football, far from it. Nevertheless, the fact that the Diavolo took their chance and defended bravely to ensure they got the points is exactly what characteristic has not been shown enough this season and the return of it will be very welcomed.
So, with that in mind, let’s dive into some of the game’s key stats.
Overall stats
There is a common discussion in football about which means the use of statistics or just purely watching games to decide how things were. Sunday’s game was an occasion where both would say the same thing. Overall, the game was not filled with much quality.
There were 22 shots in the game. Of these, only eight were on target, and there were only two chances deemed to have a significant enough threat to be a ‘big chance’, both of which were in Milan’s favour.
That could be attributed to Napoli’s lacklustre attack without Victor Osimhen. Alternatively, it could be due to the defensive work from Milan. Either way, it isn’t a showing that will be recognised as attacking excellence from either side.
📊 The stats from the win against Napoli pic.twitter.com/ZjX51NWTmm
— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) February 11, 2024
Gabbia steals the show
In January, we wrote about how re-calling Matteo Gabbia would not be something that was going to result in him being on the front pages. However, his impact in the past few games has been exceptional, and he has consistently proven to be a much-needed addition that would have cost Milan millions on the market.
Instead, he’s an academy graduate who has dreamed of a Milan career for some time and is taking the chance presented to him with both hands. Front page or not, Gabbia proved his excellence once again on Sunday. He was exceptional defensively and aided the Rossoneri to move out from defence with his passing.
Matteo Gabbia vs. Napoli
➤ 90 minutes played
➤ 3 clearances
➤ 3 tackles
➤ 3/6 ground duels won
➤ 29/33 accurate passes (88%)
➤ 1 key pass
➤ 1 shot on target pic.twitter.com/yB1lAjeEEg— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) February 12, 2024
Theo The-Man-dez?
Whilst Theo Hernandez did well as a central defender, he showed that he wanted to attack when there, and it was clear that this could not be a permanent role for him. Now, back in left-back, Theo, who is so pivotal to Milan, proved himself again.
His goal on Sunday was well taken, and this wasn’t the only point of his offensive threat, as he was consistently looking to create issues for Napoli’s defenders whilst also being solid at the back. With the goal, he now is the highest-scoring defender at the club’s home ground in Europe’s top five leagues, alongside Jeremie Frimpong.
Theo Hernandez vs. Napoli:
100% shot accuracy
78% pass accuracy (36/46)
69 touches
9 ball recoveries
6 duels won
5 passes into final third
2 touches in opp. box
2 shots
1 accurate long ball
1 accurate cross
1 tackle success
1 interception
1 goal[…]
— Aksara (@aksaradotid) February 12, 2024
Pioli is Milan royalty
Sunday’s fixture served a treat and showed the Diavolo’s recent resurgence in the league, and whilst there have been problems this season, the recent form has to be respected. Alongside this, though, it also served as Stefano Pioli’s 220th game in charge, which puts him level with Arrigo Sacchi.
Whilst his Rossoneri future remains in the air, his time at the club can not be looked at without respect. Whilst there has been a recent souring of the relationship, his work to secure the Scudetto and impact to bring Milan back to consistent Champions League finishes has to be respected.
Stefano Pioli equals Arrigo Sacchi as the #ACMilan coach with the fifth-most games taken charge of (220) across all competitions, behind only Ancelotti, Rocco, Capello and Liedholm.
[via @OptaPaolo] pic.twitter.com/AjSoxLZLVV
— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) February 11, 2024
Depending on how Europe plays out, there’s a real “danger” of Stefano staying beyond the summer.
What will the PioliOut crowd do? Will they implode? 🙂