AC Milan squandered a second-half lead as we fell to a 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo at San Siro on Wednesday, raising more concern over our top-four chances.
The Rossoneri opened the scoring in the first half through a brilliant Hakan Calhanoglu strike, and as we defended resolutely and looked organised, Stefano Pioli will have been pleased at the break.
READ MORE: Pioli press conference: Super League response, Milan team news vs Sassuolo
However, a disastrous final 30 minutes to the encounter saw Sassuolo score twice to turn it all around, and now we’re left hoping that results elsewhere go our way and that we don’t see the entire chasing pack close the gap on us.
With Lazio next, Pioli will know that these direct head-to-head encounters could now prove to be decisive given our inconsistent form in recent weeks.
Injury setbacks hurt us
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez were all left out of the matchday squad due to injury troubles, and this is the worst time to be without three such pivotal players.
It’s hoped that they’ll all be available for the Lazio game on Monday night, as the combination of experience, energy and technical quality that they bring to the starting XI is critical for us.
Losing them for this game was a major blow before a ball was even kicked, and those that needed to step up in their absence failed to do so to get the win.
Unacceptable for three points to be thrown away
Having looked defensively sound for 60 minutes and with a 1-0 lead to protect, there was absolutely no excuse for Milan to throw away a much-needed win.
The Rossoneri dropped in tempo and intensity in the final half hour, and that is always a problem as it leaves us vulnerable and open to results like this one.
Pioli will know that we need to see out games better, but it’s not just about accepting that fact, it has to be executed on the pitch and quickly.
Boost with Calabria return
One of the big positives from this clash was that Davide Calabria returned from his recent injury setback and put in a big shift. Further, he produced a solid display on his comeback and slotted back in effortlessly.
It’s hoped that Hernandez will be fit for our next outing and we can get closer to our full strength XI, but it’s a timely boost getting Calabria back to make that right-back spot his own again.
Lack of clean sheets is a problem
Although the defence has earned plaudits and Gianluigi Donnarumma continues to make key saves, Milan have stopped keeping clean sheets, and that is a big issue.
The last clean sheet we kept was back on March 7 against Verona, and so we need to improve in that department fast as if we can’t keep teams out and are struggling to produce quality in the final third from an attacking perspective, we’re not going to win many of the our remaining six games.
Leao is not a centre-forward
This was evident in our previous game, and it continues to be obvious now after this loss. Rafael Leao doesn’t have the characteristics, temperament, quality or experience to play as a lead striker.
While he certainly wasn’t the only Milan player to disappoint in midweek, his lack of energy, interest, urgency and quality on the ball served as another example of why he shouldn’t be deployed in this role.
Pioli deserves a share of the criticism too for persisting with the idea, but it is pretty clear now, if it wasn’t before, that he needs to stop playing Leao up front as the replacement for Ibrahimovic. It doesn’t work, he isn’t a centre-forward, so stop doing it.