AC Milan secured an impressive 3-0 win over Juventus on Sunday night, as we took a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League.
The Rossoneri still have plenty of work to do, starting with Torino on Wednesday night, and so while we could afford to enjoy the win in Turin on Sunday, it’s time to refocus now and ensure that we take maximum points from our remaining games to stay in the top four in the Serie A table.
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This is certainly a memorable result though, particularly given our poor form in Turin in recent years and what was at stake heading into the showdown, and Stefano Pioli undoubtedly played a major role in helping us achieve it.
Brahim Diaz shines on return to XI
The Milan boss made a key change to our attack, with Brahim Diaz coming in and playing through the middle, while Hakan Calhanoglu was shifted out to the left side.
The Spaniard has struggled to produce consistently this season during his loan spell, while playing time has become increasingly hard to come by in recent months even from the bench.
However, he took his opportunity brilliantly at the weekend. From his tireless work off the ball in a defensive capacity to his ability to drive forward with the ball or find pockets of space between the lines to be a real threat, he was a problem for Juventus throughout.
He capped it off with a stunning strike to break the deadlock, and as he ran over straight to Pioli to celebrate, it just showed the respect he has with the players and how his tactical know-how and decision-making can come to the fore in a big spot.
https://twitter.com/talkmilan1/status/1391830208219684867
Tomori presence in defence pivotal
Another important decision in this game was who to start in defence alongside Simon Kjaer. Pioli ultimately went with FIkayo Tomori, and that meant captain Alessio Romagnoli dropping back down to the bench.
As seen in the clips below, Tomori was outstanding from a defensive perspective as he was aggressive, alert and read the play really well too as he identified danger early and snuffed it out.
If that wasn’t enough, he popped up with an excellent header to end the game with our third goal, and if we do secure Champions League qualification, signing him on a permanent deal from Chelsea surely has to be a priority.
https://twitter.com/talkmilan1/status/1391855727673815043
Rebic substitute decisive
With Mario Mandzukic and Rafael Leao also on the bench, Pioli had options after seeing Ibrahimovic limp off with a knee injury in the second half.
Instead, he opted for Ante Rebic and he was rewarded with a sensational goal that doubled our lead and really put us in control for the latter stages of the game.
It was another critical decision that Pioli got spot on, with Rebic proving to be a handful for Juve with his pressing and work off the ball too.
From the tweak to our attacking trio behind the frontman to identifying the approach and personnel that would be most effective in putting pressure on a struggling Juventus side, Pioli gets full marks for his management of this one from start to finish.
