AC Milan secured a crucial win over Lecce on Sunday, but an ongoing issue plaguing Stefano Pioli needs to be addressed this summer.
There was good news this week with Olivier Giroud putting pen to paper on a contract renewal, as per the club’s site, and given his ongoing influence on the side, it was important to get his future sorted out.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Lecce: Super Leao leads Rossoneri to win
With 13 goals and six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions so far this season, the Frenchman is a fundamental figure when leading the line for us, and it’s hoped that he can continue to make an important impact moving forward.
The next port of call will be Rafael Leao’s contract, as given how crucial he is for us, we simply can’t afford to lose him, and instead have to continue to add quality around him to make us a more dangerous attacking outfit.
While it’s hoped that issue is sorted sooner rather than later, there is an absolute need to overhaul the attacking unit this summer as there is simply not enough quality in the options currently at Pioli’s disposal.
The Milan boss confirmed in his post-match interview after our 2-0 win over Lecce – with Leao the difference once again with a brilliant brace – that Zlatan Ibrahimovic had suffered a calf issue during the warm-up, and so it was decided that it was best not to risk the Swede with further question marks being raised over his reliability at 41 years of age.
Meanwhile, Ante Rebic was given another start but couldn’t make the most of it, while Divock Origi continues to be largely ineffective when involved.
With Junior Messias also continuing to fail to provide the quality and consistency needed at this level, we do not have the players in this current squad capable of helping us compete for major honours year in and year out.
Our win over Lecce was important given our ongoing battle for a top-four finish in Serie A this season, but it was neither convincing nor inspiring in terms of the performance as we lacked the class needed in the final third to make these tests easier.
As the same individuals continue to disappoint, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that we have to change things beyond this season, and that means an overhaul of the group and bringing in quality over quantity to provide support – and ultimately replace the likes of Giroud in the starting XI given he’s not getting any younger.
It was important he was able to rest this weekend and we won without him. With a crunch showdown with Roma to come next weekend followed by our Champions League semi-final tie, we need Giroud at full health to make the difference in those games.
However, we simply don’t have the quality in depth and competition needed for a club looking to compete at the top level, and while we’ve seemingly overlooked it and earned success regardless over the past couple of seasons, it will be a hindrance moving forward when we try to reclaim the Scudetto and continue to progress in Europe as Leao and Giroud can’t deliver for us in every single game.
