AC Milan made it four consecutive wins across all competitions after seeing off Bologna at San Siro on Friday night, launching a spirited comeback to seal a 3-1 victory.
The two sides will meet again next week in the Coppa Italia final, and so with silverware on the line, it’s hoped that the Rossoneri can replicate the outcome of this encounter.
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Bologna took the lead just after the break through Riccardo Orsolini as they displayed the threat that they are capable of posing and can certainly cause us problems, but a brace from Santiago Gimenez and a goal from Christian Pulisic ensured we took all three points on this occasion.
Focus will now switch to next Wednesday night in Rome, but there were positives to take from this clash as Milan showed great fight once again to turn the game around.
Crucial win, builds momentum and confidence
It’s been a disappointing and underwhelming season for the most part, and so in this crucial stretch, it’s about salvaging what we can, showing fight and determination and hopefully capping it off on a positive note.
As noted above, that’s now four wins on the bounce across all competitions and five in our last six outings, and so that can only be a positive thing in terms of rebuilding confidence and belief.
Despite his desire to avoid talking about it after the game, it could also ultimately have a big influence on Sergio Conceicao’s future, as this form could be critical when the hierarchy make a decision on the direction we go in in the summer.
Still plenty to play for in Serie A
Albeit we’ve now of course played a game more than most of our rivals, we’ve cut the deficit to fourth place to just three points with two more games remaining for us.
It’s still highly unlikely that we’ll leapfrog the likes of Juventus, Roma and Lazio, but rather than watch on as the league campaign slips away and we fall further into mid-table mediocrity, we’ve seen the right attitude and approach from the players to try and improve our standing.
Milan must keep pushing right through to the end with games against Roma and Monza still to come, and so it’s hoped that our current winning form extends further for a few more weeks yet.
Gimenez finding form at critical moment
It hasn’t been an easy period for the 24-year-old, as he’s had to adjust and adapt to a new environment, squad, culture and league with big expectations and responsibility on his shoulders.
Conceicao noted after the game that the Mexican international also arrived with an injury issue too, and so that won’t have helped his push to get fully fit and make a positive mark immediately.
However, he’s bagged three goals and an assist in his last three league outings, and we’re starting to see positive signs of the impact he can have when leading the line for us.
Pulisic continues to deliver
That’s now 17 goals and 12 assists in 47 appearances for the USA international so far this season, as Pulisic continues to emerge as one of our more consistent performers who plays a decisive role.
The 26-year-old has looked tired at times in recent weeks, but with three big games left, he’ll likely have to deal with the workload and hopefully can continue to produce at a high level.
He was instrumental in our second-half turnaround with his movement and instincts in the attacking third making the difference, and hopefully he can emerge as our hero next week too.
Getting Fofana back is fundamental
While he’s also contributed in the attacking phase, what Youssouf Fofana brings to this team in our midfield is critical to our balance and defensive solidity, and so it’s hoped that he is passed fit next week.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was tasked with filling that void on this occasion, and with his characteristics not suiting the role, Milan’s midfield was bypassed easily and often, and that caused us problems with our backline exposed.
In turn, Fofana’s presence next to Tijjani Reijnders next week could be one of the main factors that will influence the outcome of the game, and so it’s hoped that the Frenchman is fully recovered from his foot issue and is ready to start.