AC Milan picked up three points in a 1-0 win over Verona in our Serie A encounter on Saturday, but it was far from an inspiriting performance from the Rossoneri.
Rafael Leao’s early goal was ultimately the difference between the two sides, and while there was positive aspects given the clean sheet and three points, Milan didn’t build on that early lead and make it a convincing victory.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Verona: Trio key in uninspiring Rossoneri win
Coupled with the ongoing injury issues, we’ll hopefully see an improved performance at Cagliari in midweek, but having got back to winning ways after defeat to Inter last time out in the league and having been held to a frustrating goalless draw in the Champions League by Newcastle Utd, this will hopefully boost confidence and morale again.
Uninspiring performance doesn’t answer all Milan questions
Having produced the ideal start by taking an early lead to settle ourselves, the expectation was that Milan would build off that and go on to make it more convincing with less pressure on.
However, while we did well defensively to limit Verona to very little, our offensive play was poor. Whether it was a lack of rhythm and tempo to our build-up play or not showing enough quality in key areas in the final third, we didn’t do enough to cause them problems.
Coupled with some wasteful play in the latter stages as we squandered counter-attacking opportunities, there are still question marks hovering over our attacking play and lack of identity in what we do going forward, and that’s on Stefano Pioli to put an effective system and style of play in place as he feels off the cuff with tired ideas still.
Sportiello up to the task as he steps in for Maignan
It was a blow to lose Mike Maignan to an injury in midweek, and so it was important that Marco Sportiello came in and filled that void with minimal fuss.
That is exactly what the 31-year-old did, as his distribution was accurate and he looked composed throughout, while he produced a vital save in the first half to protect our lead.
The Italian shot-stopper feels like a more reliable presence between the posts for this season compared to Ciprian Tatarusanu, and he’ll hopefully continue to perform at a high level if he’s needed to continue next week.
Musah adds an intriguing dynamic to Milan midfield
Our win this weekend was the first real opportunity to have a closer look at Yunus Musah in terms of what he can offer in this side and where he might fit in.
Having been deployed on the right side in a tactical tweak to our system, he showed great energy, work ethic and desire to get up and down the right flank to make an impression in both phases of the game.
While he lacked a bit of composure and an end-product in key moments having broken forward into the final third, he’ll hopefully continue to develop that side of his game and prove to be an important option, that also threatens to break into the Milan XI on a more consistent basis.
Injuries continue to be a concern
While Pioli fortunately allayed fears over injuries sustained by Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria, Rade Krunic did limp off with a muscular problem in the second half.
That not only adds another injury headache for the Milan boss, but with Ismael Bennacer still sidelined and a lack of depth in that position, he’ll have to make a big decision on who fills that void.
However, the number of injuries overall is a concern again, and we simply can’t afford to be losing players or have them miss games and put pressure and a workload burden on others during a hectic schedule.
Adli opportunity opens up
It could be that Yacine Adli finally now gets an opportunity to impress in the Milan midfield. Pioli does have other solutions at his disposal to replace Krunic, with Tijjani Reinjders possibly shifted back into that role.
However, he did note in his post-match interview that Adli could be a solution ahead of Cagliari next week, and so for the 23-year-old, having played such a limited role thus far since his arrival last year, he will hopefully emerge as an effective option.
Time will tell if he firstly gets the nod, and in what role he’s asked to play, but with limited numbers and with big games coming up, it’s hoped that he can deliver a positive performance to stake his claim.