Five key talking points as Brahim Diaz seals Milan win over Sampdoria

   August 23, 2021

Milan got off to a winning start in the new Serie A season, as Brahim Diaz’s goal secured a 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Monday night.

The Rossoneri had to dig deep to seal victory in a hard-fought encounter at the Luigi Ferraris, with Diaz’s early strike all that separated the two sides in a fast-paced clash, particularly in the first half.

READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Sampdoria: Brahim Diaz secures win to start new season

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Stefano Pioli will be delighted with the result, but naturally given it’s the first game of the new campaign, there will be plenty to improve and work on heading into our meeting with Cagliari at San Siro this weekend.

Maignan makes brilliant first impression

With a significant void to fill given the quality of his predecessor, Mike Maignan had shown during pre-season that he is more than capable of filling those shoes.

The French shot-stopper was in fine form in his competitive debut for Milan, making important saves, timing when to come off his line well and offering a commanding presence with deliveries coming into his area.

It was arguably everything we wanted to see from our new first-choice goalkeeper, and it’s hoped that he can maintain that level of consistency moving forward to ensure we continue to keep clean sheets regularly.

Captain’s armband goes to Calabria

There were a number of candidates for the job with Alessio Romagnoli on the bench and Gianluigi Donnarumma having moved on over the summer, but it was decided that Davide Calabria would wear the armband.

Given his roots within the club having come through the youth ranks and now as one of the longest-standing members of the Milan senior squad, it was a good choice from Pioli to make Calabria his captain.

That comes with a new level of pressure now though, and so he will have to continue to produce top-level performances to not only keep the captaincy but also his place in the side.

Tonali growth on show, big season for him

It was sloppy at times and there is obvious improvement that can still be made to his game, but there were some really positive signs from Sandro Tonali in our win on Monday night.

From his driving runs forward from midfield to his energy and commitment to provide protection in front of the defence, he was all over the pitch in this one as he tried to control and command the game.

It’s a big year for him as he looks to take his game to the next level and repay the faith shown in him by the Milan management, and if this was an indication of what we can expect from him, it’s a positive early sign.

Brahim Diaz starts life as No.10 with winner

There is major pressure on Diaz this season having returned to the club on another loan deal while also taking the No.10 shirt which has a deeper meaning for the Rossoneri given the calibre of players who have worn it previously.

The 22-year-old has the talent and technical quality to be successful, and so starting with the winning goal in the first game of the season is certainly the right way to start proving he deserves it.

Time will tell if he can maintain that now and continue to be a decisive presence in the final third, but it should be a real boost for his confidence and belief that he can be a leading figure in our attack this year.

Giroud shows his importance already

Although he didn’t manage to find the back of the net, and he did have chances to do so, it was a positive debut for Giroud as he led the line well for Milan.

He’ll be disappointed he didn’t take one or two opportunities to open his account, but in a game in which he was largely starved of quality service, he played his part in helping us secure all three points.

From his hold up play leading the line to his link up to bring others into play, it was what we expect to see from Giroud, but it doesn’t make it any less impressive when it starts to come together.