Milan dropped potentially crucial points on Saturday as we were held to a 1-1 draw by Sampdoria at San Siro, with the visitors going down to 10 men.
The Rossoneri were lacklustre and off the pace in the opening stages with Sampdoria having the better of the encounter as they twice went close to breaking the deadlock.
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Milan didn’t heed those warning signs at the start of the second half as Theo Hernandez’s sloppy pass was dispatched by Fabio Quagliarella into the back of our net.
Fortunately, substitute Jens Petter Hauge was able to rescue a point for us while Franck Kessie went close to finding a late winner, but Stefano Pioli and the players had to settle for a draw in our first game back following the international break.
Here are five talking points from the clash…
Tomori impressive again
From the very first minute the Chelsea loanee was switched on and fully focused as he cut out dangerous balls consistently and looked assured at the back.
He didn’t really put a foot wrong thereafter either as he has settled really well into our backline and continues to produce top performances to warrant further talk of his deal becoming permanent in the summer.
Bennacer boost on return
While it took him a little bit of time to get to grips with the game and find his feet, the combative midfielder eventually started to show his class again.
From his defensive tenacity to his quality in possession to pick up our tempo and get the ball into the feet of our attacking players, his presence will be crucial in the coming weeks and his influence will undoubtedly grow with more playing time.
More quality needed on flanks
Neither Samu Castillejo nor Rade Krunic did anywhere near enough in the game as they both disappointed and offered us little quality out wide.
Ante Rebic and Hauge did much more in significantly less time on the pitch and it’s hoped that they will feature more prominently moving forward. That said, the lack of quality in the final third, particularly on the right wing, needs to be addressed in the summer.
More playing time for Hauge
While the acclimatisation and adjustment to life in Italy and Serie A may still be proving to be tricky, more time on the pitch will surely help.
Especially with players out injured or lacking fitness and the likes of Krunic and Castillejo offering little to nothing out wide, it could be argued that Pioli has nothing to lose in giving Hauge a shot and it paid off this weekend with his goal rescuing a point for us.
Theo needs to bounce back positively
The 23-year-old has endured a little dip in form this season as although his marauding runs are a joy to watch, he hasn’t been as influential as he has been for us previously.
From his inability to pick his head up and spot Hakan Calhanoglu in bags of space on a counter attack to the awful pass which led to Sampdoria’s goal, it was a sloppy and below-par effort from the full-back.
We know how good he can be, and he needs to get back to that level quickly as he is capable of being such an important figure for us.
