AC Milan secured a 2-0 win over Lazio at San Siro on Sunday, extending our 100% record to start the Serie A season.
The Rossoneri made it three wins in three through goals from Rafael Leao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Stefano Pioli facing a testing week as Liverpool and Juventus are still to come.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Lazio: Tonali, Rebic impress in 2-0 win
With that in mind, it was crucial that Milan started well and they did so with a commanding win over Maurizio Sarri’s side, and that will no doubt build more confidence within the group as we look to really put a marker down early in the campaign in our bid to win silverware and compete at the top level.
Here are five talking points from our win over Lazio…
Romagnoli impressive on return
Having lost his place in the side and had to watch as Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori form a strong partnership, it can’t have been easy for Alessio Romagnoli, our club captain, to sit on the sidelines and look on.
That would undoubtedly make it more difficult for him when involved too as the pressure is on him to come in and deliver, and he did just that against Lazio this weekend.
He was both switched on defensively and calm and composed in possession as we rather comfortably kept a clean sheet and picked up all three points. It’s great to see him back in the side and playing well.
Tonali has found new level
There is no doubt that Sandro Tonali worked hard on his game over the summer and is looking like a much more confident and driven player so far this season.
The 21-year-old is imposing himself in midfield much better than what we’ve seen from him in the past, and he’s getting stuck into the midfield battle to give us control and presence.
His form is arguably going to make it impossible for Pioli to drop him, and if he can maintain this level and show consistency, then there will be no reason to do so as he is driving us on in our good early-season form.
Rebic key architect of win
While Milan looked in control for the most part against Lazio, it was still vital that we showed quality in the final third to find holes in their defence and score goals to win the game.
Ante Rebic provided assists for both of our goals and they were both excellent passages of play as he effectively made it simple for both Leao and Ibrahimovic.
He has the ability to produce a piece of magic himself in front of goal, but it’s a good sign he’s finding ways to provide for others too.
Leao showing positive signs
While he’s still lacking consistency with his final ball as he got into countless dangerous situations against Lazio but failed to pick out a teammate, there are positive signs from Leao so far.
The attitude, work-rate and decision-making have been areas of contention and criticism, but he’s starting to put things together to offer a real threat.
It’s hoped that he can stay at this level and kick on this season, and hopefully we’ll see much more from him in the final third in terms of being a decisive figure.
Ibrahimovic back with a bang
It took just a few minutes to make his presence felt as he scored our second goal and effectively killed the game, and it was great to see him back on the pitch.
Despite our winning start without him, Milan have missed Ibrahimovic’s quality, leadership and presence as a focal point up top, and so it was a huge boost to have him back.
Naturally, Pioli now has a decision to make on whether he goes with Ibrahimovic or Olivier Giroud, or perhaps even both depending on the opposition, starting with Liverpool as both are now in contention to feature.