AC Milan dropped points on Saturday as the Rossoneri were held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s late goal salvaged a draw for us on another disappointing night, with Milan having themselves to blame again for conceding a poor goal that gave the hosts the lead.
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While it was important to at least take something from the game, Stefano Pioli and his players will be frustrated with their inability to pick up all three points, and in turn it gives our rivals a chance to now close the gap and leapfrog us in the Serie A table.
AC Milan player ratings vs Udinese
Mike Maignan, 6 – Didn’t have a great deal to do but did his job well when called upon, while he’ll be frustrated that after making a top save to initially deny a goal, we weren’t able to clear the danger for the opener.
Alessandro Florenzi, 5.5 – A decent shift defensively, but he has struggled to provide us with quality in the attacking phase in terms of his delivery from the right wing when getting forward.
Fikayo Tomori, 5.5 – Solid second half, but he’ll be disappointed that he didn’t do better to stop Beto’s goal. Played him onside initially and then when he had a chance to clear after Maignan’s save, wasn’t able to get rid of it.
Alessio Romagnoli, 6 – A good performance as he was one of the few to cut the errors out and play a clean game. Will perhaps be slightly frustrated that he couldn’t make a bigger impact at the other end from set-pieces after having chances.
Theo Hernandez, 5 – Another lacklustre display in which he didn’t really offer us any quality going forward, and his sloppy misplaced passes continue to lead to dangerous counter attacks. Needs to get back to his best and quickly.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, 4 – Slow, lethargic and inaccurate, this was another poor outing for Bakayoko. Whether he needs a run of games to find his rhythm and form is irrelevant as at this level, he needs to be ready to come in when called upon as others rest.
Ismael Bennacer, 4.5 – Sloppy pass which led to the goal and just not at the races as we know he can be. Replaced at half-time on a disappointing night for him.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 5.5 – Continues to get in the right areas at times to threaten, but he doesn’t make the most of it and his limitations often lead to moves breaking down and Milan’s attack going nowhere.
Brahim Diaz, 4 – His poor form continues as while he struggled for large periods to influence our play, he scuffed a couple of chances too as he’s not at the top of his game and hasn’t been for a few weeks now.
Rade Krunic, 5.5 – Always works hard and puts in a shift for the team, but Milan can’t continue to rely on him to provide creativity and service in the final third. We must recover key players like Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao with Krunic better suited to a midfield and/or back-up role.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 6 – Scored the all-important goal to rescue a point and it was a top finish to his credit. However, his build-up play was poor throughout again as he couldn’t hold the ball up and bring others into the game. Need more from him as our talismanic leader in the final third.
Substitutions:
Sandro Tonali, 6.5 – Has surely now established himself as a permanent starter when available. Added grit, personality and determination when he came on for the second half and changed the entire look of our midfield. Pioli can’t afford to leave him on the bench anymore, especially with our schedule clearing up with no European football.
Franck Kessie, 6 – Not quite as impactful as Tonali, but put in a shift in midfield as well and certainly helped us wrestle back control to an extent after the break.
Messias Junior, 6.5 – Similarly to the duo above, he added fresh impetus and more of a threat to our play in the second half and again, the question has to be asked with so many key individuals out, why didn’t Messias start given his goalscoring exploits in recent weeks?
Samu Castillejo, 6 – Provided a more direct threat with his delivery into the box and certainly helped us get back into the game.
Daniel Maldini, N/A
