AC Milan returned to winning ways against Benevento at the weekend, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return and Hakan Calhanoglu’s influence proving pivotal.
The pressure was on the Rossoneri on Saturday night, as back-to-back defeats in Serie A had seen us fall out of the top four in the ongoing battle for Champions League qualification.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Milan secure hugely important win vs Benevento
In turn, there is no more room for error if we wish to make the cut, and getting a win under our belts against Benevento will no doubt be a confidence boost and will build some belief back for the squad.
Two players in particular proved to be decisive, with both Ibrahimovic and Calhanoglu making a significant contribution in helping us secure all three points.
Ibrahimovic returns to offer know-how and leadership up top
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As seen in the video above, the 39-year-old is a pivotal figure in our attack when involved. From his ability to drop deep and pull the strings with runners working off him to his movement in and around the box to open up opportunities.
He will be frustrated that he couldn’t get on the scoresheet himself as he was denied on several occasions due to a number of good saves, but his effort directly led to Theo Hernandez’s goal which effectively killed the game.
Beyond the quality and technical skill that he provides in possession, his leadership and experience also plays a key role and his demanding nature for more from his teammates raises their level too. A vital boost to get him back in the starting XI at such a critical time.
Calhanoglu pivotal in Milan’s run-in
Consistency has always been a problem for the Turkish international ever since he joined us, but one thing that is clear is that when he plays well, Milan usually play well as a team too.
In his highlights below, Calhanoglu is so important in terms of helping us play at a higher tempo when the ball moves into the final third, while he has the vision and technical ability to pick key passes out.
He continues to be sloppy at times which adds to the sense of frustration around him, but as seen with his goal, he was instrumental from start to finish as we took a crucial early lead and we certainly need more of that from him in the final four games.
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Milan got key contributions from others too and so it wasn’t just solely down to Ibrahimovic and Calhanoglu, but the pair stood out for what they offered in attack to help us break Benevento down.
It’s also arguably no coincidence that Calhanoglu’s form picked up on Saturday with Ibrahimovic back in the side and leading the charge. The pair didn’t always link up effectively during the game, but perhaps our No.10 feeds off Ibrahimovic’s presence in the side and the duo will hopefully bring more to our dynamic going forward with Juventus next up.