AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has desperately tried to help Rafael Leao cement his place in the side, but thus far, his faith hasn’t been repaid.
The 21-year-old has been given the responsibility of leading the Milan attack in our last two outings, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic currently sidelined by injury.
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At a fundamental time of the season as we continue to scrap for a top-four finish in Serie A to secure Champions League qualification, Leao has failed miserably to provide the answers to the many questions being asked of him.
The Portuguese youngster has failed to have any notable influence in either game, showcasing that he is simply either not ready or capable, or both, of playing as a lead striker and his only real role is that of a winger at this stage of his career.
With seven goals and five assists in 35 appearances so far this season, that isn’t a terrible return.
However, he’s managed just one goal and one assist in his last 12 league outings, with his goal coming in a late cameo appearance off the bench in our win at Parma.
At a time when we need our players to step up and deliver with so much on the line, Leao has gone AWOL and is contributing less, but it’s not entirely his fault.
The decision to play him up front against Genoa didn’t work, and we were fortunate to come away with a victory in that game courtesy of a second-half own goal.
To then play him there again vs Sassuolo was simply unforgivable from Pioli as the warning signs were very much there to suggest that it wasn’t a sensible strategy.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s brilliant strike appeared to be sending us towards victory, but defeat now leaves our season in the balance as the chasing pack have cut the gap and we have a very difficult run-in from this point onwards.
With a trip to Lazio next on Monday night, Pioli must not play Leao up front again. If he does, it is a criminal decision that could cost us massively.
In his defence, the Milan boss doesn’t have a huge number of options, with Mandzukic perhaps the obvious solution with as many minutes as he can manage as a starter.
Rebic could be moved into the middle or Brahim Diaz could play as a false nine. Whatever the solution is, playing Leao as the sole striker can’t be risked again, and there’s even an argument at this stage that he should simply stick to his role as an impact substitute where he has been effective this season.
The simple fact is that Milan can’t slip-up again between now and the end of the season. Leao up front hasn’t and isn’t working, so it’s time for Pioli to make big decisions.