What has two thumbs and called this match 2-1 in favor of Milan?…this guy (I’m…I’m pointing to myself, LOL).
All kidding aside, much needed win vs a feisty team trying to enter the top 10 with a win. We’ll get into that a little more below but first, ratings!
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
TATARUSANU 6.3 I liked his aggressiveness very early on when Salernitana came out of the gates hoping for an early goal. He was much more aggressive coming out for crosses. So that’s good. The bad? Salernitana had one shot on target and yep, it got by him. I hope the Columbian Vasquez is a fast learner
Goal Keeping Overall: 6.3
Defense
HERNÁNDEZ 7.2 Lisi said it in the comments (I think it was him, my apologies if it was someone else) but he looked tired. He still gave it his all and was a sparkplug down the left. Probably going to need to sub him next match, preferably after Milan has a 2-0 lead on Roma, but it’s going to be crucial to keep him as fresh as can be
TOMORI 7.3 Definitely looked more comfortable than before the WC break and had some spectacular sliding tackles sparing Tata from needing to…attempt a save. Damn near had a goal too. I say this a lot but man I love seeing him and Kalulu back there as the CBs. Speaking of…
KALULU 7.5 Is there anything he can’t do? Seems like Pioli understands how important he is and even when he had a healthy Dest he chose to move Kalulu to RB when he subbed out Calabria. Sure, some of that was tactical but still. Aside from Leão, he’s my other team MVP
CALABRIA 7 First meaningful game-action since October 1, 2022 and definitely had some rust, as there were a couple of times the opponent got around him reminiscent of what we saw from him before he got injured. But the improvement from that position and what it provided the rest of the backline was unmistakable: it was nice having the Capitano back
Defense Overall: 7.3
Midfield
TONALI 9 MOTM Couldn’t ask for a better performance. Threaded passes, including the one to Leão for the opener. Pushed forward (a lot, actually) and was in a nice position when Brahim found him for the second goal as he smoothly slid it across the keeper through a crowded box. The Golden Boy was, well, golden
BENNACER 7.8 Along with Tonali, completely dominated their part of the pitch. The gameplan clearly had him sitting back while Tonali pushed forward and he disrupted possession and fed the attacking players throughout the game. I was surprised to not see Krunic come in at some point to spell him so I wouldn’t be surprised if he started out on the bench next game, or at least be one of the players subbed off vs Roma
LEÃO 8.2 Probably should’ve had more than one goal. Part of that was due to him just not being clinical enough, and some of that was due to Salernitana’s new GK Ochoa, who very likely could help them just scratch into the top 10 by season’s end. But Leão was Leão and most goals go through him
DÍAZ 7.8 Was solid all match but was especially fantastic the first 15min or so and then again the last 10min before being subbed off. Had some beautiful passes that led directly to shots on goal, had a nice layoff for Tonali’s goal, and almost scored twice, including once that was reversed by VAR after he was just offside. Nice to see him still in-form after a solid first half of the season before the WC break
SAELEMAEKERS 6.9 Very industrious effort from the Salad-man. His biggest impact was combining with Calabria and shoring up that right side defensively. Yes, I know he was on duty for that late goal from Bonazzoli and should’ve been closer but there wasn’t much of an angle and Bonazzoli made the most of it
Midfield Overall: 8.5
Forwards
GIROUD 7.2 Should’ve had at least one today and was a little wasteful. Ok, maybe not wasteful but definitely needed to be more clinical. Anyway, did his usual grunt work and had some nice layoffs that led to shots on goal and probably could’ve had an assist or two on a different day. Definitely going to need to sub him in just about every game this month if possible. Need him to stay healthy
Forwards Overall: 7.2
Subs
DE KETELAERE 6.5 Had some moments when you thought he just might break through. These came during fast-paced action and he was reacting and playing instinctually. When he had time to think about it, like on that one breakaway, he…didn’t really do anything and appeared to be of two-minds (pass or shoot). But, BUT this was encouraging! I think he breaks through in the next game or two. Book it
GABBIA 6.7 Solid effort. Nothing extraodinary but nothing bad. I like seeing him (or Kjaer) coming in as a sub to hold on and provide some size when Milan is pulling back some and trying to hold onto a lead. I think it puts them in a great position to succeed
DEST NA No rating here coming in around the 86th minute (although with 8 added minutes at the end he damn near played enough). But I will say I LOVED the idea of putting him at RW. He’s a pretty offensive-minded RB and it provides a defensive presence out there while holding onto the lead. I’d like to see more of this
VRANCKX NA Same for Vranckx, came in late so no rating but it’s interesting that he was subbed in over Krunic or even Pobega. Maybe he’s falling into favor with Pioli?…the kid is talented and has good size and athleticism
Coaching
Solid effort from Pioli to have his men ready after a very shaky set of friendlies during the WC break. I understand a part of that was because of who was available but still. Nobody wants to stink-it-up out there especially a coach. Overall I loved the gameplan of having Tonali push forward more, clearly being something they thought they could take advantage of during game preparation. And I thought the subs were solid too
Final Thoughts
I was pretty wordy up top in the ratings so I’ll just say a few things here. The biggest thing for me was having Calabria back. Yes, he’s still the biggest liability of the back four BUT what he does provide is a gameplan where the rest of the back four can play their positions and I think we saw that to perfection throughout the game. We watched a back four, especially Tomori and Kalulu, routinely in position to easily win or disrupt possession, block a shot, or make a non-reckless sliding tackle throughout the match. I think many of us, including myself, have been unduly tough on Tomori especially considering the chaotic nature of having to compromise positioning and scramble around when you’re trying to make up for deficits around you. Tata won’t help as his ineffectiveness will punish any mistakes by the backline, but I expect them to be much better than we saw in October and November.
As for the attacking aspect of the game, I LOVE seeing Tonali get forward. He has all the tools to be an effective weapon in attack when he’s in an advanced position, and if the other attacking players are doing their job, then he’s going to be left alone a lot of the time in the final third. I think he can be Milan’s assassin in this second half of the season, tallying anywhere from 5-7 goals if he’s continually played up like he was in this match.
Anyway, big 3pts and Milan is off on the right foot to start this second half. Bravo Pioli, bravo the players, and bravo Milan!
Share any takeaways you have below and don’t forget to subscribe!
Forza Milan
*Post Inter-Napoli game addendum*
Just a quick note now that the round is complete. With 5 of the top 8 teams dropping points today, including the team at the top, Napoli, things just got that much closer and that much more interesting. Going to be lots of ebb-and-flow this month with a flurry a games to be played and it’s important to keep that in mind. Milan was in second, back 8pts to Napoli before games began this month. Let’s see where they are come February 1st. Serie A is going to be a whirlwind. Will things be more uncertain come February 1st, or will we have more clarity? Sound off below.