End-to-end action meant this game was fun game to watch!
Each team took turns controlling the game after Barcelona dominated the first 15 minutes. I spoke about a few things I was looking out for in the matchday post and I’ll review these towards the end but first, player-by-player thoughts.
Let’s go!
Player Observations
Goal Keeping
Maignan – Played well and love seeing him command the box. The goal wasn’t his fault as Fati was left all alone to curl one into the corner. A couple of great saves and Magic Mike is in midseason form
Sportiello – NA
Defense
Florenzi – Invisible and looked exhausted. He gave his all but vs a young fast team is not who he should be playing against. I know this was somewhat forced with the Calabria injury but we know his game and yeah…no
Thiaw – Vs an aggressive team, I thought the big guy played well and interchanged with Tomori well for the most part. Need to keep in mind these two have only started games together, what? 20 times? It’ll get there
Tomori – His best defensive game of the preseason. Was all over the place (in a good way) and saved at least one goal after Milan failed to clear a corner. Had a heck of chance at another goal and looked like he mistimed his jump by just a hair
Theo – Raphinha came at him right out the gates and kept Theo on his heals. But, after about 15 minutes he got into the groove and handled Raphinha well and got involved offensively
Kalulu – He’s alive! Thank god. Came in for Florenzi and immediately contributed more and had a beautiful exchange (with Reijnders I think) and placed a great ball into the box. Going to be a big year for the kid…I can feel it
Kjær – The veteran brick wall got some minutes and did well vs a younger and faster opposition all things being equal. Still has something to offer and will get a good chunk of minutes in a very busy season schedule
Saelemaekers – Came in again at RB and did fine. Again, probably going to be his only way to see the pitch so needs to take advantage of these opportunities (and he did well-enough on this day)
Bartesaghi – Came in for Theo and looked less unsure of where to be. This is good. The game needs to slow down for the kid and it will with time and experience
Simic – NA
Calabria – Out injured but still no news on how bad the injury is or how long he’s going to be out. The fact that he wasn’t sent back to Milan tells me it’s not months-long but maybe 2-4wks?…
Midfield
Reijnders – A complete non-factor the first 15 minutes as I don’t think he had one touch. But, he got going after that and wasn’t…bad. He wasn’t great either and had Milan’s best chance of the night after Leão did Leão-things and left it on a platter which he proceeded to shank. There’s a lot on the kid’s shoulders being new to Serie A and having a majority of the midfield creativity put upon him in the 4-3-3. Still, he needs to get comfortable and be what Milan needs him to be if they’re to be successful in the 4-3-3 formation
Krunic – Not as good as last game. Looked like he couldn’t keep up and Milan could’ve used a better passer (i.e., Bennacer) in the role with Barcelona pressing hard
RLC – Another solid game and looks very comfortable already, which is a good sign for a new midfield trying the gel
Pobega – I actually think he could’ve been effective in a game like this with Barcelona dead-set on high pressure and jumping passing lanes. We saw why when he first entered, he received the ball and turned and ran with it rather than just receive, keep his back to the opponent, and then lateral/pass back to relieve pressure. Pioli needs to anticipate this type of strategic move once the season rolls around and do it early (like starting the player or getting him in earlier)
Adli – NA
CDK – NA
Zeroli – NA
Forwards
Leão – Kid is already cooking. He’s getting sold next summer for ONE BILLION DOLLARS
Giroud – Nada. Had a good ball from Kalulu that he couldn’t settle but the lack of service is noticeable (the opponent’s style was part of this but that’s now back to back games where the striker had minimal involvement). In all, this is the type of game Okafor probably needs to start as his characteristics fit the opposition better
Pulisic – He ran. He had a couple of good moments with the ball. And he helped on defense, even if he was sloppy at times clearing the ball. But his lack of elite speed probably limited him in this game and if Chukwueze is faster then he needs to start in most circumstances. I still think CAM is probably his best spot but Pioli needs to deploy the 4-2-3-1 for this to be an option
Romero – Came in for Pulisic and was a little more effective closer to the box. Hopefully we’ll get a better look at him before the season starts
Colombo – I’m pulling for the kid. Works his ass off but like Giroud had zero service. Not his fault but this is getting concerning
Traore – NA
Final Thoughts
Ok, so you all just read my player-by-player thoughts and now let’s return to some things I was looking out for and I believe are some of the more important areas for Milan to get sorted.
- 4-3-3 formation: The width was better this game but I can’t decide if it was because Milan did better in getting wide or because there was no presence in the middle of the pitch to occupy Barcelona. This part is concerning and it bleeds into the next item…
- Midfield: Does Milan have the right pieces at the moment to make the 4-3-3 work? RLC, Krunic/Bennacer, and Reijnders all have good and useful qualities but is it the right combination together? Many of the signings have given Milan some much-need muscle in the midfield but I’m still not seeing the playmaking ability of Reijnders and CDL and Adli didn’t even play vs Barcelona so who knows what role they might have this season. Yunus Musah (probably) coming will help some in terms of breaking lines because the kid is strong and talented, but he’s not a regista or a CAM or have what might be considered traditional #10 characteristics and that needs to be somewhere on the pitch for Milan to truly thrive
- Calabria/Kalulu/RB: Kalulu immediately proved why he’s Milan’s best option at RB and it’s because he’s better than any other RB on the roster at doing most things. More importantly, in my opinion, is he can play in a variety of different game styles and you don’t lose anything. Fast-paced game like last night? No problem. More possession-based? No problem? Sitting back and counter-attacking? No problem. START THE KID, PIOLI
- Giroud/strikers: The amount of service and striker involvement so far is VERY concerning. Feels like the banter era where even established strikers came to Milan to die. Remember how the #9 became cursed? It’s because it looked like this
- Pulisic: Doesn’t have the speed vs elite teams (who play fast) to play on the wings. I still don’t know where he fits in in the 4-3-3 if not at RW and he is, despite some physical limitations (speed, strength), one of the few creative players on the roster. Was he brought in simply to generate sales amongst the American audience?
Not glowing, I know. And yes, I know it’s the preseason but the first game of the season is 3 weeks away, not 8 weeks like when camp first broke and we were all distracted by all the new shiny objects. Right now I think the 4-2-3-1 is still the best formation for Milan and I hope Pioli is realizing this too. I think going back to this would help resolve some of the issues until the midfield gels (and might just be the best formation for the squad anyway). Whatever it is, Pioli has 2 weeks before the next friendly and 3 weeks until the start of the season to figure it out. Let’s hope he gets there.
FORZA MILAN
gillis
PS: Musah is expected to take his physical at Milan today or tomorrow and sign. Can’t wait until some of you guys see him and the potential (and I hope my eyes haven’t deceived me!)