Three points is three points is three points. Important mindset to keep in mind as we dive into this post match. Yes, it wasn’t the most impressive Milan has looked all season but then again, they are still suffering through an injury crisis. These three points help build confidence most importantly, especially with a big Champions League match in a few days, but they also make their chase for the Scudetto still a real one, which is also not nothing.
We’re going to tackle this ratings post a little bit differently, as Lisi is also sharing his thoughts. I thought it could be extra insightful to have a couple of perspectives to read and contemplate since interpretations of this win are all over the board both in our matchday comment section and on social media (well, at least on Twitter). One last thing to add is that I went back and re-watched the first half of this match since it was the one most consequential to getting this result in my opinion, the half where Milan had a plan and executed it.
Let’s get started…
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 8 Co-MOTM – Yes, this is probably a little bit high but the save at the end was worth 2 points all by itself. There were moments were he was a little sloppy but overall was very good when he most needed to be
Michael Lisi: Maignan I would go with a 7. It seemed like for every insane save that he made he also was over reacting and ending up completely out of position. From MOTM to FOTM almost from minute to minute
Goal Keeping Overall 7.5
Defense
HERNÁNDEZ 8 Co-MOTM – Thought he did a good job of attacking when the opportunity presented itself but otherwise stayed back. Great run to free himself and earn (and knock home) a PK. For those keeping track at home, he now has 2 assists and a goal in 3 games since switching back to the 4-2-3-1
Michael Lisi: Theo an 8.5. Stayed home. Picked his spots. Ultimately made the run that earned the penalty and scored it. Just when he drives me nuts he has a game like that
TOMORI 7.5 – Solid all around. No complaints
THIAW 7.5 – Guy has really turned it around since the red vs Juventus. Simplified everything. Well done, young man
Michael Lisi: Thiaw and Tomori get a solid 8. With all the chaos going around them I thought they were really solid and calm. Like the eye of the hurricane
CALABRIA 7 – Solid game but had one of the dumb decisions in build up (there were a few) when he shot instead of squaring it to Jovic who was unmarked in front of goal. Still, guy has been good for about 2 months now
Michael Lisi: Calabria a 7.5. Good one on one and a lot of times we were asleep on the back side and he was there
Defense Overall 8 – Been running hot and cold but a clean sheet means they did their job. Much better at covering the back post too…except right at the very end. Yikes
Midfield
POBEGA 6.5 – Was in the double-pivot with Reijnders but did what I thought he would do which was make some runs and get a couple of shots off. Was good enough on defense
Michael Lisi: Pobega 6. It’s not his spot but he does a job. He can be a danger going forward. Got in some nice spots. DM isn’t him
REIJNDERS 6.8 – Was in the double-pivot with Pobega and as such didn’t get into the final third as much as we’re accustomed to him doing. Still, was everywhere and help build when Milan had the ball
Michael Lisi: Reijnders I’ll go 6. Feel like he started well but faded. He took no shots which I didn’t like. He has to take one or 2 from distance. Keeps the other team honest.
MUSAH 6.8 – I sometimes put the CAM in the midfield for the ratings, sometimes with the attackers since it depends what his objective was, and his was clearly to run and run and then harass the Fiorentina CBs as much as he could when they just won the ball back in their own third. Job done? Check
Michael Lisi: Musah 6.5? Felt like he was active but sits way too deep at times. He will drop so deep he gets underneath the feet of the CBs
Midfield Overall 6.5 – Solid if unspectacular
Forwards
PULISIC 7 – Pretty good and seemed to be the only player on the pitch who knew what to do in the box
Michael Lisi: Pulisic/RLC 7.5. Combining because I think the whole point here was to have them sit more than attack and each to get some action before the Dortmund game. Almost played more like a defensive AM staying high. And clogging lanes
JOVIC 6.5 – He’s not going to light the world on fire and that’s ok. Like Giroud, he needs service but didn’t get any as Milan decision making in the final third and in the box was atrocious. Still, had a beautiful flick to spring Theo that resulted in the PK and that’s not nothing
Michael Lisi: Jovic 6.5. I hate his guts but props to him for the flick that led to the PK. Without that he’s a 4 and get off the team
CHUKWUEZE 6 – Putting in the work but not much else. At some point he needs to do something. Considering the number of guys in the trainer’s office with injuries, now would be a good time
Michael Lisi: Chuk 5\7. Still lost but worked harder today. Defended. Looked better after he almost headed in that cross from Theo. That woke him up a bit. One day the light bulb is gonna go on. Not there yet though
Forwards Overall 5.5 – Very average overall but definitely poor in crucial moments. They need to be better but can they without Leão and Giroud? Not a lot of confidence that they can after this performance
Subs
LOFTUS-CHEEK 6.5 – More than a cameo, he came in and used his size well as Milan pulled back in the second half, especially after he entered the game around the 60th minute
CAMARDA NA – Not going to rate but really happy for the kid. Big moment, savor it, kid
KRUNIC NA
FLORENZI NA
Michael Lisi: Camarda, Krunic, Florenzi? He played (RLC up with Pulisic)
Subs Overall 6.5 – Subs were mostly to run out the clock late but great moment for the kid
Coaching
PIOLI 7 – A solid 7 from me. The team was missing some key players and he went out and got 3 points vs a top 6 side. I’ll talk more about what I thought he did well below
Michael Lisi: It’s all about getting ready for Tuesday. I think he has us ready to go. He put out a group good enough to at least draw and they won. I’ll take it. Not gonna look that gift horse in the mouth
Final Thoughts
The most interesting thing about this game to me was the formation and roles of the players, something that was very evident upon my re-watching of the first half.
Both FotMob and WhoScored? had Milan in a 4-3-3 formation at kick off but what they were in was a 4-2-3-1…mostly. When I re-watched it was easy to see that Pobega and Reijnders were in the double pivot and Musah was the CAM except none of them really stuck to what would be the traditional roles for those positions. Pobega and Reijnders stayed about even most of the time with neither really taking over the DM role. Musah was the CAM but his job seemed more as the harasser up top, as he was all over Fiorentina’s CBs and their DM.
Musah seemed to rush up the pitch and challenge the CBs whenever Fiorentina won the ball back in their own third. When he did this the formation took on a 4-4-2 look with Pobega and Reijnders as the two midfielders, Chukwueze and Pulisic the mezzalas, and Jovic and Musah up top. When Milan got the ball back they would morph into the 4-2-3-1 depending on where they were on the pitch or stay in the 4-4-2. This is how the first 30-35 minutes of the game went and they were almost exclusively in the 4-4-2 the last 30 minutes plus stoppage time.
The most interesting thing about this 4-4-2, or even the 4-2-3-1, was how Milan seemed to mostly care about the channels and less about the space between the lines while on defense. Yes, sometimes Chukwueze and Pulisic were narrow but when that happened Calabria and Theo were wide. If Theo was up the pitch then Pobega stayed back or if Reijnders advanced forward than Musah stayed back, sometimes WAY back to cover. Everyone’s movement and spacing had a purpose and that purpose was to shut down the channels and doing so would kill Fiorentina’s attack.
I don’t know Fiorentina well but considering how well Italiano’s high-flying Fiorentina’s offense has looked for most of the season, this seemed to be the correct play as Fiorentina looked discombobulated in attack and didn’t position their players properly to take advantage of space between the lines. Pioli’s strategy to cut off the channels worked and it resulted in all 3 points for Milan. It seems contrary to the #PioliOut movement, Pioli does indeed know some tactics…
Next up: big Champions League group stage clash vs Dortmund on Tuesday
Forza Milan
gillis
