How about that?! Roll out a logical lineup vs a stingy defense and voilá, a solid and dominating 3-0 win. I don’t want to say I told you so but…
The biggest thing for me in this game was the lineup. It provided Milan the best chance to breakthrough a tough defense even with Musah at RW over Chukwueze. The rest of the pieces were complementary and forced Empoli to respect all areas of the pitch. The result was an opening up of what was a pretty stingy Serie A defense to this point in the season.
Milan kept their width for much of the match, including or maybe despite the forward players swapping positions throughout the game. While I prefer Leão out wide (and his ineffectiveness inside showed throughout this game), the negative impact was minimized by Pulisic getting out wide on the left when Leão cut in. Basically it avoided the congestion we would often see when Leão doesn’t stay wide.
What all the movement did do was stretch out Empoli’s man-marking and open up a ton of lanes as evidenced by Reijnders’s 2 goals. Both goals saw him fill open lanes with timely runs and laser efficiency. Even Morata’s goal was a deflected ball that landed kindly but most importantly there wasn’t a sea of bodies for him to have to hit it past.
Fonseca has stumbled his way through good chunks of the season but sometimes he gets it right like vs Inter and Real Madrid. I would honestly throw this game in there as well not because Empoli is a top notch team but because Milan opened them up so easily. We’ve all seen how much Milan has struggled in games they should’ve won or at least taken home a point. Now the real work of building on this and getting on a run is what’s important.
What Happened in Serie A
The biggest thing in Serie A this round was the collapse of Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bove in the 16th minute in their match with Inter. While initially placed in a medical-induced coma, he was awakened today and thankfully appears to be ok. The Fiorentina (4th)-Inter (3rd) match was abandoned and no make up date has been announced.
Napoli (1st) are still at the top of table with another 1-0 win, this time over Torino (12th). It’s another game where Conte’s guys get a result but also another game where they looked subpar and not a team that is likely to hold onto the top spot for much longer. Atalanta (2nd) traveled to Roma (15th) today and earned a tough-fought 2-0 win, continuing their impressive run in league play. Milan is going to need to be ready if they hope to end Atalanta’s run of 8 straight league wins.
Lazio (5th) dropped their first league game since October 19th, losing 3-1 to Parma (11th). Lazio fought hard to get back into the game but a late 3rd goal sealed their fate. Speaking of late goals, Juventus (6th) drew with Lecce (16th) 1-1 after former Milan player Ante Rebic buried an equalizer 3 minutes into stoppage time. I’m not going to lie, this brought a smile to my face when I saw the score and who scored. While Juve still technically haven’t lost all season in league play, they have now drawn 8 times in 14 league games. Motta clearly doing his best Allegri impression.
Bologna (8th) easily handled Venezia (20th) 3-0 while Udinese (9th) dropped a bad one, 2-0 to Genoa (14th). Cagliari (13th) beat Hellas Verona (17th) 1-0 and have now earned 5 points in their last 3 games after earning zero in the 3 games before that. This little run of games have taken them out of the relegation zone and just 2 points from breaking into the top 10 of the table.
Speaking of relegation, relegation-occupants Como (18th) drew Monza (19th) 1-1. Monza is still struggling but with a goal differential (GD) of -5, the 13th best in the league, the data leans towards them eventually finding their way out. Who’s the inverse of this, higher in the standings than they should be? Napoli are 5 places higher than their GD, while Udinese are 3 spots higher. I would expect some regression to the mean for all 3 of these teams.
Now onto ratings…
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 7 – Another 7 from me. Unlike vs Slovan Bratislava, the defense kept Empoli at bay aside from a loose giveaway that Maleh rattled off the crossbar from outside the box
Goal Keeping Overall 7
Defense
ROYAL 7 – One of his better games with Empoli not threatening much and got forward more as a result. Still not seeing a whole lot of quality from him for the price tag but at least he’s not Calabria
GABBIA 7 – In a game I expected Empoli to try and exploit via the counter, Gabbia covered space well especially with Thiaw next to him and not Tomori’s speed. This was key as Thiaw’s strength isn’t defending in the open field
THIAW 7 – I didn’t notice him but in a good way. Came in and defended when needed, broke up play when needed, and just played well overall
HERNÁNDEZ 6.5 – Better balance getting forward and his defensive responsibilities. But man, the corners. Pulisic’s weren’t great either but Theo’s were garbage. Maybe let Pulisic take them if he’s in
Defense Overall 7
Midfield
FOFANA 7.5 – Really good game. Was all over Empoli when they tried to counter and got another assist to boot. The quickness he shows and his VERY small learning curve to Serie A in general but when you remember how late he finally arrived, is quite impressive
REIJNDERS 9.5 – Damn near perfect. If Chukwueze lays it off to him late (maybe it was Pulisic) he would’ve had a great shot at a hat trick. But overall, just a fantastic game. Won back balls, was all over the pitch, and the timing of his runs and the quality of the finishing was exquisite. We talked about it in the matchday post comment section but the improvement from last season to this season…he’s taking more shots and shooting with better accuracy and efficiency. As Lisi said, some big teams are going to come knocking for him next summer
Midfield Overall 8.5
Forwards
MUSAH 7 – Put in the work and did his part. You can tell he doesn’t provide that same scoring threat as Pulisic or Chukwueze but the work rate is there and he can carry the ball and provide a nice cross as well
PULISIC 7.5 – Another assist, his 4th in Serie A and 5th overall. Just continues to produce and I love when he’s in the middle of the pitch as his vision and positioning just open up the attack in ways no other player on the roster can
LEÃO 7 – Quiet game from the scoresheet but was active all game as evidenced by his shot being the one that was deflected and fell for Morata to bang home
MORATA 7.5 – Back on the scoresheet in the league and stayed on his feet MUCH more than he had been. Both he and Abraham continue to provide solid center forward production
Forwards Overall 7.5
Subs
PAVLOVIC 6 – Was fine
LOFTUS-CHEEK 6 – An up 3-0 substitution is my favorite RLC type of appearance
CHUKWUEZE 6.5 – Good energy but the final ball/decision was lacking. Feels like he’s pressing again
ABRAHAM NA – Solid
CAMARDA NA – You could see the team trying to set one up for him once he entered. He even went for the spectacular on one ball and was close to pulling it off. Would’ve been a hell of a first league goal
Subs Overall 6.5
Coaching
FONSECA 8 – God, it feels like feast or famine with this guy. One game he’s bringing it all together and the next he’s punching himself in the d*ck. More solid gameplans and squad selection and less d*ck-punching, please…
Final Thoughts
Ok. Maybe something here? Maybe? Next up is Sassuolo tomorrow (Tuesday) and just about every surefire starter needs to sit as Atalanta looms on Friday. A loss vs Sassuolo and I really don’t care even though they should probably win. But we can talk about that tomorrow. Tip of the hat to Fonseca for a solid gameplan and for Reijnders, who is starting to put together a spectacular season.
Forza Milan.
gillis
