AC Milan continued their unbeaten run this evening and dropped points for only the second time since the league was resumed. Although they took the lead against Napoli, they were forced to come back from a one-goal deficit in the second half, rescued by a Franck Kessie penalty after a dull performance.
It wasn’t the Rossoneri’s best performance by any means, not applying the same aggressive pressing game that has been so successful as of late. This was also reflected in the final scoreline, but at least the Partenopei weren’t allowed to extend the gap in the standings by grabbing all three points.
The goal of finishing in fifth place is still very much alive for Stefano Pioli’s men, who now will have to regroup for the game against Parma on Wednesday. Take a look at the tops and flops for Milan down below.
Tops
Bennacer: The Algerian continued his good run of form, directing the play and constantly making himself available to help put his teammates. Played the decisive pass to Ante Rebic just before the first goal, making use of his fantastic vision to pick out the Croatian.
The team performance wasn’t the best, which is understandable given the tight schedule and the tough games, but Bennacer performed very well this evening as well. He was one of few bright spots on the pitch for the Rossoneri and he will be crucial for the final games of the season.
Donnarumma: The goalkeeper, albeit conceding two goals, made several great saves to keep his side in the game. Made two crucial saves within the first 20 minutes and although his passing could have been better, it’s hard not to name him as one of the tops for this game.
He will be hoping for a clean sheet on Wednesday, but until then he should be happy with his overall performance this evening. After all, he couldn’t do much about the goals and the blame should be put elsewhere.
Flops
Ibrahimovic: The Swede was very disappointing this evening, perhaps the worst player on the pitch. He seemed very sluggish and really didn’t add much to the game, missing several passes, losing the ball way too many times and failing to threaten the Napoli defence with his movement.
Although Pioli decided to take off Paqueta at half-time, Ibrahimovic didn’t show more than the Brazilian to justify staying on the pitch. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of fatigue as the manager will have to bench him, eventually, if this continues. Wednesday’s game against Parma should give us more answers.
Paqueta: As mentioned, the Brazilian was brought off after just 45 minutes and you can understand Pioli’s decision. Once again, he looked slow on the ball and failed to coordinate his feet on several occasions. It was certainly a big difference from what we are used to seeing when Alexis Saeleameekers or Samu Castillejo is on the right.
It remains to be seen if he will stay at Milan beyond this season, as the rumours of a potential exit are persistent. He has shown some glimpses of his quality since the league was resumed but far from enough, many will agree. Hopefully, the season finale can provide us with a more solid answer.
Are you a Serie A expert? Can you defeat the top Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you think so, play www.fantasyseriea.com now!
To leave a comment, you must be logged into www.eurofantasyleague.com