AC Milan were clear favourites heading into the game against Bologna, but few expected them to score five goals last night. Stefano Pioli’s men continued their impressive form with a trashing and are now even closer to a top-five finish, although Roma still have a game in hand (against Inter).
Alexis Saelemaekers, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismael Bennacer, Ante Rebic and Davide Calabria all got on the scoresheet as Bologna were easily beaten by the Rossoneri in the end. Two debut goals, in other words, which the manager and the management will be well-happy with.
Given that Milan performed so well in the game, there is no use in naming flops as frankly there weren’t any. Therefore, it’s only right to focus on the positives and there sure were many, which only goes to show that Pioli’s side is still improving after what has been a fantastic spell since the restart.
Saelemaekers growing: The Belgian might not be the best player in terms of technique, but he’s proving to be very important for Milan. In addition to scoring his first goal for the club with a nice finish, he continued to work very hard off the ball, helping his side recover the ball easily on many occasions.
Of course, it’s a bit different from what we are used to seeing from Samu Castillejo, but Saelemaekers fits really well in Pioli’s system and offers more of an all-round solution compared to the Spaniard. His growth has been interesting to watch and we can only hope that he will continue like this.
Rotation is working: Although Pioli hasn’t always made many changes to the starting eleven, he has made use of the five-substitution rule by often switching things around mid-game. Clearly, he’s doing something right as the Rossoneri don’t appear tired yet, performing at a consistent energy-level each game.
Milan finished the game with a completely new attack (four changes made) and still managed to add another goal. Above all, it’s nice to see that the substitutes are taking their chances on the pitch, further proving that Pioli is in the right by making the changes in the first place.
Key players continue to deliver: As mentioned, all of the players did really well last night but it was really nice to see the key players continue their great form. Calhanoglu added two more points to his tally, Bennacer scored his first goal for the club and Rebic was behind almost everything attacking-wise.
Furthermore, Simon Kjaer was very dominant at the back and saved the Rossoneri from conceding a second with a fantastic block. If Milan didn’t have many players to rely on in the first half of the season, they certainly have many now. Whether it’s the Pioli or Zlatan Ibrahimovic effect, it doesn’t matter, we should just enjoy it.
Milan are now just one point behind Roma, who will take on Inter this evening. With four games to go of the season, it’s safe to say that Pioli’s men have a good chance of getting a top-five finish.
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