Italian journalist Franco Ordine commented on AC Milan's loss against Bayer Leverkusen in his article for Il Corriere dello Sport:
Perhaps it’s time to make a big decision. We're talking about Paulo Fonseca's Milan seen last night in Leverkusen. Two halves, two teams, two game plans, two different performances: when they defend, the Rossoneri show too many weaknesses, especially against Bayer's speed and those cross-field switches that once brought Simone Inzaghi success in derbies against Stefano Pioli.
When they loosen the reins, however, as they did in the second half at the BayArena, the situation changes, and their offensive play becomes dangerous for Bayer, who struggles to raise a barrier against the raids of Leao and company. It’s somewhat reminiscent of what happened before our eyes in the match against Lazio, at the Olimpico, on the night of the cooling break.
At first, Milan kept their belts fastened, then they were caught and overtaken before freeing the Olimpico's field to Abraham and Leao's dash, ending in a 2-2 draw. The recent days' analysis can be understood, as can the Portuguese coach's choice to stick with the same quartet that emerged with great confidence from the derby win and the match against Lecce.
-
The defence must be worked on - Mike Maignan is not enough.
Knowing that the match is long, he imagines there’s time to fix any tears in the defensive fabric, where Maignan plays his usual role of watchful protector. But from now until the next stages of Milan’s journey, the uncertainty between one strategy and the other might leave Milan feeling neither here nor there. It’s clear that the team's best talent is concentrated in the area where, besides Reijnders, you can count on Pulisic’s trickery and Leao’s application, supported by Theo. The omission of Abraham (later Morata) isn’t an oversight but an opportunity for a thorough assessment of the Englishman, who has much room for improvement, especially in aiming and hitting the target.
This happened to 'the first' Ibrahimovic when he arrived in Turin from the Netherlands. At that time, Fabio Capello entrusted that lanky player who could never hit the target to Italo Galbiati, an outstanding technical collaborator, who worked to change the Swede’s shooting posture. The results came within a few months. The fundamental objection is predictable: wouldn’t it be better to learn to defend better? The answer lies in the strengths of this Milan, which Fonseca identified from the day he arrived at Milanello when he spoke of “dominant football.”
-
Milan should not wait for the opponents to attack first...
The real risk is something else: if you wait to get slapped by the opponent before reacting, you won’t always find the right opening, leaving yourself exposed to some fierce counterattacks. This is exactly what happened last night in Leverkusen, where in the end, a final judgment can be made.
You might not be lucky once, like last night after that second half full of well-played football, but eventually, talent will be rewarded. The balance after the first 180 minutes (in the Champions League) is bitter; the next steps remain to be seen.
