In today's print edition of the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, journalist Franco Ordine wrote the following:
"Tonight, It's up to the Milan of Champions League to recover all the lost ground with the new format after the first two defeats against excellent rivals (Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen), which already push them to a cruel crossroads: only a victory can revive their uncertain qualification. Club Brugge is certainly not an easy opponent, except for some past encounters (in the Ancelotti era, November 2003, Kaká broke through during a trip to Belgium, with Milan down to 10 men after Nesta’s expulsion), as they recently gave Bayer a tough time. So, it's up to Milan to rise again in Europe, but above all, it’s up to Rafa Leão to reconnect his talent with the contradictory destiny of this season."
On Milan's winger Rafael Leao:
"Forty-eight hours later, his exclusion from the line-up on Saturday night against Udinese, and particularly the stark difference in his recent performances with Portugal versus Milan, continues to spark debate among pundits and others. His recent displays have been more about assists than personal goal-scoring feats. Scoring has never been his obsession like it has for other teammates, just to name one example, Pippo Inzaghi or Sheva."
He added:
"To clear up any uncertainty, Fonseca surprised the press by announcing the lineup, which sees the return of five key players (Gabbia, Theo, Tomori, Loftus-Cheek, and Leão), confirming the public strategy: implementing the necessary rotation in view of the mountains to climb (7 games in 21 days), even involving the young Camarda (due to the absence of Abraham, with Jovic off the list) set to be on the bench. ‘We won’t be looking for another striker in January’ is the final clarification: what Milan needs is a midfielder, especially after Bennacer’s injury. The only uncertainty for tonight remains the captain's designation, with Fonseca delaying the decision to see if it will go to Theo (suspended for protests as captain in Florence) or if someone like Maignan could step in as leader."
On Milan's attitude and Fonseca's objective:
"One thing is certain: according to the coach, Milan must change their attitude. ‘We need to be a little less saints and a little more devils,’ says Fonseca, a phrase referring to the red card given to Reijnders (the first of his career) despite the many fouls he suffered."
