It was supposed to be the night of the Rossoneri stars, with Pulisic, Joao Felix, Leao, and Gimenez on the pitch, but instead, it turned into the night of Paixao, the Brazilian winger who arrived at Feyenoord after playing for the relatively unknown Coritiba and Londrina.
That alone is enough to set the scene for a match in which Milan suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of the Dutch side.
A surprise because the Rossoneri came into the game riding the enthusiasm of two consecutive victories against Roma and Empoli, along with a strong January transfer window. And Maignan's shocking error is not enough to justify such a poor defeat, as Milan created far too little in the remaining 87 minutes to deserve an equalizer, as pointed out by Calciomercato.com.
Milan stars underperforming...
Leao completely missed the mark in this game. He ran a lot but without purpose, immediately earning the "affection" of the home fans with a dramatic fall in the penalty area, and he wasted a massive goal-scoring opportunity before being subbed off late in the match.
Joao Felix showed flashes of his talent, but they were isolated moments of individual brilliance rather than sustained team play. Pulisic struggled with Feyenoord’s intensity and seemed to be in poor physical condition.
Then, there was Gimenez, the most anticipated player of the night. The applause from his former fans may have unsettled the Mexican, who ended the game without even managing a single shot on target.
Beyond the individual performances, what truly concerns a visibly frustrated Sergio Conceição is that the Rossoneri's four attacking stars never really linked up or looked for each other on the pitch.
Too soon...
The feeling after this night at De Kuip is that Milan once again fell victim to its usual lapses. A fragile team that still lacks the personality and tactical cohesion to support an attack that looks spectacular on paper but is ultimately too individualistic.
Fielding Pulisic, Joao Felix, Leao, and Gimenez all together requires time, work, and a level of commitment that was missing in Rotterdam.
And then there's the lingering doubt: does the quality of Leao and Joao Felix diminish the more they are forced to cover ground without the ball?
That question naturally leads to another: against Verona on Saturday and in the second leg against Feyenoord on Tuesday, will Conceição stick with this formation? It seems unlikely, very unlikely.
The Portuguese coach's post-match frustration suggests a return to a 4-3-3 setup, with Musah (one of his trusted players) orchestrating the midfield. In that case, the real curiosity will be to see who gets sacrificed between Leao and Joao Felix, with Rafa looking like the prime candidate.
