Milan's season is definitely not going according to expectations, and their current ninth place in the standings is the clearest confirmation of that. At this point in Serie A, the Rossoneri should have been in a completely different position—not only considering last year’s second-place finish but also in light of the squad’s overall quality.
Not everything is to be discarded
Of course, the results are disappointing, but not everything about Milan’s season should be thrown away. The outstanding performances of Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic are certainly worth highlighting, as well as the victory at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid in the Champions League and the comeback win in the Supercoppa Italiana final against Inter.
Alongside these, another positive aspect must also be considered: the impact of players coming off the bench this season. In past seasons, Milan were often criticized for lacking substitutes capable of matching the level of the starters, but the numbers this year show significant improvement. There's no need to look too far back to confirm this—just think of last Saturday’s match against Como or the previous weekend’s game against Lecce at the Via del Mare stadium.
Who made the difference in both cases at Milan?
The players who came off the bench. Against Lecce, Leão’s introduction completely shifted the momentum in Milan’s favor, and he also played a key role in the comeback by assisting Pulisic for the decisive 3-2 goal. Against Como, the same story—this time, it was Tammy Abraham who stole the show, delivering a brilliant through ball to set up Reijnders, who, as he has often done this season, did not miss.
Rafael Leão when given the chance, Alex Jiménez, Tammy Abraham, as well as Riccardo Sottil and Samuel Chukwueze—who was decisive with the winning goal against Parma on January 26—have all contributed. In short, this Milan can rely not only on starters eager to prove themselves after being dropped but also on capable substitutes who have already shown a lot but could do even more in this season’s final stretch. Despite all the challenges, Sergio Conceição’s team is still aiming to secure a place in Europe through the front door.
Source: Milannews.it
