Not even one shot on target: against Roma, Allegri will have to make a change...
Santiago Gimenez has entered a tunnel over the last few matches, and the more he runs, the deeper he digs himself. Watching him play, the impression worsens each night, and it feels natural to ask if, instead of another dose of confidence, it might be better for him to sit on the bench for a game. To watch others, then maybe come on for the last fifteen minutes when desperation kicks in, balls are being thrown into the box, and nobody thinks anymore.
Santiago Gimenez’s crisis:
Santiago Gimenez is probably overthinking, and he’s clearly in a slump. After nine league games, eight as a starter, he still hasn’t scored. The league stats are brutal: 627 minutes played, zero goals. That’s over ten hours on the pitch without finding the net, an eternity for a striker. He has only scored against Lecce in the Coppa Italia and for Mexico against South Korea. For Milan, this is unusual. Their strikers, when starting regularly, have always scored at least once by the end of October: Ibrahimovic, Giroud, Bacca, Piatek, Balotelli, Morata, Luiz Adriano, Pazzini, Kalinic, even Fernando Torres. Even Kluivert, during the rough 1997 season, scored in Udine in September. From Santi, nothing. And now effort and teamwork are no longer enough. Strikers are judged on goals.
Allegri’s words after the match
The coach offered him support: "Santiago is an important player for Milan. He’s helping us a lot defensively, he works hard for the team, and I’m very happy with him. He should keep working, and the goals will come. We’ll move forward together."
That was true early in the season, up until De Gea’s great save against Fiorentina. Gimenez was doing double duty, working hard and getting close to scoring. Sometimes he missed badly, sometimes he was unlucky, but he was dangerous. Against Pisa and Atalanta, no. He never hit the target and never looked dangerous. In Bergamo, he even seemed mentally affected. Milan’s playing style doesn’t help him either, few crosses, few vertical passes, and never a sustained siege in the box, but something needs to change. Not only because Gimenez went off injured after an hour against Atalanta, but also because his match contained nothing notable apart from a yellow card. Against Roma on Sunday night, others are expected to start. Leao included.
Max said: “For Rafa, it shouldn’t be anything serious. He wasn’t feeling well this week and couldn’t accelerate anymore.”
The attack against Roma
The attack needs to be discussed. The last four Serie A champions, from 2022 to 2025, won the title producing between 2.08 expected goals per game (Inzaghi’s Inter) and 1.42 (Conte’s Napoli). This Milan, despite a good start, is even lower at 1.40. They don’t make up for it with shots on target either: 4.44 per game. Title-winning teams between 2022 and 2024 always exceeded five.
What does that mean?
Milan are not dangerous enough. Allegri prioritizes defense, and the team often attacks through individual improvisation. Inter dominate matches far more: 1.91 xG and 5.38 shots on target per match on average. Now the question is what Allegri will change. Loftus-Cheek performed well off the bench and could start. Possibly alongside Leao, with Nkunku entering later. Doing worse than the first half in Bergamo would be difficult.
