The week started in the bitterest way for Milan, who, with the away defeat at Lazio, fell even further behind first place in the standings, held by Inter with an 8-point lead. The team performance of the Rossoneri in Rome was disappointing, with Pervis Estupiñán’s showing standing out in a negative way.
Today's edition of Tuttosport analyzes the performance of the former Brighton player, while also looking at the expectations since his arrival in Milan. Let’s start with Sunday night: Allegri had confirmed him in the lineup, hoping that his performance in the derby against Inter would have finally helped him blossom, a new chance, a new opportunity to trust him and not immediately bench the player who had given new energy to Milan’s dreams.
Estupiñán, however, did not repay the coach’s trust. On the contrary. In practice, the former Brighton player was not up to the task. Isaksen was able to do whatever he wanted on his side for almost an hour. Then, in the 55th minute, Estupiñán even received a yellow card, and Allegri made his decision: Estupiñán out, Bartesaghi in. The Italian winger will almost certainly return as the starting left-back from now until the end of the season.
The only exception was Pervis’ performance in the derby. The rest of his season tells a different story. What exactly? It shows that Estupiñán failed the post-Theo test. He doesn’t have the offensive ability of the Frenchman, and, above all, he has significant technical-tactical weaknesses defensively. Replacing Theo Hernandez was never easy, and this season has confirmed that. Now, Estupiñán’s future needs to be clarified, but it’s clear that, when analyzing his overall performance, the Rossoneri management cannot be satisfied. More is needed, that’s obvious. On Sunday, the former Brighton player failed another test, and it remains to be seen whether he will have more chances to redeem himself.
