After two consecutive Serie A draws against Juventus and Lazio and a disappointing Europa League defeat to Benfica, Milan needed an immediate reaction, and they delivered. The Rossoneri beat Lecce 3-0, with Ruben Amorim's decisions also playing a key role as he chose to bring almost all of his regular starters back into the lineup from the outset.
Compared to the match against Benfica, when he made a massive and arguably excessive number of changes, Mario Gila returned to the defence against Lecce, while Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot came back into midfield and Christian Pulisic started in attack.
The Italian newspaper 'Corriere della Sera' reported this morning that Milan put in an impressive performance last night, although there is obviously still plenty of work to be done. The American forward opened the scoring, finding the net again after 266 days. He did so with a superb goal: Pavlovic played a brilliant ball in behind for the Milan No. 11, who controlled it on the volley with his right foot before beating Falcone with his left.
Rabiot then doubled Milan's lead from a Gonçalo Ramos assist, with the Portuguese striker perhaps the only negative note of the evening. He worked tirelessly, provided useful lay-offs, combined well with his teammates and contributed significantly to the team's play, but he operated too far from goal and once again failed to score.
Diego Moreira completed the victory, netting his third goal of the season for the Rossoneri.
Big names return to Milan's starting XI, and three points are earned
It cannot be a coincidence that Milan returned to winning ways with such a convincing performance after Amorim brought his key players back into the starting lineup. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the Portuguese coach has finally realised that it is no longer the time for experiments and that the team needs stability and certainty.
The long international break now begins, with several Milan players called up by their national teams and therefore set to spend several days away from Milanello. Once Serie A resumes, the Rossoneri will face a packed schedule with several matches in a short period, and Amorim will need every player at his disposal.
