It has already been highlighted how Christian Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders must be the foundations on which Milan builds both its present and near future. But there are two other men who can and must prove to be essential in this final stretch of the season, where the Rossoneri are engaged in a highly challenging Champions League comeback and a double derby against Inter in the Coppa Italia semifinals. In the opinion of the writer, these two players are Rafael Leao and Santiago Gimenez, as relayed via MilanPress.it.
The Portuguese forward, as we have known for at least a couple of years now, is the one who divides fans and pundits the most. This season—under the guidance of his compatriots Fonseca first and Conceição later—he has spent more time on the bench than usual, yet he has still managed to register six goals and seven assists in 27 appearances. To have any hope of recovering the six-point gap from fourth-placed Bologna, Milan needs a string of victories, starting with the match against Napoli, a team against which the former Sporting Lisbon player has often been decisive, both in Serie A and the Champions League.
The Rossoneri fans know that only with a more consistent and dominant Leao can Conceição’s team put together a winning streak capable of closing the gap with those ahead and keeping their Champions League hopes alive. By the way, while you await for Milan's next match, you can find alternative entertainment options and explore several games like play casino live and win some interesting bonuses.
Gimenez and Leao: valuable assets for the team...
Milan also relies on them for the Champions League dream. The other key figure must be Santiago Gimenez, who, after a promising start following his arrival in late January, has somewhat faded. The Mexican striker, in the meantime, will hopefully be in a much better mood and with greater confidence after Mexico's triumph against Panama in the CONCACAF.
Gimenez is tasked with ending a goal drought that has lasted over a month—an eternity for a striker of his caliber. His last goal dates back to the second leg of the playoff against Feyenoord, a classic goal against his former club, scored on February 18.
Since then, Santi has failed to score against Torino, Bologna, Lazio, Lecce, and Como—perhaps because he has been used in a role that does not suit his characteristics. Gimenez needs to be inside the penalty area, yet against Bologna, Lazio, and Como, he was never Milan’s most advanced player in terms of average positioning. For a striker like him, it may be counterproductive to ask him to drop deeper or drift wide to support the team’s build-up play. Unsurprisingly, the results of this tactical adjustment have not been particularly positive.
And, again unsurprisingly, in Milan’s last two victories against Lecce and Como, the team had to rely on Tammy Abraham coming off the bench—a player more suited to playing as a target man. Perhaps Conceição will soon reconsider and decide to play them together…
