Clinging to Rafa Leao. Not only because the Portuguese forward was decisive with his bursts against Roma or because he scored against both Fiorentina (a brace) and Pisa before delivering a poor display in Bergamo against Atalanta, partly due to a knock.
Among Milan’s attackers, the number 10 is in the best shape and offers the most reliability. Tomorrow night at the Tardini he will start, and alongside him, as on Sunday, will be Nkunku.
Parma will give him less space than Gasperini’s side, which is why he must show tactical maturity and interpret the game correctly to make the difference.
Leao's growth:
Leao has overcome the right calf injury he suffered on August 17, which sidelined him for forty days. Against Napoli and Juventus, his first two matches back, he showed clear physical issues, and his poor effort off the ball infuriated Allegri, who shouted himself hoarse on the bench. After the October break, Rafa responded with three goals and one assist in four games. Pulisic remains the team’s top scorer with six goals, despite last playing on October 5 at the Stadium against Juventus, but the Portuguese has closed the gap with four goals across Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
He hopes to narrow or even erase the difference tomorrow night, while also breaking the Parma curse, a team that has not brought him much luck. He has scored against them only once, on April 10, 2021, in a 3–1 win at the Tardini, coming off the bench for the final six minutes and scoring in stoppage time. Last season in Emilia, he assisted Pulisic’s temporary equalizer in a match Parma still won 2–1, and during which Rafa argued with a Milan fan after setting up the American’s goal, as pointed out by those at La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Today’s Leao looks very different from the version seen at the start of 2024–25, when Fonseca promised to change him. That mission failed. Allegri, on the other hand, seems on the right path to get the best and most consistent performances from the Almada-born forward. In the last match against Roma, the former Sporting and Lille player left late in the game with cramps, having worked hard to help defensively as well. That effort pleased the coach from Livorno and his staff. His role also deserves attention, since Leao has changed his positioning and areas of influence. In the 4-3-3 he stayed wide on the left, while in the 3-5-2 he plays closer to goal. The plan to use him as a striker remains in place, though tomorrow, alongside Nkunku, he will have more freedom to drift left and use his dribbling, leaving the central space to the Frenchman. When the partnership with Pulisic is restored, Leao may play more as a central striker, as seen in the Coppa Italia match against Bari, where he scored the opener with a header before getting injured. Now that he is back on track, he does not want to stop. Milan, Allegri, and the fans share that wish.
