On the eve of the league match against Torino, Massimiliano Allegri said in his press conference that he wanted Adrien Rabiot to score his first goal for Milan. The next day the French midfielder met his coach’s request at once with a long-range strike that started Milan’s comeback while the team was two goals down.
AC Milan with Rabiot on the pitch:
strongly backed by Allegri during the summer window, Rabiot needed little time to become a key figure for Milan. The team looks different from the side that lost the Serie A opener against Cremonese. The numbers are clear. With the French midfielder, Milan won seven of nine matches, drew once and lost once, in the Coppa Italia against Lazio, scored fourteen goals, conceded four and kept six clean sheets.
What about when Rabiot is off the pitch?
his importance becomes clear when you look at the numbers from the matches he missed. Seven matches in the league and Coppa Italia, with three wins, three draws and one loss, eleven goals scored and eight conceded, and only two clean sheets. The attack worked well, the defensive phase did not, since Milan conceded twice as many goals without him in fewer matches.
Rabiot is a true leader
The ex Juventus man on the pitch Milan look like a different team. Allegri knows this well. When Rabiot has been available, he has always started and never been taken off. His physical presence and technical quality matter, he also brings leadership and experience. During matches he pushes and guides teammates like a leader. Milan sit first in the league partly thanks to him.
