AC Milan continue their positive run in the Serie A league after a difficult win against Spezia 2-1 at the Alberto Picco stadium.
Stefano Pioli started with the usual formation module 4-2-3-1. But, there were a couple of changes compared to the match against Venezia: Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Theo; Tonali, Kessié, Saelemaekers, Maldini, Rebic, Giroud.
As for the Spezia side, they started with a 4-2-3-1 lineup too: Zoet; Amian, Hristov, Nikolaou, Bastoni; Bourabia, Sala; Antiste, Maggiore, Gyasi; Nzola.
The match started with how everyone expected it to be. Spezia at home is a very strong group to deal with. There is less space on the pitch and exploiting their defensive areas was very difficult. Milan held the ball for long durations, but the end product was not there. Besides, Ante Rebic who was deployed on the left did not show his usual quality. The Croatian had a quiet game on that flank.
An interesting profile was Daniel Maldini who made good runs and had good vision of the pitch, he missed a few passes but the talent was there. Sure enough, in the second half, the son of technical director, Paolo, scored his first goal in his first official debut in the Serie A with a header after a beautiful cross from promising French right-back Pierre Kalulu.
The first goal of AC Milan came after the entry of Leao and Pellegri who replaced Rebic and Giroud respectively. The Portuguese forward could have scored off a couple of chances. He was unlucky to hit the woodwork. He brought dynamism, pace and much danger which was lacking on the left.
Spezia on the other hand, had a first intense half and dropped back to close the spaces in order to prevent the Rossoneri attackers from creating scoring chances. They were very dangerous in the counter attacks thanks to Janis Antiste and Emmanuel Gyasi. The Ligurian side, coached by Thiago Motta, came close to scoring a few times. Then, Daniele Verde in an individual effort scored the equaliser in the 80th minute after his shot got deflected by Sandro Tonali.
This is where AC Milan showed their strength and maturity. The Rossoneri did not give up near the end of the game, which is right. Despite Spezia's efforts to see out the game in a draw. Pioli's men kept attacking and trying to reach the penalty box. Alexis Saelemaekers penetrated from the wide defensive area and assisted a free Brahim Diaz who put the ball past the net in the 86th minute.
Milan showed quality. Daniel Maldini and Brahim Diaz stood out in this game. There was a lot of teamwork and the group never gave up. It was a well-played game by Spezia in their home turf which is always a difficult encounter.
Now, AC Milan players should rest. The club now has 16 points in 6 games. Now, it is time to think of the match in the Champions League against defending La Liga Champions: Atlético Madrid before resuming football on October 3rd against Atalanta.
Below is our match ratings graphics for the Rossoneri players against La Spezia. 
