AC Milan, this season, struggled with finding continuity and consistency in terms of positive performances.
The example that Corriere della Sera brings up this morning is the most recent possible. Milan takes the field at San Siro on January 10 in the Coppa Italia against Atalanta, and after a good half-hour, they take the lead but then Atalanta equalises and then wins without a real Rossoneri reaction. Four days later, Milan is once again at San Siro, and in the big match against Roma, they hardly trouble the Giallorossi, who come out defeated, and today, have decided to sack their coach José Mourinho.
It is a Milan with a dual nature, capable of being ruthless with opponents but also, in a negative sense, with itself within the span of three days. Now, in the second half of the season, this cannot happen if the Rossoneri want to at least nurture hope of catching up with Inter and Juventus. Consistency in results and performance is needed, with the help of players who will be recovered along the way, especially the defenders.
This dual nature of AC Milan is somewhat reflected in what Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao are showing. The former is leveraging his better side as he ages: the more he ages, the better he gets. It is his third consecutive season in double digits, with the potential to become the best in terms of scoring since joining the Rossoneri: 11 goals and 7 assists overall for the Frenchman who carries the team in difficult moments, as was the case against Roma.
Leao, on the other hand, is 'smiling' a little less. In the league, he's stuck at 3 goals since September 23: really too little for the highest-paid player on the team. In Udine on Saturday, there will be another chance to break out of this unfortunate goal drought. Milan not only needs continuity to hope for a comeback but also, and above all, the team needs Rafael Leao.
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