AC Milan 1-0 Hellas Verona – Highlights & five things we learn
AC Milan clinched the first three points in a tight game against a resilient Hellas Verona and finally returned in the winning run since the international break.
Leaving the terrible defense show at the Derby della Madonnina and a wasting night at Newcastle, Stefano Pioli’s side won a physical battle thanks to Rafael Leao’s only goal.
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AC Milan 1-0 Hellas Verona – Highlights
Rossoneri got a perfect start to the game as Leao opened the scoring within the first ten minutes. Olivier Giroud picked him out with an outside-of-the-boot pass, and the winger didn’t make any mistakes with the finish, scoring with his left foot.
The rest of the game was without any notable highlights, while it’s safe to describe it as ‘boring.’
It was a constant physical battle, and although Milan had a couple of good chances to double their lead, the final score ended up being 1-0.
Marco Sportiello proved he could be a worthy replacement for #1 Mike Maignan as he made a great save 20 minutes into the game.
Five things we learn
A boring game, but Milan won anyway:
Milan needed fresh tactics and rotations, which manager Pioli executed successfully. While it required more time to show more efficiency, the team fought better, and what was of the utmost importance was three points takeaway.
Sportiello is a fine replacement for Maignan
While the game was boring, the former Atalanta goalkeeper was crucial when he made his first-half save to deny Verona a nice goal.
In addition to that, he was very calm on the ball and didn’t look at all insecure in aerial situations.
As Maignan will be rested for a while (against Cagliari), Milan fans can feel comfortable with Sportiello in the post.
Sportiello will get another chance to show his qualities between the sticks.
A win would not ease the criticism for Pioli.
The Italian tactician was forced to change the formation, especially after the far-from-convincing results at Milan derby and UCL’s goalless draw at Newcastle.
Pioli expected both Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez to be available for the game, but when fatigue forced them to be on the sidelines, he had to switch. The 3-4-3 was applied, the only formation he could do with the players at his disposal.
Fan criticized Pioli, but at least he got what he wanted.
Krunic’s injury is a huge setback.
The Bosnian has been a critical player for Milan at the start of this season, and many of us feared an injury was imminent, given how much he had played. On that front, Pioli deserves criticism, as he could have benched the midfielder against Verona.
Instead, Krunic played from the first minute, and in the second half, he picked up a muscle injury. He could be out for as long as a month, and tests will be carried out tomorrow (Monday) to determine the extent of the injury. It’s a big blow for Milan as he likely will miss the Dortmund game.4.
Rotation will go on.
Given the circumstances, the rotation worked well against Verona, and there will be more rotation in the upcoming games. In just eleven days, Milan will play four games (Cagliari, Lazio, Dortmund, and Genoa), and Pioli will thus have to make the most of the players at his disposal.
Tijjani Reijnders could replace Krunic against Cagliari, but Yacine Adli is also set to get his chance in one of the upcoming games. In short, there could be some surprises in the starting XI, even if, at this point, the changes should be considered normal in such a hectic period.
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