There was some surprise when Rafael Leao was announced as the captain for AC Milan’s win over Lecce on Friday night, but it was the latest step in Paulo Fonseca’s mission to get the best out of him.
Calciomercato.com write that Leao wearing the armband means that he is considered among the group of leaders which includes Theo Hernandez, Alvaro Morata, Tammy Abraham, Tijjani Reijnders, Mike Maignan and of course the official captain Davide Calabria.
This is what Fonseca said after the victory over Lecce: “I have always said to Leao that he is a great player, but now he must become a player for the team. Being captain is a responsibility, I like that he is decisive as with the assist. But I like the growth he is showing in defending more. Today he is a different player, he is not perfect yet, but I am seeing the effort he puts into helping the team.”
It is without the ball that Leao is making significant progress, with the winger doing work which will not steal the spotlight in the same way as the two assists to Theo Hernandez in the wins over Venezia and Lecce, but which becomes fundamental in cases like Christian Pulisic’s goal to make it 3-0 on Friday.
The build-up to the goal was led by Morata who set up Tammy Abraham, with two saved then leading to a tap-in for Pulisic, but everything starts from pressing by Leao on Gaspar, which forced them to turn the ball over. It was an unusual defensive action for Rafa, who is absorbing what Fonseca wants from him.
Wyscout’s numbers demonstrate how important Leao’s game in the defensive phase is: two defensive duels won out of five, two aerial duels won out of two, two interceptions, four balls recovered (three in the Milan half) even a clearance. All this is without removing the chance for him to make passes like the one to Theo.
