Rafael Leao got his 45 minutes against Torino last night, subbed off at half-time, and questions have been asked about his relationship with Sergio Conceicao. According to a report, it’s currently ‘not at its best’.
The Portuguese winger played from start in yesterday’s game but didn’t have much success in the 1v1s, with the only real contribution being the penalty won. Of course, that was more clumsiness from the defender than anything.
In other words, albeit surprising, it wasn’t strange that he was brought off. Today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (see photo below) discussed the early substitution, highlighting how Leao had praised Conceicao for bringing ‘energy and a new mentality’ after the Supercoppa Italiana win.
Since then, however, Conceicao has sent several signals to the No.10 by benching him against Roma, Empoli and Verona. Add the 45 minutes yesterday to that and you can make a few conclusions, especially since Joao Felix has played a lot since he arrived.
As the newspaper concludes, the feeling between the compatriots ‘is not at its best’ and ultimately, Leao must improve. He has been fair to inconsistent in the final third and these are the same issues we saw under Paulo Fonseca as well.
