AC Milan clinched all three points after a second-half turnaround against Fiorentina, courtesy of a Rafael Leao brace. Several players impressed, including the No.10, and below are the ratings for the Rossoneri.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.
Starting XI
Maignan (6.5): Let’s be honest, he got very unlucky on the goal conceded as he effectively made the save necessary, but it took a deflection on Gabbia. Aside from that, he was very good in claiming the crosses and also had a nice moment in possession under pressure.
Tomori (6): All things considered, he did enough to get a pass here after winning some duels and using his aggressiveness to make sure his opponent didn’t get much time on the ball. That said, he could have been more composed in some moments.
Gabbia (7): Defensively, he was the best Milan player on the pitch as he always stayed close to Kean, winning every duel with him as well in the end. The deflection on the goal was unlucky more than anything, so it would be harsh to lower the rating for that.
Pavlovic (7): He didn’t really need to shine in defence tonight as aside from a few nice aerials won, he was mainly tasked with helping Milan in the build-up. And so he did in his usual fashion, driving forward with the ball many times. He got the ‘assist’ for Leao’s first goal by doing so.
Athekame (6): He only got about 60 minutes on the pitch, as Allegri subbed him off after Fiorentina’s goal, but it was more of a tactical choice than anything. All in all, the youngster had some good moments and looked much better than in previous games.
Fofana (6): Very much a mixed bag from him tonight. He found some good positions, as he so often does, but lacked the composure on the ball both in terms of passing and keeping possession. He can do better, even if it was enough to get a pass tonight.
Modric (7): While it might sound strange to say given he was important in possession too, his most crucial contributions perhaps came in the defensive phase tonight. He worked very hard especially towards the end to limit Fiorentina’s chances of scoring. It’s that type of leadership behaviour that makes him so valuable.
Ricci (6.5): The first half wasn’t good enough by his standards, with some silly misplaced passes and struggles to find his position on the pitch. In the second, however, things looked much better. Perhaps Allegri tweaked something, because he was more involved in better positions.
He set up Gimenez for the penalty won with a great outside-of-the-boot pass, while also covering the most distance by all Milan players. In short, it seems he can co-exist with Modric after all.
Bartesaghi (7): He has certainly stepped up in Estupinan’s absence. Tonight was another solid defensive display from him, but what impressed me the most was his crossing. We saw several good crosses from him, especially one for Gimenez which forced a great De Gea save, and his runs were also good.
Saelemaekers (6): It was pretty obvious that his role as an attacking midfielder behind Leao didn’t he drifted wide a lot and ultimately didn’t have much of an impact. Once back at the right flank, he did good but there was nothing that stood out, really.
Leao (8 – MOTM): After two goals scored, naming him the man of the match feels like a given. It was certainly a strong response to the recent criticism, following the misses against Juventus, and to see him convert a penalty too was a relief. He can make a difference, that’s for sure, and hopefully we can get more of this.
Substitutes
Gimenez (7): Most of us were screaming for him to come on already at half-time, but at least he came on eventually. The difference with him on the pitch was clear to see and he nearly scored with a great finish, which De Gea saved. At least he then managed to win the penalty, following a nice sequence inside the box.
De Winter (6.5): He came on and managed to find almost all of the aerial duels that were sent his way. Really strong in that sense, which is great since that’s exactly what Milan needed.
Balentien (N/A): I didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
The manager
Allegri (5.5): Yes, Milan won, but he needed to make the Gimenez substitution already at half-time. Saelemaekers behind Leao clearly didn’t work and it shouldn’t have taken a goal from Fiorentina for the gaffer to see that.
