Rafael Leao has superstar potential, and AC Milan are well aware of this. In fact, everyone in football is. Unlocking that potential has proved difficult though.
When it comes to players like Leao, the finest margins often are the difference. Small changes can alter a career path significantly, and this has often been seen with Leao, especially recently. Just a few months ago, the winger was asking his agent to look for January moves, but that seems like an impossible thought now.
The winger played a substantial part in the Supercoppa Italiana success, providing two assists in the 3-2 comeback in Riyadh, and Sergio Conceicao believes that it can be the start of his fortunes finally changing, as he said post-match.
He is not the first to be given the ‘eternal task’ of working out Leao, as Gazzetta dello Sport writes, and the paper questions whether he will be the last.
For Conceicao, it is an equation which requires a few tweaks, rather than a complete overhaul of the player, like Paulo Fonseca attempted. However, it could be argued that the overhaul meant that only a few tweaks are now needed.
Leao spoke openly about how much impact the new coach has already had, “What the coach has done in a few days is incredible. I felt energy, I needed that. There is a change that can be seen on and off the pitch, there is a mentality that makes us win. He has brought that to us.”
With Fonseca, it was not so simple with the controversies, time on the bench and general misunderstandings, but it does not seem the new coach has inherited these issues.
Yes, Leao still has tactical and technical elements of his game that can further improve, and who knows how high the ceiling truly is for him. It is a puzzle that has been with the Rossoneri eternally since his arrival, but perhaps the latest puzzle master could be the one to make it work and make him break the ceiling.
