After two wins in a row before the break, AC Milan travelled to face Napoli in a must-win game for both teams, given the respective top four and Scudetto hopes.
Napoli found themselves a goal up after one minute when Matteo Politano fired in, while Romelu Lukaku also netted to make it 2-0 at the break. This gave Milan a mountain to climb, something not uncommon under Sergio Conceicao.
The Rossoneri squandered a big opportunity to get back into the game when Santiago Gimenez missed a penalty off the bench, and other chances went begging before Luka Jovic halved the deficit inside the final 10 minutes.
The defeat means that the Diavolo remain in ninth position, and fourth place is now nine points away. Champions League football has almost definitely vanished, with a Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter the only real hope. Here are five things we learned from the game.
1. The Felix mystery
Joao Felix came on loan from Chelsea this winter and fans were sceptical of the move given how the player has failed to find consistency since his Benfica days.
Felix did, however, get off to a great start with a chip finish against Roma minutes after coming on the pitch, which gave hope to the fans and the management that this transfer might just work out.
Unfortunately, the reality is that bar a few moments after the Roma game Felix has been invisible in both phases of the game bringing nothing to the pitch. The stranger thing is that Conceicao continues to force him into play game after game despite no added value.
Against Napoli he opted for Felix from the start thus benching Rafael Leao, and whilst we’ve heard the notion that Leao can be a game-changer of the bench in second halves when the opposition is tired, he still offers more than his compatriot.
The reality is that Felix brought nothing and Leao was Milan’s main man in the second half, so he should’ve started the game regardless of his consistency issues, especially given his record against Napoli.
2. The Walker dilemma
Kyle Walker arrived in the winter with the mission to try and help stabilise the right flank, where both Emerson Royal and Davide Calabria struggled through the first half of the season on what was ultimately the weakest side of MIlan’s defence.
Walker did feel like an instant upgrade on the duo, at least defensively, as he brought some composure and experience. Yet, eventually his performances at the back declined whilst he is yet to deliver much going forward.
Against Napoli he was at fault for the second goal as he kept Lukaku onside whilst the whole defensive line was two metres further up the pitch. He also struggled in the tie against Feyenoord, and his best performance so far might be at most a 6/10.
The management really have to reflect whether a 34-year-old player that has shown signs of steep decline is really a solution. He doesn’t look like much of one now – especially given his salary – and he probably won’t get better as he continues to lose his pace.
3. Familiar issues persist
Before sacking Paulo Fonseca, Milan did actually begin to show signs of improvement at the back, but failed to score goals. After Conceicao arrived, the Rossoneri found the capacity to outscore their opponents whilst conceding pretty much every game and almost always first.
In recent weeks – with the attackers struggling for goals – Milan now look like a mid-table team at best and they concede twice every game guaranteed at this point. The issue extends to the individuals, too.
Under the new coach, Strahinja Pavlovic did improve a lot initially and was probably Milan’s best player for a few weeks, but he to has fallen of a cliff. The issue with the Serb is that when it’s not his day he really struggles and makes sloppy mistakes, like his marking on Politano’s goal.
Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw obviously missed out in the game at the Maradona on Sunday night, yet both have failed to nail down a consistent starting spot. Matteo Gabbia, who has been great for Milan since coming back from Villarreal, has also shown some weaknesses.
The bottom line is that out of the four centre-backs Milan have, at best one of them is consistent enough: Gabbia. It’s hard to blame him with everybody around and in front not helping at all. This is an issue that must be addressed, with a new coach and potentially help from the window.
4. A steady decline
Youssouf Fofana arrived from Monaco during the summer transfer window and despite joining late, he quickly established himself as a regular starter in the side. He even went on a run of over 30 starts in a row, and this seems to be catching up with him now.
Since the turn of the year, his performance levels have dipped quite noticeably. Conceicao has not been afraid to bench him, clearly aware that his battery might be running low, though he did not take a chance to shine against Napoli.
The Frenchman has been struggling in both phases of the game. His decision-making and passing are dreadful too, proven by the times he’s lost possession in key areas throughout the season. Unfortunately, it feels like Milan need another midfield overhaul during the summer.
5. Toothless up top
Tammy Abraham got a start after some good performances off the bench, which made Conceicao’s decision fairly easy given that Santiago Gimenez has been struggling for quite some time now and returned from international duty not at 100%.
Yet, Abraham didn’t really help himself as he was not great at all in that first half. The Englishman was too sloppy when he did get the ball and his hold-up play was also very poor, preventing his team-mates from coming to support the attack.
Somehow, Gimenez then came on and did even worse than Abraham as he missed a big opportunity after a nice flowing move down the left, and then failed to convert a penalty with a very poor shot from the spot.
Ironically, it was Luka Jovic that actually showcased instincts in the box to get a goal back for his side. Maybe we should actually start seeing a bit more from the Serb, even if he is out of contract in a couple of months.
