Sergio Conceicao might be tempted to start Rafael Leao from the bench against Feyenoord, given that he has made a big impact as a substitute recently.
Today’s edition of Tuttosport (via MilanPress) uses a famous quote from Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective invented by Agatha Christie: “One clue is a clue, two clues are a coincidence, but three clues make a proof.”
Since Conceiçao arrived on the bench, Leao has started from the bench on four occasions and has been decisive three times coming on as a second-half substitute. On the contrary, in the games in which he has started, he has only had an impact twice (goals against Como and Girona), but has been among the worst on the pitch in the remaining six occasions.
It could therefore be deduced that the Portuguese is a player who struggles to have consistency between one game and another and even within the same 90 minutes, and that is why he may find it easier to give his all in 30 or 45 minutes rather than from minute one.
After all, Leao is among the most explosive and fastest players in the league, and facing opponents with already tired legs can only be a factor in his favour. The first proof was the Supercoppa Italiana final against Inter, when he came on and changed the game with his speed and directness.
So, after 20 positive minutes against Roma in the Coppa Italia on February 5, he scored the opener against Empoli before Santiago Gimenez’s goal, then got the assist for the Mexican’s header against Verona on Saturday.
Leao as a starter against Cagliari, Juventus, Parma, Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord paradoxically disappointed a lot. So is Leao better off the bench? The question arises and from today Conceiçao will reflect.
