Despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the match, AC Milan managed to secure three crucial points against Udinese Friday night. Fonseca undoubtedly had the response he sought from the XI selections, as noted by Gazzetta Dello Sport. Milan needed to recover from the loss to Fiorentina, and the international break undoubtedly made everything more difficult. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Fonseca had the reaction he desired despite his inability to collaborate with numerous players (see photo below).
Milan reacted to the red card in the best way possible, fighting for over an hour, and being able to keep Rafael Leao on the bench should not be underestimated. As the pink newspaper points out, Fonseca wanted an answer from his team and that’s exactly what he got.
It was a game that had everything and although the Rossoneri deserve praise, it’s clear that Udinese could have done a lot better. Even in superiority, the away side risked conceding another goal instead of finding the back of the net themselves.
The first 30 minutes were great from Milan, with Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze on the flanks, while Christian Pulisic acted as an all-rounder. The rest of the game, however, depends on the point of view. The truth is that we saw a combination of good defending and poor attacking.
Udinese might see the millimetre offsides as alibis, but Milan had more chances despite being one man down and thus deserved the three points. The question is whether Fonseca will be able to leave Leao on the bench against Club Brugge next week, probably not…
Two keys for Milan
As the newspaper continues, there were two keys for Milan in the win: Christian Pulisic and Youssouf Fofana. The American can make all the difference tactically, and yesterday he had a more central role in the 4-2-3-1 formation (though without a fixed position).
Whenever needed, he dropped down into the midfield to create a numerical superiority and on the front foot, he combined with Alvaro Morata. He ended up getting the assist for the winner, putting just the right weight on the pass to Chukwueze.
Then, we have Fofana. He’s improving for each day that passes and against Udinese, he reminded the fans a bit of Franck Kessie. The newspaper labels him ‘less attacking-minded’ than the Ivorian ‘but an insurmountable dam’.
He was the closest thing to the leader that has been missing since the days of Sandro Tonali, and Fonseca is thrilled with the development. The first few games may have been a bit shaky, but he has been crucial lately and also earned a good score in our player ratings yesterday.
