AC Milan boosted their confidence with a big 4-0 win against Udinese on Friday evening. As always, we have collected five things that we learned from the Rossoneri’s performance.
After the 2-2 draw against Fiorentina, a response was needed from Sergio Conceicao’s men and that is certainly what we got. With two goals in each half, the Rossoneri comfortably clinched all three points and thus boosted their confidence.
With the Coppa Italia still alive, keeping up morale is essential and yesterday’s win will certainly help in that sense. Not to mention that Atalanta are up next, so optimism is needed for that one. Below, we share five things that we learned from the game.
1. Formation change long overdue
It’s been said so many times today already, but we have to highlight the formation change. Three men at the back worked like a charm for Milan as we finally saw a balanced team, and it’s clear that nearly all players benefited from the switch.
The centre-backs have all done well this season, as crazy as that sounds given the numbers, so the fact that Conceicao was able to field three of them helped. Strahinja Pavlovic thrived with his role to the left, while Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia got the job done without any fuss.
Furthermore, Theo Hernandez and Alex Jimenez were both able to push a little bit higher and utilise their attacking skills, focusing less on the defending. It might be the case that Udinese were the perfect opponents for this formation, but it would definitely be interesting to see more of it.
2. Theao responds in style
It has been a season filled with ups and downs for the key duo, consisting of Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao. Yesterday was certainly one of the better nights, with both of them getting on the scoresheet while also combining really well throughout the game.
Leao was named the MOTM by the newspapers this morning, while Hernandez was the second best, and it’s clear that Milan can get positive results with them in good form. The problem, as has been said so many times before this season, is that we still need to see some consistency.
One performance won’t change the overall situation, but rather it only makes us more painfully aware of how good they can be when they turn up. In that sense, the upcoming games against Atalanta and Inter will tell us a lot.
3. Strikers remain in good form
Luka Jovic got the chance from start last night and while he didn’t score, or provide an assist for that matter, his contribution was clear. With the new formation, he often found himself dropping down and that allowed Leao and Pulisic to take on more key roles in the centre.
The Serbian was very composed on the ball and Conceicao highlighted his importance after the game, even if it wasn’t spectacular. Then, Tammy Abraham entered the pitch and provided an assist almost immediately, before playing a key role in the fourth goal.
In short, while the performances were very different, Jovic and Abraham both continued their good run of form in the win and that was very nice to see. Especially with such important games coming up.
4. Decisive when it matters
You might look at yesterday’s game and say that for most of the play, Christian Pulisic wasn’t super involved. However, when it mattered the most (once again), he provided the assist for Pavlovic with a lovely corner.
Okay, it might be harsh to say that he wasn’t super involved, but if you compare it with Leao or Hernandez, that was kind of the case. Still, it doesn’t really matter as the American opened up space for his teammates and when he did get the ball, he did good things.
On a slightly similar note, Tijjani Reijnders missed a big chance at the start of the game but instead of letting it bring him down, he responded with several good actions. The goal was an easy one, let’s be honest, yet it was deserved given what he added to the game. And it also helped him reach an important milestone.
5. A win that builds confidence, not much more
At the end of the day, while it was nice to celebrate a big win again, it doesn’t matter to much for the league standings. Milan still have a mountain to climb for the European spots and will remain in 9th place after this round as well.
Milan players celebrate udinese
Having said that, building confidence is important especially in view of the Inter game, so we certainly cannot say that the win was pointless. Who knows, some of the rivals might slip up in the next few weeks, which could bring some life back to the league
The return leg against Inter is also scheduled for April 23rd, so we will soon have our answer with regards to the Coppa Italia anyway. The clash against Atalanta is the only one before then so getting another win there would definitely boost the confidence even more.
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