BREAKING NEWS; AC Milan off the Mark

Maignan (6.5): He made two good stops to deny Verona and he couldn’t do much about the goal. Unfortunately, during his last save, he seemed to pull his hamstring so it remains to be seen if it’s anything serious.

Calabria (6): The captain had a very promising start, with some good combinations on the right, but we saw less and less of that as the game went on. He also could have been a lot stronger in defence, with the goal conceded coming to mind.

Kalulu (6): A solid display in his first start since the game against Napoli last year. He wasn’t really tested that much, in truth, and Pioli subbed him off after 45 minutes.

Tomori (6): The Englishman performed with his usual confidence and his pace was needed, as Verona liked to counter on the right flank. However, the centre-back was also booked for a very late challenge, which shows that the timing is still not 100%.

Hernandez (7.5 – MOTM): In our eyes, he was the most important player today as his combinations with Leao created loads of chances for Milan. Not to mention the goal, which showcased great perseverance from the Frenchman. The yellow card was very harsh and unfortunately, that means he will miss the Fiorentina game.

Bennacer (6): An okay display from the Algerian with some nice passes here and there, though also some misplaced ones. He’s an important player in the defence phase, there is no doubt, but he got beat in the 1v1s more than you would expect today.

Reijnders (6.5): The Dutchman has this great ability to drive forward with the ball, sometimes making his way past one, two or even three defenders in the process. In tight situations, this ability is essential for Milan.

Pulisic (6.5): It might sound like a harsh rating, especially since he was unlucky not to score with a great strike which hit the bar. However, although he deserves praise for getting on that rebound, the defending before Verona’s goal was really poor. You could see it in the American’s reaction too when he was subbed off.

Loftus-Cheek (6): We have become used to the Englishman winning many duels, making life easier for Milan in that sense. He wasn’t as involved in the final third this time out, though, and when he was the end product was missing. But still decent considering.

Leao (5): By his standard, this was a very poor display. He made the wrong decision on several counters and also missed a 1v1, somehow sending his effort wide from close range. He was often able to put the defender in difficulty, but his final touch/move was shocking really.

Okafor (6.5): Almost bagged a wonderful volley goal, denied by a great save, and he made the most of a Verona mistake to set up Pulisic’s goal. A very promising display from the Swiss international in the No.9 role.

Substitutes

Gabbia (6): He did what he needed to do, showcasing good positioning, but not much more than that.

Musah (6): It was a borderline 5.5 performance, with a few sloppy moments, but he worked hard in the end to get a pass here.

Giroud (5.5): Offside too many times, which shouldn’t be the case when you have fresh legs.

Chukwueze (7): What a goal! Finally, he got his first in Serie A and that was the perfect way to do it, sending a volley in the bottom left corner. Hopefully, he can build on this.

Kjaer (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.

The manager

Pioli (6): It’s hard to criticise him for the substitutions, although perhaps Chukwueze should have replaced Leao and not Okafor. The problem is that Milan needed something more to control the game at 2-0. He did appear frustrated himself, so maybe the players just failed to follow orders.