AC Milan 0-2 Benfica: Five things we learned – obvious concerns fuel overblown criticism
AC Milan hoped to be welcomed back to the European stage with a win in front of their own fans, but Benfica had other ideas.
Things took a negative turn quite early on when Dodi Lukébakio fired in after 16 minutes having been shown inside onto his left foot. In the second half, Jakub Kamiński made it 2-0 with a first-time shot into the roof of the net, and their defence kept Milan at bay for quite a comfortable win.
It is not the result that Ruben Amorim wanted to begin his European journey with Milan by any stretch of the imagination, especially against his former club. Given the games to come, it already feels like an uphill battle to get into the top eight, with near perfection needed from here.
Against a Benfica side that made nine changes from the weekend but still looked better with their depth, it is a reminder of the unforgiving levels in Europe. Below are the five main conclusions from the game, as Ivan Stoev saw it.
1. The defence crumbles
Let’s start with the obvious: Milan’s defence was dreadful on the night. It reminded us of last season, when Massimiliano Allegri’s side started leaking goals week-in week-out, which ultimately resulted in ‘dropping’ into the Europa League in the first place.
On the first goal it was both an individual and a collective error. Yes, Davide Bartesaghi was beaten too easily by Lukebakio, but none of the other defenders or midfielders stepped forward to close down the winger as he was cutting inside. This gave him all the time and space in the world to take his shot and find the back of the net.
Benfica’s second goal was equally as bad as Kaminski had the freedom of Milan to fire at goal, with the four defenders inside the box stood like statues. Mario Gila was very good after coming on and really helped his side move the ball around, but he was the main culprit on the goal as he lost the left winger.
A clean sheet every game is not possible but these two goals were so avoidable which makes it frustrating, especially since the first few games of the season Milan did well in Serie A with their opponents having to work hard for their goals. This was not the case against Benfica and a reaction is needed against Lecce.
2. Mixed performances in the middle
Luka Modric was rested this time around, so the midfield duo consisted of Yunus Musah and Ardon Jashari. This was probably the right choice given the Croatian’s display against Lazio, plus Musah’s positive impact in recent weeks.
Both had an rather average game, however, with Jashari being better on the ball but often times taking too long with his pass and really not producing anything creative to break the opposition’s defensive line.
The positive was that he did dribble out of trouble on a few occasions and managed to keep the ball well, but he also produced nothing worth mentioning in attack, and the fact that he took his time resulted in him losing the ball in a couple of occasions too. Given it was his first appearance since the Torino game, he needs to get rid of some rust.
Musah was similar in the sense that he did well on a few occasions to retrieve the ball and carry it forward, something he’s been doing great this season, but then he was rather poor with the final killer pass. He also lost it on a couple of occasions which – when chasing a game – often leads to dangerous counters.
3. Missing: Milan’s attack
Amorim opted for Omari Hutchinson and Alphadjo Cisse behind Goncalo Ramos, with Bartesaghi and Chukwueze down the flanks. Whilst it seemed like a dynamic attack on paper, Milan struggled a lot to create any type of danger in the first half.
Chukwueze was the only positive as he showcased his more direct and forceful nature towards the end of the half. For whatever reason, Milan tried to attack down the left flank instead where Bartesaghi and Cisse were thwarted by Banjaqui, who had an outstanding performance given his age.
Hutchinson was livelier than Cisse but he too didn’t really create much which all resulted in Ramos being very isolated up top. This has been a running theme in the past three games.
Speaking of Ramos it’s probably fair to criticise the striker a bit as he failed to get on the end of the few crosses Milan put in and he also struggled to combine with his team-mates.
In the second half he played more with the ball but most of his passes were backwards. Even if he was drawing a defender out of position, the safety of the next pass often killed any momentum.
Given he’s Milan’s record signing pressure will start mounting if he doesn’t start having a bigger impact on the game. That doesn’t necessarily mean a goal or assist, but not even having a shot on target in the last three games has rightly raised alarm.
4. The duality of subs
Amorim looked to the bench after the first half yet again, hoping to replicate the impact against Lazio and change the game before it was too late. This time around, however, that didn’t play out as the coach would’ve wanted to.
On the positive side, Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers did well to bring some intensity to the game. The Belgian had a few decent moment and a couple of very dangerous passes that he played into/inside Benfica’s box but he was let down by his team-mates.
Pulisic also tried to make things happen as he got himself on the ball and demonstrated a level of confidence in possession that had been lacking. He forced two good saves from Trubin, one coming from a nice Saelemaekers through-ball.
Moreira was a bit quieter this time around, but it was always going to be hard for him to have the same huge impact as he did in Rome. The wing-back was a tad too predictable whilst his touch also let him down, though he did demonstrate pace and a desire to work hard in both phases.
Gila once again looked confident and courageous on the ball, helping to press Benfica too, but when it mattered he let his team down as he failed to mark Kaminski on the second goal which put Milan in a very difficult moment.
5. Overblown criticism
Amorim’s starting line-up was not to everyone’s liking to put it mildly. Given that the upcoming game at the weekend is against Lecce (with respect to them) and a three-week international break follows, it might have been the moment to see Pulisic, Rabiot, Moreira and Gila start.
That’s probably a fair critique but the bigger problem is that there hasn’t really been a game where MIlan have started a game on the front foot. All of their best moments have come in the second half, despite the various combinations fielded by Amorim from minute one.
Previously the ex-Benfica coach managed to react well and turn the game around with adequate changes, and we’ve seen some positive developments. The attitude and quality of football in the second half against Lazio was really a joy to watch.
In the opening game of the season against Torino, Milan pressed after scoring the first goal in order to double the lead and have a safer cushion. This was also a quite positive given how much times last season Allegri would sit everyone behind the ball after going a goal up and leave the result open until the final kick.
Against Venezia there were also many positives and Milan won that game 2-0 when it should have been four or five. A draw away against Juventus – which wasn’t the best performance – was not a bad result and kept the team unbeaten.
Then, the Benfica match was decided by two lapses in concentration that were costly. It’s true that the team failed to score for the first time, and it seemed that there was a lack of quality there at times, but this is a process where building chemistry and cohesion cannot possibly be instant.
When a coach like Amorim arrives and wants to play high intensity football whilst also demanding technical ability from his players to move the ball around quickly, it is the exact opposite of what they were being asked to do until May. Is it really then expected to win every game right out of the gate?
As long as there are positives and Milan continue to do well in the league, and start to pick up wins in Europe, there’s nothing to worry about just yet. The fans and the management should look and the numerous example where coaches have needed time and proper players brought in that fit the system in order to achieve results.
Como and Cesc Fabregas plus Roma and Gian Piero Gasperini are two obvious examples domestically. Looking abroad, there is Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, even what Amorim did at Sporting CP.
The coach admitted he doesn’t know if he will be given the time he needs, but five games is far too early for definitive judgements.
