Milan sees the ghosts of January, but this time Roma’s comeback does not materialize.
– José Mourinho, over the years, has accustomed us to many effective, sometimes exaggerated outings, to create a climate of excuses around his teams, to which Roma are no exception. He’s talked about sixth in the standings as a goal this year and honestly, right now that doesn’t sound like his classic hyperbole. Already on paper, the difference between the two teams is evident, with a gap that already existed last year which widened considerably thanks to the Rossoneri market, which with Pulisic, Reijnders and Loftus-Cheek brought three players to Serie A who appear top notch. There is room for growth for Roma: just think of when the Lukaku-Dybala team will be fit and close-knit, but there is a lot to work on the approach to matches and on the defensive phase, which seems to be a major weakness of the team , as well as the squad that doesn’t seem equipped in terms of alternatives to fight on three fronts;
– Rafa Leao is illegal. The winger, who this year competes in his fifth season with the Milan shirt, to which he has dedicated himself body and soul to the point of becoming an unpredictable flag, amazes with the ease with which he adapted in a very short time to a system of game that relies more totally on its plays. Son for years of unproductive ups and downs, despite undoubted physical and technical abilities, he also seems to have succeeded in the mental leap that allows him to stay focused and “in the game” even when he is not called into question, to then be able to make a difference when it’s his turn. Net of Celik’s clumsy marking, the AC Milan doubling goal has his signature and is that of a champion;
– It seems endless, however, the crisis period of Fikayo Tomori. The Englishman, who had already struggled last year after his great contribution in the Scudetto season, this year started with two below-level performances against Bologna and Turin too, a bit “covered” by the great performance of his teammates . Just this evening, when he seemed to be growing for the first time, he ended up being sent off naively for a second yellow card, despite the fact that his coach had already called the substitution with Kalulu precisely to avoid what happened. The department holds because the Rossoneri have found a totem like Thiaw, whose constant performance is on the level of the best Kjaer and also, at the moment, the team keeps the ball as far away as possible from their own area, but the impression is that there is a lot of work to be done to secure Maignan’s goal as the level of the opponents rises;
– Needless to say the numerical inferiority totally changed the match for Milan, who first pulled Reijnders back to Krunic’s line, then forced Pioli to give up Giroud to insert the third midfielder, with Lukaku alongside Belotti in the ranks of the Giallorossi, who set off in search of a comeback similar to last January . A comeback that didn’t materialize this time, but that doesn’t mean the Rossoneri shouldn’t worry, who again tonight seemed to be a bit satisfied once they doubled their lead, stopping looking for a third goal, only to suffer when the lead closed halved. This year Pioli’s team has the men to try and attack for all ninety minutes, thanks to higher-level substitutions and they will have to change their mentality to prevent them from being wasted. In fact, it is difficult to evaluate the entrances of Okafor and Chukwueze in tonight’s situation;
– The impact on Romelu Lukaku – introduced just before the initial whistle – on Roma’s game it was immediate. The characteristics of the Belgian are well known and the entry into the game in progress, moreover in numerical superiority, allows him to make the most of his physicality without paying too much attention to his form, which cannot be the best. Since his entry, alongside Belotti, his teammates are constantly looking for him and he acts almost as an advanced playmaker, taking charge of all the balls and sorting them for his teammates, putting the opposing rearguard in apprehension as it had never been until that moment. His total self-denial, which leads him to remedy a yellow card in the containment phase, this evening was not enough to turn the game around, but it is clear that Mourinho will have to rely on him to raise the level of competitiveness of his Romawho after three days of the championship wanders into the slums with only one point in the standings.