Yahoo Sports AC Milan 3-2 Parma: Five things we learned – impact, investment needed and weakest link
Having lost to Juventus last week, AC Milan were in a desperate need of three points to keep up with the top four race, and they got them in dramatic fashion against Parma.
With Juventus and Bologna dropping points on Saturday it was a must-win match, the type that Milan have regularly messed up this season. Matteo Cancellieri’s opener quietened the San Siro crowd, though Christian Pulisic converted a penalty kick to make it 1-1 at the break.
Sergio Conceicao then decided to sub off both Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez despite the situation of the game, perhaps to preserve them for the upcoming crucial Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb and Inter in the derby next week.
Milan struggled to create chances and Parma again grabbed the lead in the 80th minute through Enrico Del Prato, and it looked like they were going to not only claim a win but also the league double over the Rossoneri.
Strahinja Pavlovic had a goal disallowed in the 89th minute due to an offside, but that didn’t discourage the home side as they finally got the equaliser in the 92nd minute through Tijjani Reijnders, converting from Yunus Musah’s through ball.
In the 95th minute, Pavlovic won a header in the opponent’s box and send the ball towards Samuel Chukwueze who bundled past Zion Suzuki to spark scenes of jubilation. There was even room for a confrontation at full-time, while below are five things we learned from the game.
1. The weakest link
Theo Hernandez played a poor game against Girona and continued the negative trend against Parma too. While it was a bit unlucky that he slipped on the first goal it was him again that was the main culprit for Milan conceding.
The fact that the left-back was able to get up and get back in position means that he is still very much to blame. Once again it was all too easy for the opposition winger to get onto their favoured foot and shoot from the edge of the box, a trend we cannot believe the team haven’t adjusted to.
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After that, Theo failed to react appropriately as he contributed little going forward and was shaky at the back, giving the ball away carelessly on a couple of occasions. The Frenchman was subbed off at half-time, so overall it was a pretty bad display.
He will need to improve a lot in the coming games against Dinamo Zagreb and Inter if Milan are to walk away from both games with six points. If Theo (and Leao) are not at the races, they instantly have a low ceiling to their performance levels, such is their importance.
2. Going nowhere
There have been multiple rumours suggesting that Pavlovic could be heading for an early exit following his limited playing time since arriving in the summer from Red Bull Salzburg, with Fenerbahce and Stuttgart linked.
Since those rumours surfaced Conceicao has given the Serbian two chances in the line-up, one against Girona where he performed well to secure a clean sheet, and now against Parma where he won the MOTM in our post-game ratings.
Pavlovic was a rock at the back as he made multiple crucial interceptions and was truly the pillar of that defence. On top of that he seems to have improved in possession, both his passing and runs forward looking much better in the past two games.
On top of that he was an aerial threat in the opposition box after he was instructed to stay there in the final minutes of the game. It resulted in a disallowed goal for him after a lovely header and then on his second attempt he got an assist for the winning goal.
You can’t ask for more from a centre-back; a penalty won, a crucial assist plus several key interceptions and tackles at the back to help his side grab all three points. If it was an audition of sorts, he passed with flying colours.
3. Stars and stripes
Musah and Pulisic had mixed performances, even though both of them contributed in the win. Pulisic of course netted the equaliser through the penalty kick, but then being a bit of a ghost prior and after that moment.
The former Chelsea man has been pivotal for Milan with his goals and assists, but he does seem to struggle down the right flank as he just can’t seem to beat his man and create dangerous chances, especially against a low block.
He was better on the left towards the end of the game in terms of getting involved, but ultimately he needed to do more in attack, not to mention his was beaten very easily on Parma’s first goal, but his penalty saves him a bit.
Musah also had a rollercoaster performance too. He was a bit sloppy in the first half, but picked up the pace in the second half showing good work rate and providing a lovely assist for Reijnders.
Overall he seems to be improving under Conceicao as he is finally getting more consistent playing time. We can’t help but feel that one of the key things will be nailing down a main position.
4. The big investment is needed
With the performances we saw from both Alvaro Morata and Tamy Abraham yet again, it is no wonder that Milan are hard at work to bring another striker. Santiago Gimenez looks like the most feasible option at this point in time and the deal couldn’t be finished fast enough.
The Spaniard was constantly offside and when he wasn’t he was struggling to combine properly with his team-mates or get a good shot off. We need not repeat this every week, but he is not a player than will ever be prolific nor dominant leading the line.
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Abraham was also a ghost after coming on. The Englishman had a couple of chances to carry the ball forward but he just seemed sloppy with his control and surprisingly slow, which resulted in nothing worth mentioning. He has been a game-changer in the past, to his credit, yet today offered little.
Thus a striker like Gimenez – who has been scoring plenty for Feyenoord, including a brace against Bayern Munich in midweek – could be a good solution to the problem. Milan might finally have a threat in the penalty box that has been missing this season, if he were to arrive.
5. Necessary impact
Chukwueze has struggled overall since joining Milan as the most expensive signing last summer and is usually one of the flops of the game when he does make an appearance. This time, though, he deserves his plaudits.
The Nigerian created chances with his determination to get on the ball and make things happen, and was unlucky not to get the assist for Pavlovic’s headed equaliser for which he had strayed a couple of yards offside.
The ex-Villarreal man managed to leave his mark as he was at the right place in the right time to get his goal right at the end and spark rapturous scenes. IT might end up being a crucial goal in the fight for top four and from an unlikely source.
Overall it was a decent display as the winger entered the pitch with the right mindset and worked hard to make the difference. The key thing is that he can: 1) stay fit for a longer stretch and 2) use this as a platform for bigger things.
