Capello: ‘Ugly Milan’ overdependent on Leao and Theo Hernandez

Milan’s ‘ugly’ performance against Juventus struck Fabio Capello, as he believes that their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League are ‘virtually non-existent’ if they keep playing at the same level as in their Saturday’s defeat.

The Rossoneri fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Allianz Stadium, the fifth in their domestic campaign, signalling the same old mentality issues that coach Sergio Conceição hasn’t managed to fix yet.

The former Diavolo and Old Lady manager wrote in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport that Milan still look over-dependent on stars like Rafael Leão and Theo Hernandez, as the team is in ‘total darkness without them and most of the other players are ‘not even worth mentioning’.

Capello: ‘Total darkness’ for Milan without Leão and Theo Hernandez

“Juventus’ win over Milan is a key result in the race for a Champions League spot,” the 78-year-old observed.

“What stood out to me was Milan’s lacklustre performance. An ugly, ugly Milan, clearly inferior, especially from a technical standpoint.

“Conceição’s side struggled visibly against Juve’s pressing. In the first half, during the rare occasions when they managed to build cleanly from the back, they even created some chances.

“But they failed to score, and in the second half, they completely collapsed. Their buildup play was disastrous, poorly managed, with all those passes back to Maignan.

“The feeling is that, no matter who’s on the bench, the Rossoneri always rely on their left flank: if Theo and Leão don’t light it up, it’s total darkness. Fofana and Reijnders struggled, and the rest? Not even worth mentioning.

“And then there’s Bennacer, plagued by injuries, clearly not in form, and it’s visible. As a result, Juve simply had to lock down the left side, neutralise Milan’s best two players, and press effectively on the others.”

The Diavolo currently sit six points behind the last Champions League spot with a game in hand, and while qualifying for the major European competition would require significant improvements, Capello feels that it is ‘far too early to throw in the towel’ for Conceição.

“Race over for the Rossoneri? Hold on,” he noted.

“First of all, we still don’t know if Serie A will send four or five teams to Europe’s top competition next season.

“Plus, Conceição has only just arrived on the Rossoneri bench, so it’s far too early to throw in the towel. That said, if Milan keep playing like they did yesterday in Turin, their hopes of clinching a Champions League spot will be virtually nonexistent.”