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Well, that was not the way Gattuso wanted to start his tenure at Milan, with a draw away at lowly and last place Benevento. This was the first point for Benevento all season and it came at the hands of a club who had spent over 150 million euros this past offseason in hopes of a return to the world stage! That’s going to take a while to come to fruition, if it comes at all.
So, on reflection - here are three things to takeaway from the game!
1 - Benevento Deserved the Draw
Here’s the dramatic goal by Benevento’s goalkeeper that ended the game.
Filth pic.twitter.com/tOvB8uVsn0
— The AC Milan Offside (@SBNRossonero) December 3, 2017
So, after the Alessio Romagnoli red card in the 75th minute, the wheels came off for Milan and Benevento began to attack with ease. After being very insistent, it finally happened for them and in the 94th minute, it was the goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli who secured the first point for his team this season with a class header.
Benevento, after the red card, came alive and ended up with more shots (17-12) and just barely lost the possession battle (47-53) after being fairly dominated earlier in the game (Who Scored).
2 - Giacomo Bonaventura was Milan’s Best Player
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The Italian played valiantly and out performed his teammates today, especially later on. It seems Bonaventura is finally getting a rhythm he can hopefully sustain for the rest of the season. He scored a good goal in the 38th minute to go along with an assist for Nikola Kalinic which nearly secured the victory for Milan if not for the heroics at the end by Benevento’s goalkeeper.
Giacomo Bonaventura is a great player and he was not given a fair chance by Vincenzo Montella so now under Gattuso maybe he continue his play and help jolt some life into this Milan squad.
3 - Gattuso Needs to Find a Proper Identity for This Squad
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I know he has not had time for this being in charge of the club under a week and all, but he essentially played the same way Montella had recently with a 3-4-3 formation that does not work for Milan. I would like to see Gattuso use a 4-3-3 or even a more traditional 4-2-3-1 where he can rely on players like Suso, Fabio Borini and Bonaventura to help the team push forward and play where they are a bit more comfortable. Until they get a world class striker they will have to rely on what they have and these players playing underneath any one of the forwards will help.
It is no secret Milan need results and they need them now. Gattuso simplifying the tactics and playing a more direct style can, at least in the short run, produce some results if done properly.
That’s it! Let us know what you guys think in the comments and as always, Forza Milan!