AC Milan played a terrible game and had to save a last minute penalty for the win against Genoa. Here’s our review of the game:
To hell and back...
— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 5, 2019
Massive three points! ⚫️
®️ di Reina e Rimonta
3⃣ punti! #GenoaMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/avkBg4zyhV
Reina Is Classy But A Liability
Pepe Reina had a roller coaster ride of a game against Genoa. Gianluigi Donnarumma was named in the starting line up but was replaced by the Spain international right before the game as Italy’s no. 1 came down with some stomach problems. Reina made some good saves in the first half and commanded the back line well until he made a huge blunder on a set piece. Reina misjudged Lasse Schone’s free kick that came straight at him practically gifting Genoa a goal. The keeper then conceded a last minute penalty to Kouame albeit a questionable call by the referee. But Reina stepped up and his experience showed as he came up with a clutch save that won Milan their first three points after three consecutive losses.
THEEEEOOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/AdQLtpm55p
— MilanGifs (@MilanGifs) October 5, 2019
Hernandez Adds Flair and Impact
The French left back has been a huge attacking asset for Milan since he stole the starting sport from Rodriguez. Hernandez adds pace and an element of surprise for Milan on the counter and he has developed some chemistry on the left side of pitch. Hernandez had some great link up play with Paqueta and Bonaventura to terrorise Genoa’s right back and led to both of Milan’s goals. Hernandez scored a brilliant finessed shot after Milan took advantage of a quick free kick as Paqueta thought quick to release the left back. On the second goal, Hernandexz played a role in the build up to the penalty releasing quick passes to catch Genoa out.
— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) October 5, 2019
Milan Management and Manager Not On The Same Page
If anything, Genoa and Milan demonstrated how far apart Milan’s management is from Giampaolo. The footage of Paolo Maldini and Zvonimir Boban during the game is astounding as the duo of directors were visibly frustated at the decisions of the manager and the performances of the players. The duo did not exercise any constraint with their expressions of anger while in the stands. There have been rumours circling for over a week of Giampaolo being sacked and these have grown since Milan’s lucky victory. Also, it was quite noticeable that Maldini did not return for the second half of the game.
This sequence from Paquetá is what gets you excited. The raw talent is there, decision making will improve as he matures. Good outing from him today pic.twitter.com/izMpq8bZoi
— Martino Puccio (@MartinoPuccio) October 6, 2019
Paqueta and Leao Take Their Chance
Paqueta and Leao were shocking exclusions from the starting line up but saved Giampaolo’s ass when he brought them on in the second half. Paqueta replaced Calhanoglu while Leao replaced Piatek when Milan were 1-0 down. The duo paired with Bonaventura and Hernandez turned the left side of the pitch from a meek stagnant run-around into a mercurial attacking force that brought Milan two goals in the space of ten minutes after the start of the second half. Giampaolo would do well to run with the four players as the core creative unit pulling away from the Suso-centric play of Milan as they have demonstrated their competency and their ability to be game-changers.
Bruh we so soft pic.twitter.com/OPvcfbwVHX
— Gamer Para (@Paracelsus) October 5, 2019
Calabria Struggled and Conti Is A Mess
Davide Calabria had a bad game against Genoa, he made silly mistakes and earned his second red card of the season. Calabria was naive and got caught out by Kouame’s speed and Pinamonti’s trickery but somehow managed to hold his own until the sending off. Calabria was a little slow on the attacks and struggled to effectively support Suso and Kessie throughout the game. Conti was introduced to cover for Calabria after the sending off but once again demonstrated his absolute inability to hold his position and cover long balls. Conti is largely at fault for the late penalty as he failed to track back and defend allowing Kouame the space to run at Reina one-on-one.