Tactical Review of AC Milan's Lifeless 0-0 Draw With Sampdoria During Ibrahimovic's Debut

AC Milan put on a lifeless display against Sampdoria and failed to score against the 17th ranked side in the league. Milan have now gone 270 minutes without a goal and have only picked up eight points in the last five games. Here's the game review:

For the 100th Time: All Sizzle, No Steak

Once again, Milan dominated possession against a team that struggled to attack them but wasted their chances and did not create anything significant. The stats show that Milan had 12 shots on target and 14 shots off but when watching the game I can barely think of a moment that got me excited or where I anticipated a goal. The crosses for Suso and Calhanoglu went straight to defenders, Piatek honestly looks lost on a football pitch and Ibrahimovic did not get any service to threaten the opposition. Bonaventura and Leao look dangerous but did not capitalise on their opportunities. Milan need to convert their chances or we will be in for a terrible second half of the season.

Donnarumma The Life Saver

Gigio came up big once again. Despite his crazy runs out of the box and his ability to play as a sweeper, his calmness and great reading of the game made all the difference against Sampdoria. He made two huge one-on-one saves against Gabbiadini and he kept Quagliarella at bay. Donnarumma is a true leader in this team and is standing out as one of the only positive performers week in and out whilst the rest of the teams coasts by. The keeper played a critical role in limiting the attacks of Sampdoria with his huge presence and was rewarded with another clean sheet despite numerous defensive errors.

Suso Is Plain Terrible

The reason why Suso deserves all the criticism he is getting for a genuiley horrid performance is because he is regarded by a good chunk of the fan base as Milan’s best player. Suso’s inconsistency has hurt us in the past but he always manages to conjure up some magic that enchants the fans and gets us to forget all his poor games. Suso in a nutshell is a bang average winger with one single move, no pace, a hit or miss left curler and the work ethic of a sack of potatoes. Suso against Sampdoria was a disaster, he missed so many good chances, failed to challenge his man and could not even deliver the ball for an attacker. His time might be up and this could be a good thing for Milan to move on from his one good season a few years ago.

Leao Deserves The Opportunity

Rafael Leao stepped onto the pitch with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the attacks looked so much more promising. The duo looked in sync and seemed to understand each other’s movements. The exchanged the ball well and combined decently enough with Calhanoglu to come off as a threat during the second half. Whether Stefano Pioli runs with a 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 or 3-5-2 he should consider Leao to be a starter as either the left winger or second striker. The least we could achieve from the season would be the development of a promising youngster. In the past seasons when times were tough Milan managed to develop their youngsters in Cutrone, Locatelli and Calabria despite the poor results.

Romagnoli Looks Uneasy

One constantly disturbing recurrence this season has been the poor, distracted and nervy performances by the Captain Alessio Romagnoli as he seems uneasy at the CB spot. Milan have been pursuing Jean-Clair Todibo for Barcelona and many fans have been asking why another defender is being targeted, perhaps Romagnoli is in dire need for a solid partner to help him manage the pressure on the defence and to help allow him to return to his usual game. Musacchio has been error prone and positionally weak over the past two seasons, while Caldara has been unable to feature due to injury and tactical limitations. Romagnoli made a couple of mistakes against Sampdoria that could’ve led to goals and desperately looks to need some composure.