Milan Player Ratings: Milan 2-0 Crotone

After an exhilarating match in the Europa League against Bodo/Glimt, AC Milan had to face Serie B runner ups Crotone. Manager Stefano Pioli gave starts to newcomers Brahim Diaz and Sandro Tonali. Instead of giving Colombo another chance Pioli started Ante Rebic up front. In the first half Milan controlled much of the possession and game. Although the match seemed open any chances created by Crotone amounted to nothing. For the first 45 minutes Milan had a few chances but were lacking in finishing which is understandable because of the absence of Zlatan. It seemed also that Rebic as a long striker isn't the best option for this Milan team. However in the 45th minute Rebic collected a long ball from Theo Hernandez, dribbled into the box and got fouled. Milan were awarded a penalty and Kessie scored it to give Milan a lead.

The majority of the second half was much like the first with Milan seemingly controlling the match. In the 50th minute Milan came on the attack, eventually falling to Brahim Diaz in front of the net. Diaz turned and shot to score his first goal as a Milan player. Once Milan were up 2-0 it looked that the team turned it down some notches going into second gear. Milan were solid enough to keep their lead and a clean sheet. Now the team must look forward to their last Europa League qualifier on Thursday.

STARTING LINE-UP

Gigio Donnarumma: Another clean sheet for Gigio. It is nice to see that Milan aren't conceding late goals like in recent years. 6.5/10

Davide Calabria: Last match Davide had his hands full with Hauge but today he recaptured his good form. He along with the rest of the defence was rock solid. 6.5/10

Simon Kjaer: Kjaer continues to impress and with Romagnoli out he stands out even more. He was suffocating the Crotone attackers giving them no room to breathe. 7/10

Matteo Gabbia: Gabbia like Calabria bounced back nicely against Crotone. He looked more confident with and without the ball. 6.5/10

Theo Hernandez: Theo is starting to drop absolute dimes to get assists. Last week he assisted Ibra and this week he sent in Rebic leading to a Milan penalty. 7/10

Sandro Tonali: Tonali made his first start for Milan and I thought he was impressive. Starting the game made Tonali seem less nervous and anxious leading him to play confidently. He made a few beautiful passes and truly showed his promise in this match. 6.5/10

Franck Kessie: Frank the tank had a strong defensive game against Crotone. He was solid as a defender in his zone not giving up the ball. He got out of some potential dangerous situations eliminating attacks by Crotone. 8/10

Alexis Saelemaekers: One thing that I respect about Saelemaekers is that he knows he isn't the best player so he stays in his lane and works hard. He has been playing better than Castillejo and that continued again today. However I do believe we are in desperate need for a right winger. 6/10

Hakan Calhanoglu: Calhanoglu didn't have a monster match like he did against Bodo/Glimt but his presence was felt. He had a few balls that created chances for Milan and his pressing was vital to the team. 6.5/10

Brahim Diaz: Brahim Diaz got the start on the left side today but he did drift inside quite a bit. Stefano Pioli mentioned that Diaz will need a bit more time to adjust to the physicality and intensity that the Italian league plays with and I agree with that. Diaz did show promise though and even scored. 6/10

Ante Rebic: Sadly Rebic got injured against Crotone and it seems he could be out for some time. Before the injury Rebic didn't look great as the sole striker. He seemed out of place and with him upfront the attack didn't seem as fluid. 5.5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Lorenzo Colombo: Colombo came on for the injured Rebic and played fine but unspectacular upfront. He did have one nice run where I thought he should have scored but failed to capitalize. 6/10

Ismael Bennacer: Allowing Bennacer to rest this game was huge. He came on with more than 30 minutes left to see out the Milan victory. When he came on he did what Ismael does and stayed solid. 6/10

Samu Castillejo: Samu is just out of form no question about it. As of right now Saelemaekers should be starting. 5.5/10

Rade Krunic: Krunic continues to come on later in matches allowing Milan to hold their lead. He is a solid player that doesn't make much mistakes but he also doesn't catch your eye. It should be noted that he even almost scored to give Milan a 3-0 lead.

Rafael Leao: Leao came on with little time left but in that little time he still showed off his skills almost scoring a very nice individual effort. He did look a bit winded near the end of the match but recovering from Covid might do that to you. 6/10