Milan Player Ratings: AC Milan 1 - 1 Udinese

AC Milan hosted Udinese at the San Siro and continued their poor run of form at home. Milan dominated possession all game but created absolutely nothing. Udinese played with a defensive wall all game and broke forward on a set piece where Rodrigo Becao beat Alessio Romagnoli on the header to put them in front. Milan had a frustrating second half full of starts and stops. By some miracle, Jens Larsen thought he was playing volleyball in the 95th minute smacking the ball with his hand gifting us a last minute penalty to bail us out and salvage a point. Franck Kessie stepped up and calmly put it away to draw level. Here are our player ratings for the game:

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STARTING LINE-UP

Gianluigi Donnarumma: A strange mistake one the goal that gave Udinese the upper hand. It was a bad day at the office, otherwise did not have much to do. 5/10

Pierre Kalulu: It was really nice to see Kalulu play again. He did well on the wing especially defensively. Going forward he needs more support as he can supply the RW but is less active putting the ball into the box. He is showing his versatility and he will be a great player for the future. 6.5/10

Simon Kjaer: Kjaer was solid this game. He kept Pereyra quiet all game. He challenged all attacks well and was aggressive enough to keep counters at bay. 6/10

Alessio Romagnoli: A tale of two halves for Romagnoli. He made an incredible goal line clearance but was also easily beaten by Becao for the goal. He looked better than in his previous games but he needs to be more of a leader for his side. 5.5/10

Theo Hernandez: Theo is a funny one because defensively he is so vulnerable as shown by the number of counters down his wing where he was nowhere to be seen. Also, caused a number of goal scoring opportunities for Udinese. But now, going forward he is making the wrong decisions such as trying to outrun everyone yourself when you have an easy pass that can break the lines. 4.5/10

Sandro Tonali: He is really growing into the role. He was quick to recover the ball and now drives forward really well. An injury is worrying as he is starting to partner well with Kessie. 7/10

Franck Kessie: Game after game, he is stepping up. He is being a leader, you can see him drive forward, you can hear him push the team forward and you can feel his impact. The goal is once again just the cherry on top of an all rounded performance. 7.5/10

Samu Castillejo: This was a comic performance. He kept slipping and sliding, easily spent more time on the floor than on his feet. He should not be starting and is one of the glaring gaps on this squad. He barely gets a cross in and certainly does not threaten the goal. 4/10

Brahim Diaz: Hakan may be inconsistent but he consistently offers more than Diaz. The Spain international just cannot handle the physicality of Serie A and gets pushed around way too much. There has been little room for him to do anything. 4.5/10

Ante Rebic: One step forward and two steps back. Incredible performance against Roma followed by an anonymous one against Udinese. He needs to do more to open space and be flexible with his position otherwise he is predictable and easily thwarted. 5/10

Rafael Leao: It’s truly a shame to watch him get opportunities knowing the talent he has and to see him waste it. Leao seems to lack the desire and drive to succeed. He is good, we all know that but he needs to show it again. 4.5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Soualiho Meite: This guy belongs in the banter era. He is the 2021 reincarnation of Essien/Traore/Bertolacci and watching him play irks me. His touch is poor, his decision making is illogical and he keeps getting game time. He slows down the midfield and is overall just not at our level. 4/10

Davide Calabria: Calabria is shaping up to be one of my favourites this season. You can see the heart in his play and he really does well barrelling down that wing and keeping the flow to make something happen. 6.5/10

Jens Petter Hauge: He was brought in to inject some pace and to free up Rebic further up. Neither of these came to fruition, he looked scared on the pitch. He needs to sharpen up and be more direct in his approach as he has the skill. 5/10

Alexis Saelemaekers: His work rate is great but he struggles to make a difference and his poor technical skills really hamper his contributions. Once again, a miscommunication with Leao over a shot in the box, it’s like they can’t communicate. 5/10

MANAGER

Stefano Pioli: I have decided to start rating the manager because Pioli’s substitutions are more baffling with each passing week. Meite needs to be left on the bench, Diaz being withdrawn left a hole in the middle disjoining the attack and midfield. Kalulu was doing well he could’ve played on, Calabria would’ve done a better job at RW than Castillejo at this point. 4/10