Milan Player Ratings: AC Milan 1 - 1 Sampdoria

AC Milan took on Sampdoria in their first game following the international break and looked awful. Milan were slow and missing their usual flow as Stefano Pioli made some strange choices with Saelemaekers starting at RB and Krunic starting at LW. Milan were punished by Quagliarella after Hernandez made a ridiculuos error allowing the opposition an easy opener and putting us on the back foot. A late goal salvaged a point but Milan look set for a rough end of the season.

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STARTING LINE-UP

Gianluigi Donnarumma: He made a number of incredible saves in the first half. He was out of position when we conceded but he can’t be blamed for that as it come out of the blue. 6/10

Alexis Saelemaekers: He did well to keep the attacks down that wing to a minimum but looked out of his depth when he was being attacked by multiple players hence the yellow card. 5/10

Simon Kjaer: Solid game for the defender as he cleared the lines well for most of the game. He kept Gabbiadini at bay and put in some good long passes. 6/10

Fikayo Tomori: Pretty quiet game for the defender. He held up well against Quagliarella but seems frustrated in the second half when he fired off a couple of poor passes right at the opposition. 6/10

Theo Hernandez: Another FOTM performance from the Frenchman. What a dumbfounded mistake under no pressure to put Milan in a fix for the whole second half. He is so infuriating as he offers so little in these games, he blindly runs forward and it comes to nothing time and time again. He needs to be reprogrammed as he is the weakest link at the moment. 3/10

Franck Kessie: Kessie looked tired but stepped up as usual. He was driving the attack forward, he provided the assist for Hauge’s goal and he had a shot deflected onto the woodwork in the closing minutes. A spirited display but he needs more support from the attack. 6.5/10

Ismael Bennacer: A pretty average display. His passing was good, but nothing much of note. He was pressured constantly hence he could not advance as much as he would have liked to. 5/10

Samu Castillejo: Similar to recent months, he brain is writing checks that his feet can’t afford. He needs to be able to take on defenders but this does not happen. He struggled to find piercing passes and barely puts in crosses. Very weak performance which highlights the need for a RW this summer. 4.5/10

Hakan Calhanoglu: A poor display which came as a shock after his incredible international break. He looked lost of ideas and tried to force the plays and passes as opposed to waiting for the right moment. 5/10

Rade Krunic: Notably absent and did not provide any support going forward. He was a big flop as he slowed down the attack and needs to do better. 4/10

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: A very poor game from the veteran. He looked slow, lethargic and complained more often than he actually contributed. His passing and vision seem compromised and he really didn’t challenge the Sampdoria goal. 4.5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Pierre Kalulu: Kalulu looks solid at right back and is getting better with his crosses into the box. The right back also covered well defensively and provided solidity when we faced counter attacks. 6/10

Ante Rebic: A disappointing display from him. He did not play with a sense of urgency and wasted the opportunities that he had. A few shots were scuppered and he lacked directness. 5.5/10

Sandro Tonali: He steadied the midfield when he came on got the ball moving. He gave us a bit more cover defensively as he sat deep but should’ve done more to hasten the build up play. 6/10

Jens Petter Hauge: An interesting cameo from him as his dribbling led him into a wall. He did manage to make a case for more game time with a lovely finish after connecting with Kessie’s pass. 6.5/10

MANAGER

Stefano Pioli: Pioli made some strange calls for the starters including Krunic at LW and Saelemaekers at RB. The in-game management was slightly better as Kalulu, Rebic, Tonali and Hauge all made an impact but it came way too late. He needs to better inspire the squad or we will miss out on UCL football. 5/10