Milan Player Ratings: Salernitana 1-2 AC Milan

AC Milan travelled to face Salernitana to open their 2023 and came away with a 2-1 victory. Milan picked up all three points thanks to Leao and Tonali’s early goals. The side slipped up late on but held on for the win. Milan are now just five points below Napoli and will be looking to further shut the gap over the course of the month.

Follow us on Twitter @SBNRossonero

STARTING LINE-UP

Ciprian Tatarusanu: A poor diplay yet again as he was called upon just once and flopped allowing Salernitana back into the game. 5/10

Davide Calabria: He adds so much to the team that is now noticeable since his return. He offers a key dimension to the attack and balance going forward with defending better than anyone else on the roster. He is the leader and brings key motivation. 7/10

Pierre Kalulu: A decent game, he looked rusty for the first 15 minutes but then came back to his usual self. He kept the attack shut down and often pressed up helping the team climb up the pitch. 6.5/10

Fikayo Tomori: He picked up the pace and made some crunching tackles. He was fired up and should have got a goal if Diaz didn’t choose poorly and get the offside called. 7/10

Theo Hernandez: An important performance where he had positive exchanges with Leao and looked fresh despite playing the entire WC campaign. He put in lots of dangerous crosses and should’ve got an assist. 6.5/10

Sandro Tonali: A brilliant start to the year for the midfielder. He grabbed a goal and a assist to secure the win and take home the MVP award. He continues to develop and broaden the scope of his contributions. 8/10

Ismael Bennacer: Another influential performance where he controlled the midfield and won all his battles. He needs to rediscover his connection with the attacking trio to be able to put through the piercing passes. 7/10

Alexis Saelemaekers: Lots of running but largely ineffective as usual. He was the reason we conceded the goal as he lost his man on the counter. He can offer a lot but is not hiting any stride in the final third. 5/10

Brahim Diaz: A wasted opportunity for him and a selfish move which backfired as he tried to steal Tomori’s goal. He did well to set up Tonali’s goal and looks to be the one for the tough stretch of games in January. 6.5/10

Rafael Leao: A stunning performance in the first half but a wasteful second half. His goal was beautiful and he beat the defenders for fun but needs to be more productive as there will be sides who will not allow as many chances. 7/10

Olivier Giroud: A quiet one for him. He was threatening on occasion and would likely have a goal if not for Ochoa’s fine form. 6/10

SUBSTITUTES

Charles de Ketelaere: He finally looked somewhat confident and his movement was solid. He got off two or three great shots at goal but was denied by the brick wall that is Ochoa. He seems to be getting some groove back. 6.5/10

Matteo Gabbia: A good game as he kept it tidy and was relentless with the clearances. 6/10

Sergino Dest: A better game from him as he looked more at home as a right winger. He made good runs into the box and had a half chance at goal. 6/10

Aster Vranckx: He played a crucial role to calm the game down and kill it off. He is great at putting the ball into the box and created good chances for the attack. He is showing maturity and will be an important player going forward. 7/10

MANAGER

Stefano Pioli: He got off to a good start and has slightly closed the gap to Napoli at the top. He is still dealing with an injury crisis and has 8 games in the month. He needs to manage his players well and rotate lots to get through the spell. 7/10