Milan Player Ratings: Napoli 4-0 AC Milan

AC Milan whooped Napoli 4-0 at the Maradona last night as Stefano Pioli finally made the changes to his system to hit back against high press teams. Rafael Leao scored a brace while Brahim Diaz and Alecia Saelemaekers each bagged one apiece. Here are our player ratings for the game:

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STARTING LINE-UP

Mike Maignan: A clean sheet against the league leaders but he was not tested for the bulk of the game. He had some diving saves to make off Kvara’s and Zielinski’s shots which he managed with ease. 7.5/10

Davide Calabria: A good game from him and a surprisingly effective one against Kvara. He struggled in moments throughout the game but held up well overall with important interceptions. 7/10

Simon Kjaer: I was skeptic about him in the starting line up but he held up well and was intelligent to position himself to lessen the burden on his pace. He hounded Simeone whenever the ball fell to him and pulled off some solid long balls. 8/10

Fikayo Tomori: A near perfect game from him as he found that 2021 form. He was aggressive and actually won the balls when he pressed high, he put his body on the line to block some shots and distributed the well exceptionally. 8/10

Theo Hernandez: A really strong game for him as he pretty much pocketed Politano. He was immense in driving up the pitch and his support play freed up Leao to find space. He could have got a goal but needs to refine his volley technique. 7.5/10

Ismael Bennacer: A fantastic game for him as our midfield finally looked dominant. He was making interceptions, drawing fouls and playing vertical balls beautifully. He did not skip a beat and was all over Zielinski making it hard for Napoli to create much. 7.5/10

Rade Krunic: A true Krunic performance. It was a gritty display where he fought hard to win the ball and was consistently breaking up their play frustrating the Napoli midfielders. He went toe to toe with Anguissa and kept him at bay for the entire game. 8/10

Sandro Tonali: He has received lots of stick in recent months but similar to Tomori turned back the clock to last season. His passing was pinpoint and he was a monster physically as he overpowered Lobotka and shut him down. A foundation for his return. 7.5/10

Brahim Diaz: A top notch display where he showed a desire to make things happen. A goal and an assist for his effort. If he could deliver games like this more consistently, he could easily be our best player. 8.5/10

Rafael Leao: How long have we waited to see him smile and deliver such a ridiculously strong performance. Both his goals were world class with the chip and the fiery strike. He turned up in the biggest game of the season but we need more of this going forward. 9/10

Olivier Giroud: He kept the ball moving and made the small passes. Nothing much of note but he contributes well off the ball. 6.5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Alexis Saelemaekers: He managed to emulate Messi and channel his inner superstar to pull off an outrageous goal. He broke through the defence and got himself one for the highlights reels. Solid in defence too. 7/10

Ante Rebic: He got us to make moves on the counter a few times and added some fight into the final couple of minutes. 5/10

Divock Origi: A quiet appearance, the game was wrapped up and he barely got any touches in the ball. 5/10

Tiemoue Bakayoko: He was barely on the pitch for a few minutes and made a costly error that created Napoli’s best chance of the game. He needs to stay on the bench until the end of the season. 3/10

MANAGER

Stefano Pioli: How has he pulled this one off and can he do it twice again? Pioli changed the tactics and broke the Napoli system but there will be an asterisk as their talisman Osimhen was missing. The 4-3-3 works and the team are attacking again, a good one from him. 8/10