Milan Player Ratings: Bologna 0-2 AC Milan

AC Milan open their season with a 2-0 win over Bologna away from home. The game was not an easy one but there were some promising debuts. Olivier Giroud was the standout performer as he continues to deliver for the side despite his age. Stefano Pioli needs to work on his system and has a big defensive gap to fill in the midfield.

Here are our player ratings for the game:

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You can watch the match highlights here or below.

STARTING LINE-UP

Mike Maignan: A clean sheet that entirely belongs to him. The defence did him no favours and he was called into action more than needed given our vulnerability. Good start to the season where he will be called upon lots. 7.5/10

Davide Calabria: A poor performance from the captain. He got spun around multiple times and allowed too many dangerous attacks in on his wing. He needs to step up as he is looking slow and slightly out of place given Kalulu is waiting for his spot. 4.5/10

Malick Thiaw: He is a talent but a raw one. He made a couple of gaffs throughout the game losing possession in dangerous areas. He was solid aerially but looks out of step with Tomori and need to fix up quick. 5/10

Fikayo Tomori: Another stinker, his drop off from being the best defender in the league to this is shocking. It seems to be a mental issue as his decision making is questionable. He opened space for Zirkzee and Orsolini in the box allowing some big chances for Bologna. 4.5/10

Theo Hernandez: A mixed bag for him as he was solid going forward but the final product was missing but he was often out of position when they countered. This is an issue given the lack of midfield cover as the side lost the compact shape. 5.5/10

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: A disappointing debut for him given how well Reijnders and Pulisic performed. He seemed a little lost in the midfield and was aimlessly chasing the ball for the bulk off the game. Some good passes forward but nothing extraordinary. 6/10

Rade Krunic: A big red flag for the season. Krunic struggled as the defensive midfielder, he is no Tonali and certainly no Kessie. Krunic pressures but loses focus and the ball holding is just not there moreover he lacks the intuition to make interceptions regularly. Milan were torn open every time Bologna countered and this is on him as the DM. 4/10

Tijjani Reijnders: He has a bright future and is already looking to be the big surprise of the summer. He is great with the ball and has the vision for piercing passes. He got an assist on his debut which is big and he is adopted to the role really well. 7/10

Christian Pulisic: A dream debut for the American captain. He scored a brilliant goal and did much better on the wing. Pulisic added a whole new dimension to the attack and was the focal point for this game. He has a good cross and a strong ability to break through that defensive line. 8/10

Rafael Leao: A lethargic performance, he looked slow and no over the summer break. He redeemed himself somewhat with flashes of brilliance especially his run that ended with his hitting the post. He needs to wake up and get going as he has not turned up yet. 6/10

Olivier Giroud: 36 years old and starting his 19th senior season with a bang. He scores our opening goal of the season from a tight angle and then plays a lovely one-two to assist Pulisic for his debut goal. He is static in attack but he is clinical when the chance comes. 7.5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Noah Okafor: He barely touched the ball as he came on when Milan were taking on pressure so we did not see much of him. 5/10

Tommaso Pobega: He still looks to have a heavy touch and he was not effective to break up the play when he came on. 5/10

Pierre Kalulu: A good display where he showed his calmness in defence and his ability to play quickly going forward. He should really be the starting right back by now . 6.5/10

Samuel Chukwueze: A forgettable debut for him, he was subbed on late when the team had decided to sit back so he barely touched the ball. Looking forward to seeing more of him. 5/10

Simon Kjaer: He was an odd substitution. He didn’t do much. N/A

MANAGER

Stefano Pioli: He gets the win but it was not pretty. Milan were lucky to have the two early goals that were against the run of play. He needs to sort out the midfield and wake up the defence. The 4-3-3 might be the way to go but Pioli must use his subs and utilise the dpeth options. He could have subbed off Giroud and Leao/Pulisc at the 60th minute to give Okafor and Chukwueze some decent time to do something but he chooses to overwork players. 5/10