AC Milan boosted their confidence with a big 4-0 win against Udinese on Friday evening. As always, we have collected five things that we learned from the Rossoneri’s performance.
After the 2-2 draw against Fiorentina, a response was needed from Sergio Conceicao’s men and that is certainly what we got. With two goals in each half, the Rossoneri comfortably clinched all three points and thus boosted their confidence.
With the Coppa Italia still alive, keeping up morale is essential and yesterday’s win will certainly help in that sense. Not to mention that Atalanta are up next, so optimism is needed for that one. Below, we share five things that we learned from the game.
1. Formation change long overdue
It’s been said so many times today already, but we have to highlight the formation change. Three men at the back worked like a charm for Milan as we finally saw a balanced team, and it’s clear that nearly all players benefited from the switch.
The centre-backs have all done well this season, as crazy as that sounds given the numbers, so the fact that Conceicao was able to field three of them helped. Strahinja Pavlovic thrived with his role to the left, while Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia got the job done without any fuss.
Furthermore, Theo Hernandez and Alex Jimenez were both able to push a little bit higher and utilise their attacking skills, focusing less on the defending. It might be the case that Udinese were the perfect opponents for this formation, but it would definitely be interesting to see more of it.
2. Theao responds in style
It has been a season filled with ups and downs for the key duo, consisting of Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao. Yesterday was certainly one of the better nights, with both of them getting on the scoresheet while also combining really well throughout the game.
Leao was named the MOTM by the newspapers this morning, while Hernandez was the second best, and it’s clear that Milan can get positive results with them in good form. The problem, as has been said so many times before this season, is that we still need to see some consistency.
One performance won’t change the overall situation, but rather it only makes us more painfully aware of how good they can be when they turn up. In that sense, the upcoming games against Atalanta and Inter will tell us a lot.
3. Strikers remain in good form
Luka Jovic got the chance from start last night and while he didn’t score, or provide an assist for that matter, his contribution was clear. With the new formation, he often found himself dropping down and that allowed Leao and Pulisic to take on more key roles in the centre.
