Cagliari 3-3 AC Milan: Five things we learned – defence collapses, momentum evaporates

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·10 November 2024

Cagliari 3-3 AC Milan: Five things we learned – defence collapses, momentum evaporates

Following a massive win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, AC Milan were expected to keep up their momentum in the league against a struggling Cagliari.

Francesco Camarda got his first start after Morata picked up an injury in training following the Real Madrid game, whilst Tammy Abraham was still not fully fit and Luka Jovic missed out with a back injury.

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The game started terribly as Cagliari took the lead less than two minutes in through Zortea, but Rafael Leao equalised after a lovely through ball by Tijjani Reijnders and then got his brace from another delightful assist, this time from Youssouf Fofana.

Cagliari had a couple of disallowed goals so the warning signs were still there, then Zappa equalised from a cross. Abraham came off the bench to put Milan 3-2 up, but they couldn’t hang on as Zappa scored again in the 89th minute to make it 3-3. Here are five things we learned from the game.

1. Swiss cheese defence

The Rossoneri managed to somewhat limit Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday at the Bernabeu but failed to do so against a struggling Cagliari side, conceding three somewhat similar goals while another two were ruled out.

We can’t really put the blame on a single player this time either. Emerson Royal failed to stop the supply from Cagliari’s left side, Fofana’s woeful pass assisted Zappa on the second goal and Theo struggled with the crosses that came in too.

2. Mike not enough

Despite all of the above issues, Mike Maignan was close to delivering another miracle after so many saves to keep Milan’s chances of a win alive.

The Frenchman was brilliant at the Bernabeu and continued the red-hot form against Cagliari as well, but his teammates let him down this around allowing the opposition too much free space.

It’s worrying that with three goals conceded we need to highlight how important the goalkeeper was because he prevented at least three more in his net.

The former Lille man must be frustrated at the lack of help that he is getting in front of him. Perhaps he can have some input in how the defence should be organised, given he sees the action unfolding in front of him.

3. The maestro shines again

Tijjani Reijnders has now managed a goal or assist in his last five games for Milan. On top of that his elegance in the midfield has allowed his team to move the ball quicker and transition to attack faster thanks to his dribbling and passing abilities.

The assist with the outside of the boot for Leao was lovely to watch and he then continued to play really well throughout the game, being at the heart of creativity.

Unfortunately, his positive performance was cancelled out by his partner in the middle Fofana and the poor display at the back. The obvious takeaway from what we’ve seen from the Dutchman thus far is that the management need to extend his contract as soon as possible.

What might worry Fonseca is the level of reliance on Reijnders, especially given that he is about to jet off and presumably play two more games for the Netherlands. Barring his suspension, he isn’t getting much of a break.

4. Back on his board

Rafael Leao had a well-documented rough patch this season but seems hungrier than ever now. Following an outstanding performance at the Bernabeu he was determined to continue leading the way for his side.

Whilst against Madrid he failed to get on the scoresheet, he managed to do it twice this time around with a lovely first goal and an even better second one where he showed impressive speed, dribbling and composure.

Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images

The winger was a constant threat going forward, but also tracked back a lot and made himself more available. It was close to a complete performance, and we know that these are the levels that he can reach, with consistency the key now.

Unfortunately for him, the result finished 3-3, but if Fonseca manages to fix the defensive issues and Leao continues this trend then Milan will be a very dangerous opponent to face.

5. Supporting cast have a day off

While Leao was doing everything he could to win the game, his team-mates in attack struggled to really get much going.

Chukwueze was virtually non-existent on the right-flank providing nothing going forward and also not doing enough defensively to prevent to help Emerson Royal with the constant crosses that caused so much trouble for Milan.

Christian Pulisic gets a pass at best as he had a hand in the third goal, but was very predictable and didn’t bring enough energy to the pitch throughout the game, not to mention he was sloppy at times giving the ball away cheaply.

Finally, Okafor was hardly impactful off bench as he brought no energy to the pitch, while he also didn’t track back to help his side preserve the lead too. After being shown faith during Leao’s quieter spell, the Swiss is now struggling to showcase his qualities.

As for Camarda, it feels harsh to pass any meaningful comment given that he was thrust into a start at 16 years of age. If anything, the minutes were a useful bit of experience even if he didn’t impact the game much.