Juventus 2-0 AC Milan: Five things we learned – Conceicao outcoached amid squad flaws | OneFootball

AC Milan failed to improve the situation in the Serie A standings as Juventus prevailed 2-0 on Saturday evening. It was a very poor performance from the Rossoneri and as a result, unfortunately, all of the main takeaways are of a negative nature.

The first half wasn’t horrendous by any means, even if Milan allowed Juventus to dominate possession from the first minute. However, the Bianconeri didn’t do much with it and the Rossoneri actually had the best chances in that half.

Everything was turned upside down for Sergio Conceicao’s men in the second half, though, as Thiago Motta’s side stepped up their game and eventually found the back of the net. Below are five things we learned from the disappointing defeat.

1. Reinforcements are needed now

Fueled by the injury ‘crisis’, it became painfully clear that Milan need signings this month in order to stay in the top-four race. Kyle Walker appears to be on the brink of joining the club but aside from him, there are no concrete leads 19 days into the January window.

The centre-forward position, which we will discuss more below, is obviously the priority but the Rossoneri could also use a midfield signing. Unfortunately, everything about this mercato feels like deja vu as we supposedly have to wait for ‘last-minute opportunities‘.

In short, we all knew the limitations of this squad as we headed into this month – even in light of the Supercoppa win – and so far the management hasn’t taken any action.

2. Motta outcoached Conceicao

Conceicao talks a big game about the poor attitude and lack of hunger of the Milan players, but we must also acknowledge that Juventus played a lot better thanks to their tactics. Motta got almost everything right, even the subs, and he only improved the game in the second half.

Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Milan weren’t awful in the first half, creating some good chances, but I bet most Rossoneri fans still expected Conceicao to change things for the better with his instructions during the interval. However, the team looked much worse for the remaining 45 minutes which was worrying to see.

Again, while it’s clear that the players must do better as well, this cannot be the focal point week in and week out. The truth is that we have seen few ‘tactical successes’ since Conceicao took over the club, and with that statement I’m mainly referring to how the team is set up from the start for a game (thus not including subs).

3. Abraham and Morata are not enough

It has been said many times before this season, so the take is certainly not unique, but it’s worth highlighting once again. Tammy Abraham had a really tough evening with just 25 touches and zero shots (!). I will say that again, the striker of Milan had zero shots in a game against Juventus.

Not to hate on Alvaro Morata, given that he has actually had several good moments this season, but he hasn’t been good enough either when you take all of the games into consideration. Of course, this is yet another development that fans predicted in the summer; he has never been a ‘bomber’, in the Euros he was crucial for Spain for his hold-up play and hard work (one goal scored).

Milan need someone who can finish the chances. Oliver and I (Isak) reacted to ‘iconic moments’ against Juventus on Friday and Carlos Bacca scored a lovely goal in one of those games, and he was certainly a player who could finish.

4. Everything still hinges on Theo and Leao

Juventus applied a very high press last night and this put Milan in great difficulty. In the first half, however, they were able to get out of this quite a few things and this always stemmed from the same player: Theo Hernandez or Rafael Leao.

Image: AC Milan

Both of them had some really good moments in the first half and perhaps with a proper striker, one of those chances would have been put away. Things changed for the worse in the second half, though, as the duo dropped significantly in quality and struggled to impose themselves.

This was reflected in our player ratings, especially for Leao, and it’s something Fabio Capello highlighted as well in his post-match column. Without them in form, it’s pitch black for Milan as the legendary manager put it.

5. We need a top-four miracle

Up until yesterday’s game, I was quite optimistic regarding the top-four race still. Perhaps it hadn’t properly sunk in that we could miss out, but now the gravity of the situation is clear. Juventus extended their gap, while the likes of Lazio and Bologna also won.

The worrying thing is that the game in hand, against Bologna mind you, would put Milan within three points of Juve (5th) and five points of Lazio (4th). In short, even with a win in that game, there is a lot of work for Milan to do.

The season is still long, that much is true, but it’s clear that the management should be very worried about the future that lies ahead. Something needs to change, starting with the mercato…