AC Milan 0-1 Bologna: Five things we learned – problems visible everywhere | OneFootball

It was nothing short of a disappointment as AC Milan failed to redeem themselves a bit by winning the Coppa Italia.

The expectations were high going into the game, given Milan had been in form recently with Conceicao managing to find rhythm with his 3-4-3 formation. With the Rossoneri managing to comeback and win 3-1 against Bologna just days before the final, this was encouraging enough for the fans to believe that their team can lift the Coppa Italia, against the same opponents, for the first time since 2003.

The reality was totally different though, and excluding a shot from close range by Luka Jovic that Skorupski saved the Diavolo produced close to nothing for the remainder of the game.

In the 53rd minute, Dan Ndoye opened up the scoring after a series of errors in defence for Milan, giving his side the much needed goal. Ultimately though, it was deserved as Bologna were the more direct team even if they had less of the possession.

Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images

From then onwards Bologna had no troubles absorbing the pressure and even pressed really themselves, limiting the space available for their opponents. Something which Milan had a lot of difficulties escaping.

Towards the end of the game there was a bit more space as Bologna sat deeper in their half, but the Rossoneri again failed to produce anything worthwhile and it was a night to forget in the end as Sergio Conceicao’s men were totally outplayed and lost a record 10th final in the Coppa Italia.

Here are five observations from the game:

1. Reflection point

It’s always hard to put the blame on a couple of individual when clearly the whole teams is struggling. However, questions have to be raised regarding Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao’s performances on the night and throughout the season.

Against Bologna, Leao was the most threatening attacker, but the fact of the matter is that he wasn’t that threatening at all. He lacked the finishing pass or shot, as he usually does, and on some occasions even if he did beat his man he ended up losing the ball shortly after.

The Portuguese was not good enough for the salary and the price tag he has and he hasn’t been the top player Milan expected him to be for too long now. The occasional flashy performance won’t cut it at a club like Milan, who need a star that can take on the pressure and pave the way forward in big games which is exactly what the winger is not.

Theo has also had an up and down season and truth be told the players around him haven’t helped especially as we mentioned Leao’s struggles too.

The Frenchman has also been very solid in recent years and this is his first season where he hasn’t really been a key figure, but the poor performances still warrant some reflection from the management especially given his contract expires in 2026.

He either needs to renew or be sold in the summer to avoid him leaving on a free, though it seems the latter is more likely.

2. Very shaky at the back

The defence has been quite solid lately but against Bologna it didn’t quite hold up and even though only one goal was conceded it was more than Milan could afford on the night.

Fikayo Tomori, especially, was really harsh with his tackles in the first half giving away a lot of fouls. On the goal he wasn’t the main man to blame, but the feeling is that he could’ve done better as Theo made a good sliding tackle where the ball ended up in Ndoye whilst Tomori was waving his hand for an offside instead of playing to the whistle.

You simply can’t afford to do that and what’s worst is he was the one that kept his opponent on side which makes it even more frustrating. The rest of the defence was actually not that bad in all fairness, although Theo could’ve also done a bit better with his marking on the goal.

It’s also fair to say that Kyle Walker was also horrendous off the bench as he did not contribute forward. He played a lot of sloppy balls and refused to cross the ball on the couple of occasions where he could’ve sent it into the penalty box.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Instead he played a back pass, one of which ended up in Mike Maignan’s feet instead of a cross into the opponents half. An astonishingly poor performance by a player who should been experienced enough and able to help his side in such tough situations.

3. Midfield outplayed

There were many issues with the whole performance yesterday but one of the key areas where the Diavolo failed to take control has to be the midfield.

Youssouf Fofana was sloppy and lost the ball on multiple occasions because of his poor control and then when he did get into dangerous spaces he failed to be decisive with his passing which sums up his season.

A season where he’s done some good things occasionally and but has been frustrating to watch for the bigger part and it seems that he is not the person to build the midfield around going forward as he has had a whole season to prove his worth and the value is still missing.

Tijjani Reijnders also struggled and couldn’t help his side escape the high press following the goal. Most of the players, including him, seemingly gave up after that goal as there was nobody trying to get on the ball and make something happen.

Whilst the Dutchman did try, he ultimately failed as he didn’t make the right decisions when he did get the empty space and we expect much more from a player from his calibre.

4. No impact from the bench

In the league game a few days ago, the bench made a big impact for the Rossoneri as they won 3-1 from 1-0 down. Of course, this time around it didn’t work out for Conceicao.

Joao Felix brought some quality in the middle as he managed to beat his man a couple of times and seemed like the only player that could escape Bologna’s press. However, most of the times he was ruthlessly fouled before he can make anything out of the situation.

More Stories about Joao Felix

GdS: Summer clear out expected as six can leave Milan – the two stars available

15 May 2025, 14:55

Watch: ‘Like a team’ – AC Milan players react to Mother’s Day messages

11 May 2025, 16:30

Joao Felix explains how Milan can hurt ‘man-marking’ Bologna: “The right passes”

9 May 2025, 20:20

The Portuguese did have a moment where the ball was crossed to him from the flank and his show was just dreadful as he couldn’t make proper contact with the ball, something which summarised his time in red and black as he never really got going.

Santiago Gimenez, Tammy Abraham and Samuel Chukwueze also offered little, with Chukwueze probably being the most active as he managed to beat his man a few times. Nevertheless, he failed to cross the ball or make a dangerous shot and it was not as efficient as his last outing.

Walker was also dreadful after coming on as we already mentioned above. Unfortunately there wasn’t a player that could help Milan on the night, it seemed.

5. Conceicao’s farewell?

If Milan did end up winning the Coppa Italia and finished the season strong then Conceicao might have been able to keep his job or agree to continue on as a Milan manager. That now seems a bit far fetched, though.

Unfortunately, the problems come from the top, and a manager change might not cut it, even if Conceicao didn’t really turn the ship around.

He managed to win the Supercoppa Italiana and then struggled in Serie A. However, he eventually did find a way to stabilise the ship – probably too little too late, admittedly – but all that momentum was ruined by the defeat in the Cup final.

Realistically he might have not been the best choice, but we see the players struggle time and time again whilst the highest earners struggle to lead the team forward.

Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

As a result, one has to think is Conceicao going to be the scapegoat for this Milan management that has failed on all fronts and does the same faith await the club next season.