GdS: ‘Milan fly’ – how Conceicao’s side racked up a fifth Champions League win in a row

SempreMilan

·23 de janeiro de 2025

GdS: ‘Milan fly’ – how Conceicao’s side racked up a fifth Champions League win in a row

The most important thing for AC Milan was the result against Girona, which they obtained, but they were made to suffer for it.

Milan have been able to take comfort from the Champions League where they now sit among the top eight, paradoxically higher than they do in Serie A (8th) and knowing that – by beating Fabio Cannavaro’s Dinamo Zagreb next week – they will be certain of retaining sixth.

Vídeos OneFootball

In doing so they would get into the round of 16 directly, avoiding a two-legged play-off in February. Rafael Leao got the only goal last night in a very open first half, and after a more controlled in the second half the job was eventually done.

Leao positive, Theo negative

To go further in the competition, Milan will have to defend better. However, this version of Leao will be needed, who last night scored his third consecutive goal in the Champions League, as many as he had scored in the 24 previous games.

Since Sergio Conceiçao arrived has had has a decisive assist in the Supercoppa final, a goal in Serie A against Como and the winner last night. Rverything that Paulo Fonseca couldn’t bring out of him is flowing naturally with Conceiçao.

At his side, Mike Maignan made some fantastic saves. Ismael Bennacer also did well, assisting, fighting and directing play. There was a gladiator-like Strahinja Pavlovic, who could be very useful in Zagreb next week.

Once again, however, Theo missed out on a couple of goals and was never able to match the emotional intensity of his team-mates. It’s as if he were already elsewhere. Alvaro Morata also did badly, showing that the Rossoneri need an authoritative, enthusiastic and serene centre-forward.

Tijjani Reijnders is also becoming a problem, who with Conceiçao has not yet played a match at the level of the start of the season. The case deserves reflection, because a more restrained and less dribbled Milan risks devaluing his purest talent.

Another injury

It took only two minutes for the list of injured players – increasingly similar to that of last season – to get longer. Emerson Royal went down in immense pain, and Davide Calabria had to replace him. Even he suffered a shoulder problem but player on.

With Kyle Walker only available from the derby on 2 February, Conceiçao will have to find a right-back for Zagreb with Emerson out and Calabria suspended, having picked up a yellow card for dissent after coming on.

Meanwhile, the coach saw a Milan team that had absorbed his post-Juventus rant and played with the right hunger. There were a three-man base for the build-up play, with a midfielder dropping between the two central defenders and with the full-backs pushing up.

It was a the usual 4-2-3-1, and in the first half it caused a lot of problems for the away side, who lined up with the same system. Gazzaniga stopped a free-kick from Tijjani Reijnders, Yunus Musah should have shot instead of squaring, Rafael Leao was denied and then the American hit the post.

In the first 30 minutes it was all Milan as the Spaniards struggled to contain the Rossoneri’s counter-attacks. But at the half-hour mark they had a leap of pride.

Girona’s pressure

What will probably worry Conceicao, as he alluded to post-match, is that Milan gave up too many chances. Donny van de Beek darted into the area like in the good days of Ajax and drew a save from Maignan, then Tsygankov – also alone in front of the goalkeeper – was denied.

In the 13th minute of the second half the talented Bryan Gil, ex-Tottenham, curled a perfect left-footed shot inside the far corner. Maignan didn’t deny him but the VAR gets there: offside by the length of his big toe.

Michel changed the entire attack with a quadruple substitution and went with a 4-2-4 for a final assault, with the former Reggio player Christhian Stuani and the previously Milan-linked Arnaut Danjuma leading the charge.

Conceiçao changed the centre-forward (Tammy Abraham) and protected the team with the experience of Christian Pulisic and the coverage of Filippo Terracciano. Girona pushed but fizzled out in the closing stages, to Milan’s relief.

The end result means five victories in a row in the Champions League. At Milan, only Fabio Capello in 1992-93 and Carlo Ancelotti in 2004-05 have done that, and they went much further than the groups.