While it’s true that the important thing is to win regardless of how you do it, it’s equally true that a victory doesn’t erase the mistakes and problems plaguing a team. The one against Torino was a hard-fought win, in which Milan were repeatedly pinned back by the visitors, struggling and barely managing to counter-attack, especially in the first half.
Up front: Pulisic and Leao fail to make an impact
Up front, the ghost sightings continue, with Pulisic who, much like his attacking partner Leao, can no longer make an impact in that second striker role. In this scenario, it’s almost inevitable that midfielders are forced to step up as the stars of the evening, in a mix of individual quality enhanced by the right positioning on the pitch and physical and mental well-being — things that those playing up front are currently lacking.
The future: building on certainties
Now, we can resign ourselves to the sad idea that this season is over, but if you want to build a future for this team, you need to start again from the certainties and the champions already in the squad, putting them back in a position to make an impact and bringing in high-quality new signings alongside them. Because if you don’t want to see performances like last night’s again, there are no alternatives.
The second half isn’t enough: structural problems
In the second half there was certainly more substance, more compactness, and more clinical finishing, but you can’t think that’s enough to solve structural problems rooted in the foundations of this squad, thin and filled with inconsistent performers. If this situation is not addressed, it risks compromising not only this season, but also the ones to come.
