Sassuolo-Milan 1-1: the Rossoneri take the lead through Rabiot, but just five minutes later they are pegged back by Odenthal. A performance short on ideas, with few collective solutions and a style of play that continues to underwhelm.
Uglier and uglier, more and more tedious. Amorim’s Milan seems to be losing its identity and quality with every passing game, as if the long international break has only amplified already evident shortcomings. At Sassuolo, they settle for a 1-1 draw that says far more than the scoreline: a team capable of sparking through individual brilliance, but far too often unable to build a coherent, recognisable and convincing collective game.
The problem is not just the result. It is the way in which it comes about. The Rossoneri’s play offers few solutions, the game struggles to flow with any consistency, and the tactical plan — at least as shown on the pitch — remains difficult to identify. For a club with Milan’s ambitions, this is a warning sign that cannot be ignored. Individual talent can settle a match, but it cannot become the only game plan.
Gabbia goes off, Muric saves Sassuolo
The match gets off to a difficult start for the Rossoneri, who are forced into a change as early as the 7th minute: Matteo Gabbia picks up a hamstring problem and has to leave the pitch. De Winter comes on in his place, with Amorim immediately forced to reshuffle his defensive balance.
Milan try to find the opener, but their play remains intermittent, lacking the fluidity you would expect from a side of this calibre. The best chance of the first half comes in the 42nd minute, when Gonçalo Ramos finds the space to meet the ball with his head from close range. Muric, however, produces a decisive save to keep the scores level.
It is an episode that seems to sum up the evening: when Milan do manage to threaten, it comes more through an isolated moment of quality than through a move built with clarity and continuity.
Rabiot lights Milan up, Odenthal puts them out
In the second half, the Rossoneri finally find the spark that had been missing. In the 63rd minute, Adrien Rabiot breaks the deadlock with a powerful left-footed strike at the near post. An effective piece of play that puts Milan 1-0 up and seems to set the tone for the rest of the match.
But the illusion lasts just five minutes. In the 68th minute, from a corner kick, the ball travels through a scramble in the Rossoneri’s box and Cas Odenthal is the quickest to get a winning touch, beating Maignan. Sassuolo equalise and immediately drag the game back into uncertainty.
Milan are shaken by the blow, but still have the chance to retake the lead. In the 70th minute, Chukwueze finds himself one-on-one with Muric, who once again produces a fine save to deny the visitors.
From that moment on, the game drifts towards the final whistle without Milan ever managing to produce a real push forward. Sassuolo stay in the contest and in stoppage time even threaten to complete the turnaround: in the 90’+4, Thorstvedt shoots from the edge of the box, but Maignan holds the ball and salvages at least the draw.
Milan, much more is needed
The final whistle confirms the 1-1. Rabiot had given the Rossoneri a deserved lead with his individual quality, but the team was unable to protect it or create the conditions to close the game out.
Sassuolo deserve credit for believing in themselves and capitalising on a set-piece situation, while Milan once again displayed a worrying lack of solutions. Individuals can still make the difference, but without adequate collective organisation, the risk is of remaining trapped in inconsistent and ineffective performances.
Amorim is under pressure to provide answers. Because managing Milan means delivering a style of football worthy of the club’s history and ambitions. And with these early signs — a predictable game plan and an identity that remains blurred — the road ahead risks becoming far longer than anticipated.
