Milan battled back to secure a 2-1 win over Genoa on Saturday night, with Rafael Leao and Lucas Paqueta standing out after impressing in the second half.
The Rossoneri were poor in the opening 45 minutes as it looked as though Marco Giampaolo was set to see the pressure continue to build on him with another defeat.
SEE MORE: Five key talking points as Milan fail to convince but grind out win vs Genoa
To his credit, he made two crucial changes at the break, and while we still didn’t entirely convince thereafter, it was enough to pick up three vital points.
Unfortunately though, it was familiar faces who continue to disappoint as they simply weren’t good enough…
Milan player ratings
Pepe Reina; 5 — Disastrous error on the goal and perhaps unfortunate on the penalty decision. That all-important stop on the spot kick saves him with his rating, as it ultimately proved to be decisive.
Davide Calabria; 4 — Second sending off of the season already as he didn’t look particularly reliable defensively and wasn’t effective going forward. Another suspension to follow, can Andrea Conti take his chance this time?
Leo Duarte; 5 — Improved in the second half but there is no doubt he’ll need time and patience to adapt and develop his game to suit Serie A. Will likely drop out for Mateo Musacchio next time out, but did enough to suggest he can do a decent job when called on.
Alessio Romagnoli; 6 — Strong, commanding and solid performance from the captain, both in terms of cutting out danger and being aware of the threat as well as winning aerial battles. Important display to ensure we didn’t suffer at the back.
Theo Hernandez; 6 — Was a little erratic in the first half, but with more quality to feed off from Bonaventura and Paqueta in the second half, he produced a brilliant solo goal as he was alert to pounce on a quick free-kick and showed why he can be so important for us in an attacking sense too.
Franck Kessie; 5 — Excellent penalty as he continues to show real courage and bottle to score from the spot. Fluffed an earlier chance with his usual lack of composure though and didn’t really ever get a foothold in the game as he didn’t impose himself enough.
Lucas Biglia; 5 — Showed his physicality and experience a bit more in the second half but as expected he was overrun and anonymous for large periods in the first half. Bennacer still has a lot to improve on, but there’s really nothing to suggest Biglia should start ahead of him.
Hakan Calhanoglu; 4 –– Another average performance from a player who is starting to lose his grip on a starting spot. Slow and predictable on the ball, pedestrian and lacklustre off it, was rightly replaced at half-time as he continues to show a lack of quality.
Suso; 4 — Failed to provide a telling delivery or effort on goal and was sloppy in possession while also being muscled off the ball on countless occasions. Fortunate not to be hauled off with Calhanoglu and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see what Giampaolo is seeing to keep persisting with him.
Krzysztof Piatek; 5 — When you get little to no service from your teammates, it’s always going to be a struggle. At times, we played long balls over the top and could immediately see him light up and look a threat in behind. Asking him to drop deep and link play up is taking him away from where he’s actually effective.
Giacomo Bonaventura; 6 — Slightly inconsistent display but to be expected given his lack of playing time. However, his intelligence on and off the ball coupled with his technical quality and tactical awareness makes him a breath of fresh air compared to some of his teammates. Great to have him back in the starting XI.
Substitutes
Lucas Paqueta; 7 — Made his technical quality, creativity and overall class in possession tell as he was influential in the comeback. Showed signs of building a promising partnership with both Hernandez and Bonaventura on the left side, and there is no doubt he should now be ahead of Calhanoglu in the pecking order.
Rafael Leao; 7 — Utterly bizarre decision to leave him on the bench in the first place, but his pace, movement and intent added a crucial dynamic to our attack instantly and he has to be in the starting XI out wide to cause defences all sorts of problems.
Andrea Conti; N/A — Late introduction after Calabria’s red card.