diego moreira
Diego Moreira got his first run-out as an AC Milan player on Sunday, and it was quite a tough assignment: an away game versus Juventus.
La Gazzetta dello Sport describe Moreira’s debut as ‘a slightly flat soufflé, which begins to cook well and then folds in on itself when the time comes to enjoy it’. Obviously, one cannot slam or serenade a new signing after just an hour of play, but it was an intriguing first look.
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The spotlight at the Allianz Stadium was all on him, and the reason is simple: he was Milan’s second most expensive signing of the summer. He was and is the arrow called upon to generate numerical superiority, increase creativity, and provide the best possible support for the forwards.
Moreira is the perfect wing-back for Ruben Amorim’s style of football on paper: he is aggressive, fast and vertical. A definitive verdict cannot arrive in September, though he didn’t really show any of those strengths.
A first glimpse
When Moreira receives the ball, the first thing he does is look forward. Not sideways, not backwards, forwards. This allows him to determine if he has space to advance. That’s the mentality; his footwork is clean and it shows.
After that, he must be granted extenuating circumstances: it was his debut match, against a top team, in a difficult stadium, in the worst game Milan have played this season as a team. He also suffered from the aggressive man-marking of Celik, and a lack of support at times from team-mates.
In 61 minutes, his stats show 59 touches (a reasonable figure: Estupinan had 66 on the other side), 27 successful passes (not many), five crosses (the most of anyone), one tackle won, one lost, two duels won out of eight, but above all, 18 turnovers and three dribbles conceded.
In these last two categories, he was the worst in the team, and for a player expected to also provide defensive support that’s not the best. Then there’s the issue of role: in recent seasons, Diego has played primarily on the left, despite stating that he prefers being on the right.
He got the nod on the right, but perhaps has to learn the right flank again. There’s time for that and the faith from Amorim has just begun. All that remains is to fine-tune the mechanisms and unleash the bravado that Milan desperately needs right now.