AC Milan’s draw with Juventus on Sunday highlighted some worrying signs regarding the potential shortcomings of the squad.
While on paper a 1-1 draw away from home against Juventus is far from a disastrous result, there have been some concerns about the performance that Milan put in. Above all, the fact that the Rossoneri only had one shot on target – Alphadjo Cisse’s goal – was seen as a worry.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
It took Federico Gatti’s 92nd-minute header to salvage a draw for the Bianconeri. Yet, Goncalo Ramos and Diego Moreira struggled, who were two big-money signings. The lack of another centre-back saw Mario Gila replaced by Filippo Terracciano. In short, some questions were raised too.
‘Still a lot of work to be done’
According to Antonio Vitiello – who published his weekly column for MilanNews – the €150m that Milan spent in the summer window could have been better allocated, and we may see this in the results (or lack of).
“The draw against Juventus highlighted the fact that there’s still a lot of work to be done. AC Milan is a work in progress, and it’s going to be anything but an easy season,” he began.
“Milan’s performance was extremely disappointing. In Turin, we all expected something better from Ruben’s team, but the Portuguese coach, very lucidly and with great intellectual honesty, admitted that his team played truly poorly, without seeking justification or resorting to various excuses.
ruben amorim
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
“This, however, is already a step forward, because it shows that the AC Milan coach is aware of the team’s limitations and the issues they face. If he had simply stated that they had earned a point against Juve, it would have been very worrying. Instead, he wanted to highlight his players’ lackluster performance against Luciano Spalletti’s team.
“A clear sign that, for Amorim, the game comes first. Results can only be achieved through play. The real problem is that at Milan there’s never time for experiments, because at a club like the Rossoneri you have to win right away. There’s a lot of work to do.
“The first two matches against Torino and Venezia may have been a bit of a disappointment, but Milan are truly a work in progress. The work is enormous, and the situation from a team perspective is quite clear. In Turin, we saw a group that’s still forming, still needs to find its own identity, and isn’t ready yet, but there’s room for improvement.
“At the same time, we saw a team that isn’t complete, just as we said a week ago in this editorial on the last day of the transfer window. Sunday night’s match confirmed that the Rossoneri squad has gaps that haven’t been filled in the transfer window. It wasn’t a 10/10 window, as the Portuguese coach claimed, but it was a window of opportunity that instead leaves many questions.
“Could the €150m have been spent better? Could other positions have been filled? The answer is yes. Also because Milan, despite the investment, don’t seem ready to compete for the top spot. It will be another difficult season, hoping Milan can move closer to Champions League qualification.”