A Balotelli-less Milan emerged victorious over Lazio at San Siro in a game with far-reaching consequences. The battle for the third spot in Serie A is getting tighter by the day, and if yesterday is anything to go by, this fight may go on till the last day of the league. With Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina all hot on their heels, Milan must be aware that they are the hunted and not the hunter. Even Lazio coach Petkovic stated “Milan are the team to beat“.
What was supposed to be a battle between two midfield generals – Montolivo and Hernanes – eventually boiled down to contingency measures from Lazio, who saw a man sent off early in the first half. El Shaarawy was the architect behind that send-off as Candreva appeared to block what was a genuine goal-scoring opportunity. What initially appeared to be a free-kick turned into a red after Rizzoli has a prolonged discussion from the sideline. Nonetheless, Lazio were deprived of a man and Milan now had the chance to run away with the game. However, with the absence of Balotelli, Milan’s attacking threat going forward was limited to Pazzini and more importantly, El Shaarawy, who was asked by Allegri to raise his game for this match.
El Shaarawy was a nuisance all throughout the match, mainly while going forward. Earlier this week, the Egyptian-Italian signed a new contract
However, Pazzini’s shooting boots were missing for quite some time and in a game billed as one of the most important for Milan, he did find them. Twice. Boateng’s energy seemed to have been channeled in the right direction by Allegri and he looks a totally different player since the match against Barcelona. Not only is he taking his shots and going really close to scoring, he is also creating a few wonderful chances for his team-mates – most notably the one where he threaded the ball to El Shaarawy from the right flank against Barcelona. His vision seems to have improved a lot and it can only bode well for Milan, who are on the lookout for the third spot in the league.
Milan face a comparatively easier month of March with only the Champions League return leg against Barcelona the thorn in their path. It will not be easier to face the Catalans at their own backyard and given the fact that they have now lost two back to back Clasicos, they are bound to come stronger than ever. The best thing that has happened this year for Milan must be the unbeaten run in Serie A so far. In 9 games played, Milan have won 6 times – a far cry from the disastrous start at the beginning of the season. Allegri must take credit for this resurgence but what must be more pleasing to him is that for the first time since November, Milan did not concede a goal at home in Serie A.
Milan’s defensive line has been reshuffled a number of times this season, and the most unstable spots seem to be the center defensive duo. While Abate and De Sciglio have consolidated their spots as full-backs, the center defensive pairing has seen far too many combinations – the latest one being Zapata and Yepes last night. Zaccardo replaced Zapata at the break after the Colombian was misplacing passes left and right. Even though he played for half a match, he had the second highest interception rate after Abate in the match. Also, new signee Salamon was seen warming up during the match but eventually remained an unused substitute.
Coming back to Milan’s attack line, the only worry seems to be the lack of goals for Niang. He has remodeled himself according to the Milan system and to be honest, he has flourished a lot recently. The attacking trio of El Shaarawy, Balotelli and Niang is an exciting one both on paper and on the field. While the former duo has flourished for the club as well as for the country playing together, Niang is yet to open his score sheet for Milan. But that does not mean that he lacks in effort or character. Even in the match against Lazio, he had a shot on goal, although the posts seemed to be in his way. While Niang is undoubtedly good at crossing and playing through balls, his weakness seems to be holding on the ball – be it in the midfield or in the attacking third. However, he is bound to improve with more chances although he needs to score his opening goal for Milan soon or else it might prove to be a hindrance to him in the long run.
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