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.@_OlivierGiroud_'s goal against Bologna is the first goal scored with his right foot of the 33 netted by the French player for #ACMilan in all competitions.

[via @OptaPaolo]
 
🇳🇱 @T_Reijnders v Bologna

90' Minutes played
1 Assists
0.38 Expected Assists (xA)
36 Touches
27/27 (100%) Acc. passes
2 Key passes
2 (1) Crosses (acc.)
1 Big chances created
1 Shots on target
1 Shots blocked
1 (1) Dribble attempts (succ.)
4 (2) Ground duels (won)
1 (0) Aerial duels (won)
3 Possession lost
1 Blocked shots
1 Tackles
1 Dribbled past
 
After the game between AC Milan and Torino, which the former won 4-1, Olivier Giroud shared his thoughts with the media. The Frenchman bagged a brace and now has three goals in two games.

Apart from the goal conceded, which came out of nowhere (Torino’s only shot on target), it was a perfect night for Milan. Four goals scored and another three points added to their tally, boosting the confidence further.

Giroud bagged two goals himself and both came from the spot. The Frenchman won the battles against Milinkovic-Savic and how has three goals in two games. Speaking to DAZN, as cited by MilanNews, he shared his thoughts.

There has been a lot of talk about a deputy for Giroud, but you are always there. Ibra said he was Benjamin Button, but doesn’t Milan have another one?

“I get too much pleasure playing with this team. It shows on the pitch, we have fun with a great team spirit. When we win, it’s always a beautiful evening. Deputy Giroud? I don’t know, maybe we already have him in the team. We’ll see.”

Do you have more weapons than last year?

“We can compete and do well in the Champions League, Serie A and also in Coppa Italia. We have many qualities with these young players that we have signed. We have many solutions.”

How is it playing with Leao and Pulisic?

“I think we’re very compatible, complementary. In the sense that one goes deep, the other likes to have the ball at his feet, we like to play a one-two. There are still some things to perfect, but we can see that we are having fun on the pitch. But not just the three of us, with everyone. I don’t like playing against this team [Torino], man marking all the time, it’s difficult for me. But we handled it well tonight.”

How is the new group?

“For me, the most important thing is team spirit, and the guys who have arrived have that spirit. It’s the mentality of Milan, never give up and always fight to the end.”

Milan will face Roma next and the game is scheduled for Friday next week. It will take place at Stadio Olimpico and it remains to be seen if Stefano Pioli will field the same starting XI yet again.
 
AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has said that Rade Krunic is staying at the club and he also had high praise for Christian Pulisic following the 4-1 win over Torino.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the match on Saturday night (via Milan News), the Italian coach discussed a number of topics and dropped some big hints about the transfer market.

Krunic has been heavily linked with a move away from Milan and Lyon scouts were supposedly at the game to watch him play, but when asked if he will stay, Pioli simply said: “Yes”.

When asked about what level the team is currently at, Pioli seemed to hint that close attention is still being paid to the transfer market.

“Our objective is to fight for two competitions. We showed steps forward compared to Bologna. We have to continue like this, getting to know each other better and becoming more of a team. As a team we are already at a good point, but we’ll see in the coming days; the club is always attentive and very proactive, we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Asked more specifically about whether a striker is going to be signed in the final week of the transfer window, Pioli said: “Giroud is a great player, but it is clear that when there is the Champions League, wanting to be competitive in both competitions, no one can guarantee 100% for the whole season. The more solutions we have the better. At the moment we are full, but then the club will see what to do.”

Milan were extremely impressive at times during the win over Torino and Pioli suggested that the team is more serene now than it was before.

“Playing here at the San Siro makes us so happy and the team feels that. Last season was complicated, we had perhaps lost that joy and serenity that had always accompanied us. Now we’ve restarted with great enthusiasm,” he said.

It was also put to him that the team is looking more proactive so far this season than last, to which he said: “It’s always been our way of playing. We’re not a team that likes to wait. Today we started the game well, the pressure from the strikers favoured us.”

Do you alternate between the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-3-3?

“There is this possibility and there will be when everyone is in the best condition. But it’s not the system of play that makes you more offensive, but the positions. We are probably more offensive this year than last year because we have two centre-backs who insert a lot. We have some principles, then it’s the field that says whether we change something. We have many alternatives, Pulisic can play behind Giroud. But it’s time to give continuity, then we’ll see.”

Is Pulisic a champion?

“A great player, very intelligent. We need balance. The team has taken two steps forward compared to Bologna. We did a lot of good things, but we can do even better.”

Everyone seems to be running a lot…

“At Bologna the team has run more since I arrived and we are still not physically brilliant, so it means there is a lot of availability. If we all run I think we have our cards to play. The group is forming very well.”
 
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AC Milan clinched another three points and thus grabbed their second win of the season in front of a sold-out San Siro. Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic got on target again, and down below are the player ratings for the Rosspneri.

Starting XI
Maignan (6): Couldn’t do anything about the goal and that was Torino’s only shot on goal as well, meaning he didn’t have much to do. He was good with his feet as always.

Calabria (6): He did quite well in his inverted role today and certainly had more defensive than attacking duties. Overall, a decent game for him.

Thiaw (6.5): Once again, he was probably the best centre-back for Milan as he often won the ball back and didn’t fear to advance with it either, making two or three very good runs up the pitch.

Tomori (6): The Englishman may have had one or two shaky moments, but overall he did a good job using his pace to stop the attackers. Nothing special, though, given the lack of quality from the Torino attackers.

Theo Hernandez Milan
Hernandez (7): That’s what we like to see! Just like against Bologna, he was very active on the left flank but also got an end product this evening. It was a fantastic dink to make it 3-1 and even though he faded a bit in the second half, very well done.

Loftus-Cheek (7): A strong performance from the Englishman who got stuck in and won most duels for Milan. He did really well on the first goal, accelerating past his men, and then setting up Pulisic.

Krunic (6.5): Dictated the play well and above all used his body in a smart manner to keep possession for Milan (just before the first goal, he dispossessed Torino).

Reijnders (7): Another very good display from him with movement all over the pitch. He didn’t have 100% passing accuracy this time out but that doesn’t matter, managing to showcase his passing anyway. A few chances were missed, though.

Pulisic (7): The American opened the scoring after a move that he started, laying it off to Loftus-Cheek before making a very good run into the box. He had a couple more chances but failed to convert. Overall, another good day for him.

Giroud (7): Yes, he scored two goals, but both came from the spot. He kept his cool when he switched sides for the second penalty, showing his experience.


Leao (7.5 – MOTM): Just about gets the MOTM for this one as he managed to get a lot more end product from his runs tonight. The assist for Theo, winning the penalty, and then also setting up many other chances (that weren’t converted).

Substitutes
Musah (5.5): Had a quite a few so-so moments at the start but then showed off his abilities with a very good attacking run, which saves his rating a bit.

Chukwueze (5.5): Tough to assess him, truth be told, but he just didn’t look that dangerous on the right flank. He did have a few 1v1s and created nothing.

Okafor (5.5): The touch wasn’t there and he struggled to be in the right position.

Kjaer (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.

Florenzi: (N/A): We didn’t see enough to give him a rating.
 
AC Milan continued their good start to the 2023/24 Serie A season with an impressive and commanding 4-1 victory over Torino at San Siro on Saturday night.

The Rossoneri were positive from the outset and deservedly took the lead through Christian Pulisic, but Perr Schuurs pegged them back.

That mattered little as Olivier Giroud scored two penalties and Theo Hernandez grabbed a great goal en route to victory.

All of the early pressure was on the Torino goal with Rafael Leao proving particularly dangerous to Ivan Juric’s side.

The Portuguese forward was getting all over the pitch and he clearly didn’t want to wait long for his first goal of the new campaign. Olivier Giroud was also involved a lot early on, with Tijjani Reijnders showing a lot of willingness to get forward.

Despite Milan having all of the ball, it was a Torino attacker who got the first injury of the night. Main goal threat Antonio Sanabria suffered a muscle injury and had to be replaced after 21 minutes by former Milan player Pietro Pellegri.

In the 27th minute, there was a very impressive and powerful run from Christian Pulisic through the middle of the pitch but his attempt to release Leao through on goal was unsuccessful as Perr Schuurs defended well.

It became clear very early that Schuurs had been told by Juric to follow Leao around the pitch. The defender was never far from Leao’s side. Despite that, Leao was often able to isolate and evade Schuurs down the left wing.

Milan found the breakthrough that their play had deserved just after half an hour, as Christian Pulisic stormed through the middle again and found Ruben Loftus-Cheek to his right. He then beat the defender to get into the box and played it across the box, where Pulisic was waiting to score with ease.

That was when everything started happening. Just a minute later, Schuurs had moved away from his battle with Leao and he actually grabbed the equaliser with Torino’s first sight of goal. A shot came in from the edge which Schuurs turned into the back of Maignan’s net with a good finish.

Parity did not last long, as Milan were handed a controversial penalty. A cross came in which clipped Giroud and hit the hands of Riccardo Rodriguez, which were just in front of his chest and in close proximity to Giroud. A VAR review led to the penalty which Giroud tucked away.

That goal may have been dodgy, but the third goal that came just before the break was not dodgy at all. Leao and Hernandez linked up superbly on the left to get the latter into the box, who then lifted the ball over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to make it 3-1.

The second half started with some of the floodlights at San Siro going down, which almost led to play being stopped. It remained bright enough though and the contest became fairly sloppy for a while. Milan still remained by far the more creative side though.

In the 65th minute, Milan were awarded another penalty and this one was certainly the correct decision. Rafael Leao received a stamp in the box after playing a cross and the ref did not need to look at the monitor for long.

Giroud stepped up again and finished superbly, making it 4-1. That prompted some changes from Stefano Pioli, as three new signings in Noah Okafor, Yunus Musah and Samuel Chukwueze came on for Leao, Loftus-Cheek and Giroud.

Having made a host of changes and with the three points in the bag, attention turned to Friday’s match against AS Roma and Milan started to conserve energy.

There was no need to chase every single ball anymore as Torino were showing no sign of getting back into the contest.

The victory means Milan have got six points from a possible six this season and have already scored six goals, conceding just once.
 
AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has praised Rafael Leao by saying that the Portuguese forward raises the level that he plays at each season.

Talking to Sky Sport Italia ahead of the first home match of the season against Torino (via Milan News), the Milan coach spoke glowingly of Leao who will be No.10 and starts on the left wing at San Siro.

Having signed his new contract, it is a big season for Leao and he must repay the faith that has been shown in him by the club and the fans.

“He’s more mature, absolutely. Every year he gives something more and he’s raising the bar,” Pioli said.

Talking about the decision to start with the same eleven players that started the season opener away at Bologna, Pioli explained that he is seeking continuity from his team.

“I repeat the 11 from Bologna because we need to find the best possible mechanisms and we need to find continuity; there are some who arrived earlier, some later, it’s right to continue like this,” Pioli said.

In front of the home fans for the first time this season, Pioli described the San Siro as his teams ‘safe place’ where they receive so much support.

“I feel happy for the home opener. A safe place, where we feel supported with the desire to prove our worth,” he said.
 
AC Milan have not sanctioned Lorenzo Colombo’s loan move to Monza yet and that’s because they need to find a replacement first. This also means that the youngster could stay at the club, a report claims.

Colombo is keen on joining Monza on loan for the season in order to get consistent playing time. However, Milan will only let him go when a replacement has been found, which isn’t the easiest of tasks.

According to today’s edition of Gazzetta Dello Sport (see photo below), Colombo is indeed just a ‘yes’ away from Monza but Milan are having issues with finding his replacement. The next few days will be decisive but the reality is that the youngster could stay as the third-choice striker.

The likes of Armando Broja, Hugo Ekitike and Mehdi Taremi have been linked with the Rossoneri, as the newspaper concluded, but these are all different operations for various reasons.
 
Charles De Ketelaere joined Atalanta in an initial loan deal earlier this summer and managed to find the back of the net in his league debut. Yesterday, Gian Piero Gasperini urged the fans to lower their expectations.

The Belgian midfielder had a very tough time at Milan, both on and off the pitch, and the Rossoneri decided to part ways with him a few weeks ago. In his debut for Atalanta, taking on Sassuolo, he found the back of the net with a nice header.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference yesterday, as cited by SempreMilan.it, Atalanta manager Gasperini shared his thoughts on De Ketelaere. He believes the youngster is getting excessive attention, which could harm him.

“CDK? There are many positive things, but also things that need to be worked on. The goal on his debut drew excessive attention to him, in my opinion. We know the qualities of the player well. It was a negotiation that went on for a long time, we lost a few weeks, but we will recoup along the way,” he stated.

The former Club Brugge man was certainly at the centre of attention at Milan and couldn’t handle the pressure. It’s likely that he will be able to turn his career around with the Bergamo side, who respectfully are not on the same level.

Yes ooo... He should Prove Us Wrong
 
🚨🚨🌖 | Fodé Ballo-Touré has NO intention of going to Royal Antwerp. Werder Bremen is his favorite destination. At the moment there is no agreement with Milan. @lucabianchin7 ⛔️🇸🇳
 
🇺🇸 @yunusmusah8 v Torino

24' Minutes played
13 Touches
9/10 (90%) Acc. passes
1 Key passes
1 (0) Dribble attempts (succ.)
2 (0) Ground duels (won)
3 Possession lost
 
⚽ Oops... He did it again! Christian Pulisic is your Emirates MVP from #MilanTorino ⭐

Segna e incanta ancora: Pulisic è di nuovo MVP ⭐

#SempreMilan
 
🚨 AC Milan Chief Revenue Officer Casper Stylsvig is joining Chelsea and could be possibly announced today. @repubblica ➡️🔵
 
🚨🌖 | Bologna have opened talks with AC Milan to sign Alexis Saelemaekers: offered a loan with option-to-buy. Milan want an obligation to sell the Belgian winger. @NicoSchira 🇧🇪
 
🚨🌕 | In the last few hours there has been close contacts between Origi's agent and Sheffield United. Sheffield have reiterated their willingness to sign him. Milan have not received an official offer yet. @MatteMoretto 🇧🇪
 
❗️Gerry Cardinale visited Casa Milan today, where he met the management to assess the current situation. Afterwards, he went to the Milan store. @danielfsperanza 🇺🇸🔴⚫️
 
DONE DEAL
Alexis Saelemaekers will join FC Bologna
(According to Gazzetta dello Sport)
88a54aaa-0893-43ff-9e5c-3100ca6b35e7.jpeg
 
📰 @sportmediaset: Milan have no intention of parting with Kalulu, who they value at €35m.
 
🚨🚨🎙️ Theo Hernández on links to #AlHilal

"They can buy me on Fifa (laughs).
 
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