"Rafael Leao went into the game against Atalanta full of confidence, but he exited after just 45 minutes of action. To call it 'action' might be over-generous, because Leao was anonymous. As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Massimiliano Allegri revealed after the game that the forward was battling a hip problem, and he preferred to take him off because he never got into the rhythm of the game."
"The numbers though cannot leave Max happy. Leao didn't have a shot in those 45 minutes, made just six passes (one every seven and a half minutes), zero crossed and four turnovers. Leao's season, then, as ever, is one of those unrelenting extremes. Against Fiorentina, he scored twice and turned the game around, drawing plaudits for putting the team on his back. Against Pisa he scored and then somewhat vanished, and against Atalanta he never showed up at all."
Rafael Leao started the Atalanta match confident but was substituted after 45 minutes having been largely anonymous. Massimiliano Allegri said Leao had a hip problem and needed replacing because Milan required players who could sprint and run. Allegri dismissed direct links between Leao and recent conceded goals as coincidence. Leao recorded no shots, six passes, zero crosses and four turnovers in his half. Milan performed better after his removal with Nkunku and Loftus-Cheek up front. The relationship between Allegri and Leao remains peculiar, mixing respect, criticism, goals and early substitutions across three months.
Read at SempreMilan
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