GdS: All bark, no bite – Milan betrayed by their attack in decisive moments | OneFootball

AC Milan were dumped out of the Europa League by Roma on Thursday night, and the team once again failed to turn their chances into goals.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, the stats say that Milan shot 20 times during the 2-1 defeat in the return leg at the Stadio Olimpico. An overall figure (source Opta) that is then narrowed down to four shots on target, with six off target and 10 blocked.

The only goal of the entire tie for Milan was scored by a central defender and it came when the game was over. The numbers don’t add up, especially with the aggravating circumstance that the Rossoneri played for over an hour with a man advantage.

Speaking of aggravating factors, to complete the gloomy scenario of the match against the Giallorossi, it is necessary to underline the data from the match at San Siro within the same parameters: 25 total shot, five on target, nine off target and 11 blocked. Roma produced 10 shots, and won 1-0.

The 25 shots at San Siro are not a record, but to find more – without having scored – you have to go back to January 2023 (34 against Torino in the Coppa Italia). The statistics from Milan-Newcastle last September also remain well imprinted in the memory: that time too 25 shots – of which six on target in the first twenty minutes – but not goal.

The total disproportion between the number of attacks/shots and the goals scored is a fact that clearly becomes a condemnation, especially in knockout ties, or in any case in the context of a group stage where there are only six games to play.

The reflection is simple and bitter at the same time: if at least one of those shots had gone in with Newcastle United, the Rossoneri’s European journey would have continued in the round of 16 of the Champions League, radically changing the way the season is viewed.

The Rossoneri’s attack is second in the league with 63 goals in 32 games, therefore with a not bad average of two goals per game. Olivier Giroud, apart from the difficulties of the recent period, has once again worked miracles at 37, while Christian Pulisic is experiencing his best scoring season in his career.

Noah Okafor is the king of Serie A in terms of goals off the bench, Luka Jovic has an excellent minutes per goal average and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2024 is scoring almost like a striker. In short, there are a lot of positives.

What is missing is being clinical in the decisive moments. That is, in situations where if you make a mistake, you’re out. Returning to the double match against Roma, the names of those who took the most shots also stand out in the context of the 45 shots: Reijnders with six and Hernandez with five.