Player Ratings: AC Milan 1-2 Atalanta – Jimenez nightmare; Leao not enough | OneFootball

AC Milan got knocked out of the Coppa Italia, with the trophy now out of sight, following a 2-1 defeat against Atalanta at San Siro. Despite taking the lead, the Rossoneri failed to succeed and below are the player ratings.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out how we decide the player ratings. From the scale to what affects the rating, we have compiled everything there.

Starting XI

Maignan (6): He couldn’t do much about either goal and he made a couple of good stops during that second half. But it wasn’t exactly a lively game for him despite conceding twice.

Calabria (6): One could argue that his positioning was far from great on the first goal, but that was more so a collective collapse (and a few other individual mistakes). The captain actually did well on the ball and also made a crucial block at the end of the first half.

Gabbia (6.5): Really good from the Primavera product, always breathing down the neck of his man and winning the ball back with strength several times. It was a shame that he had to come off, because he had done very well up until that point.

Hernandez (6): A nice assist after a trademark run down the left-hand side, but the feeling is that he could have caused Atalanta even more trouble. Of course, playing at centre-back, he was quite limited in his movement. When Pioli did put him on the flank, he missed a good chance to level the game.

Jimenez (5): It was a nightmare for the youngster, first losing duel easily in the build-up to the first goal (it was the start of everything). He then caused the penalty and regardless of the referee’s decision, there is no doubt that it was poor defending. He got beat and tried to make a last-ditch recovery, which rarely works. Hopefully, this will be a good lesson for the youngster.

Musah (5): His positioning was inexplicable on the first goal, marking absolutely no one, when Koopmeiners was his man to mark. He didn’t have much success in possession either, apart from maybe one or two shots (but he also missed quite a few). Not the performance he was hoping for.

Reijnders (6): The Dutchman had a great hand in the first goal, composing himself under pressure before passing it straight to Leao. He certainly seems to know how to start a dangerous attack, but he could have done much better in the second half. Most likely, he was a bit tired which is understandable given that he always plays.

Pulisic (5.5): He had a very lively and positive start to the first half, showcasing his skills, but we just didn’t see enough of this in the second half. Not to mention that his delivery in the final third wasn’t good at all, which is not what we are used to seeing from him. As one of the stars of this team, eh must do better.

Loftus-Cheek (5.5): Although he used his strength on a couple of occasions, he didn’t do it enough and also failed in the decisive moments. A night to forget for him, after what had been a positive outing against Empoli.

Leao (6.5 – MOTM): He gets the award simply because that goal was brilliant. We have seen the winger miss chances before this season but that finish was spot on, and he also had some good moments after the goal. Although he lost some 1v1s, he at least succeeded with quite a few and perhaps should have had an assist when he set up Theo.

Jovic (5.5): It was a tough evening for the Serbian, who couldn’t follow up on the Cagliari success. He had a couple of good touches and flicks, but he was ultimately let down by his technique this evening. Just not in sync with his teammates either.

Substitutes

Kjaer (5.5): He looked a bit sluggish in his positioning and didn’t work with the same ‘freshness’ in his legs. He was probably never meant to feature tonight, in fairness, and Gabbia most likely would have done a better job had he stayed on.

Simic (6): Showed off his strength in a couple of duels and did what was needed from him really. He also got that header which could have resulted in a penalty, with a potential handball at the end.

Terracciano (6): It was a strange position for him, we feel, but he at least did a decent job of cleaning up and winning the ball back.

Giroud (5.5): Virtually no impact on the game. It’s not a 5, though, because he didn’t get the service from his teammates either.

Adli (5.5): Some of his crosses looked threatening but ultimately, they didn’t lead to anything and with two strikers on the pitch, Milan needed more from the No.7.

The manager

Pioli (5.5): We get it, the Coppa Italia was never a priority for Milan this season. And we are not even referring to the substitutions, which can all be justified more or less, but rather the formation change after the second goal. The Rossoneri had done well up until that point, so there was no real need for what looked like a 3-4-3 of sorts. It just didn’t make sense.