Three reasons why Leao continues to be dropped by Fonseca at Milan | OneFootball

Saturday’s reports indicate that Rafael Leao is heading for a third consecutive start on the bench for Milan in Serie A when the Rossoneri play Monza, as newspapers in Italy have begun to describe the situation as a ‘tug of war’ between the Portugal international and his coach Paulo Fonseca.

The 25-year-old was dropped from the Milan line-up for the 1-0 win over Udinese in mid-October, and was also omitted for the 2-0 loss against Napoli on Tuesday. Reports suggest that he would have also been dropped for the scheduled game against Bologna had it not been postponed at the last minute.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 22: Rafael Leao of AC Milan leaves the field after substitution during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between AC Milan and Club Brugge KV at Stadio San Siro on October 22, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Three reasons why Leao is out of the Milan line-up

La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that there are three qualities that, for whatever reason, Leao does not currently possess, which makes Fonseca feel that he can’t include him in the starting line-up.

They are the ability to handle pressure, sacrifice in defensive phases and his movement off the ball to close down spaces.

La Gazzetta dello Sport also claim that Fonseca has been working individually with the former Serie A MVP, both on the pitch and in video analysis, to help his work off the ball.

Saturday’s report suggests that Milan are not disappointed by Leao’s commitment, rather the underlying data, which shows that Leao does not work as intensively in defensive phases as his teammates in similar positions do.

In Leao’s absence, Noah Okafor is expected to line up on the left wing against Monza, with Samuel Chukwueze on the right and Christian Pulisic through the middle.