AC Milan 3-3 Genoa: Five things we learned – defensive disappointments and pleasant surprises | OneFootball

AC Milan and Genoa played out a 3-3 draw at San Siro on Sunday evening in what was far from a defensive masterclass by either side.

Genoa went ahead when Mateo Retegui converted a penalty after a clumsy foul by Fikayo Tomori, then Alessandro Florenzi headed in to make it 1-1, but the visitors retook the lead through Caleb Ekuban as Milan’s defensive woes continued.

It looked like a Matteo Gabbia header and a volley from Olivier Giroud had bailed the Rossoneri out as they took a late 3-2 lead. However, there was to be yet another late sting as Retegui popped up again to get a late equaliser which meant Genoa left with a share of the spoils.

Even though Juventus dropped points against Roma, the draw does little to help the quest to secure second place in the table nor to ease the worries about letting in too many goals. Here are five things we learned…

1. A pleasant surprise

Alessandro Florenzi hasn’t had the best of times over the past couple of seasons as he has struggled with injuries and is 33 years of age now making his future a question mark.

However, against Genoa he seemed well up for the challenge in Davide Calabria’s absence, scoring a goal to bring his team level and then providing the assist to make it all square for a second time.

Florenzi also did his job at the back with the goals not really his fault and you can’t ask more from the right-back who managed to lead his side towards a comeback that unfortunately ended in just a point.

2. Shaken up

Fikayo Tomori has been a pillar at the back for Milan since joining, but then picked up an injury in the middle of this season season that forced him to spend a long time out.

Unfortunately for him – and as seen with Malick Thiaw too – he is finding it hard to put in consistently high level performances since his recovery, and against Genoa it was far from his best game.

Tomori was at fault for the penalty with a tackle he didn’t really need to make. He then struggled to mark Ekuban, with a sloppy clearance on the second goal and an unlucky involvement in the third.

Fortunately the result doesn’t really change the position in the standings, but the Englishman needs to work hard in pre-season to be ready to lead his team when the new season kicks off.

3. Another disappointment

Aside from a few times where he tried to run at his man, Rafael Leao produced very little. He was very predictable in truth, always looking to cut inside onto his right foot and failing to get any dangerous effort off.

When he was subbed off his replacement – Noah Okafor – made an immediate impact with some driving runs that really stretched Genoa. That came after Leao had decided to head straight to the changing room too, after being jeered by some fans.

The former Lille star is struggling in the decisive moment of the season. After starting 2024 so well for club and country, his form has drastically dipped and he is yet to recover after those very difficult games against Roma and Inter when the team needed him most.

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4. The right time to part

Olivier Giroud will leave the club in the summer and it’s pretty clear that it is the right time to part ways, because at 37 years of age he is not mobile enough or efficient enough to make a difference in this Milan side.

He wasted a clear cut chance from after excellent work from Okafor and offered little except that goal that he did score, which was a nice volley at the far post but it meant he should have had a brace.

The question now is who his successor will be as it’s a position that clearly needs investment. Many names continue to be linked, but it does feel like it is an addition the management cannot get wrong.

5. Pioli gets it wrong again

Whilst we can’t blame the coach for the individual sloppiness at the back, we can blame him for the manner in which he reacted when his team finally got in the lead.

Playing against a relatively weaker side in the face of Genoa, Pioli made the decision to change formations to preserve the lead, something that has backfired many times already.

With an extra defender on it created a huge gap in the middle, inviting the pressure on, and the fact Genoa were able to force a late equaliser was a damning reflection.

It further proves that Pioli is just not the right person for the job any more because he is struggling to manage games and adapt to the opposition. He seems to get outcoached most weeks now, with Alberto Gilardino admitting his side targeted a weakness they had identified in advance.