CorSera: Instant impact, strong statements – how Morata convinced in game one | OneFootball

It may not have been the three points that everyone at AC Milan wanted to start the season but there were positives to take from the game, one of which was the introduction of Alvaro Morata in the second half.

As this morning’s edition of Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) recalls, Morata only needed half an hour to make his mark, scoring his first goal for Milan after having a penalty overturned and a goal disallowed, sparking the comeback and dragging his new team to a draw.

The impact of the former Juventus and Atletico Madrid player was certainly one of the few positive notes of an evening in which unfortunately several things did not work, and they provide Paulo Fonseca with further assurances regarding his squad.

In addition to the performances of some players being well below expectations, some of Fonseca’s initial choices were not convincing at all, such as that of deploying Alexis Saelemaekers as a left-back.

The central midfield pairing also did not do well: Ismael Bennacer is no longer the same as before his injury, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is definitely more comfortable as an attacking midfielder than in the double pivot.

More Stories / The Match

CorSera: Instant impact, strong statements – how Morata convinced in game one

19 August 2024, 11:20

GdS: ‘Fonseca changes Milan’ – six alterations to starting XI expected

19 August 2024, 11:00

AC Milan 2-2 Torino: Five things we learned – familiar flaws and substitute salvation

18 August 2024, 20:00

Finally, Luka Jovic as a starting striker was also not convincing and confirmed once again that – without a centre-forward alongside him to play off of, as he had at Eintracht Frankfurt – he is virtually useless.

Luckily, Morata came on in the second half and Milan’s game changed. First the Spaniard scored the goal that made it 1-2 with an instinctive redirection of Tijjani Reijnders’ shot, and then his comments to the media after the game were those of a leader.

“We need to take a step further mentally. We need to work hard, work, commit more fouls, become a tougher team. Starting tomorrow, we’ll all do it together,” he said.