Milan have recorded a much-needed 2-0 win over Fiorentina to ease the pressure on manager Sinisa Mihajlovic at the San Siro.
Milan went into the game as underdogs and overcame Fiorentina’s dominance in possession and chances to register a huge victory. An early goal from Carlos Bacca set the tone before Kevin Prince Boateng marked his Milan return with a late strike to seal the three points for the Rossoneri. The win send them to sixth on the table and also signals a potential mid-season revival to close the gap on the top three.
Milan have found their attacking niche
After weeks of looking for a solid strike partnership, Milan have unearthed the pair that can take them through the rest of the season. Carlos Bacca and M’Baye Niang leading the line has proved to be a major find as of late. Bacca and Niang have managed to work in a very solid manner together with their playing styles complementing each other. Bacca does well to hold up the play and uses his strength and power to break defences open, which has been brought out through Niang. The Frenchman’s ability to play a more creative role which includes him dropping out wide and providing more space for Bacca allows him to perform at his brilliant best. The added influence of Giacomo Bonaventura in creating many of these opportunities has been key and was shown in the match with Bonaventura playing in Bacca for the opener.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yryW4adMyPM
A comfortable defensive outing from Milan shows improvements at the back
A calm and much assured defensive performance from Milan was hugely important in their win. A real team performance from the Rossoneri saw Milan defend well in a game where the opposition dominated possession. The key for Milan after going up early in the game was to make sure they stayed compact at the back which they did to perfection. Romagnoli and Alex played a solid game in the centre with the added support of the central midfielders sitting deep. Also, Antonelli and Abate played solid football on the flanks in order to disrupt any wide attacks from the Viola. Milan also, with their wayward defence as of late, managed to end Fiorentina’s twenty-six game goal-scoring streak which can be taken as a massive confidence booster going into their next few games.
Fiorentina in need of a clinical striker
Fiorentina have loads of talent up front, with Nikola Kalinic, Giuseppe Rossi and Khouma Babacar who can all provide a decent option up top for the Viola. They have struggled to get much output out of them as of late. Kalinic, who lit up the start of the season has only netted once since November. He struggled astronomically against Milan and didn’t register a single shot on target. Rossi and Babacar also entered the fray but neither seemed to trouble the Milan defence. Either of these strikers will need to start their lift game. If not, Sousa might need to enter the transfer window to look for a solution up-top.
Balotelli boost
Mario Balotelli returned from a long injury layoff in the final moments of the game yesterday without providing much action. While his return didn’t have much of an impact on the game itself, the reception he drew from the crowd was a positive. The fans look like they are behind him and his influence on Milan in the next eighteen games could be massive. A place in Italy’s squad for the Euros is also a motivating factor for Balotelli and he could be a huge weapon for Milan once match-fit.
Boateng can play a major role in the second-half of the season
The Prince returned to the fray on the weekend and has been limited to only three substitute cameos. However, this time around he showed he still has loads of quality. Boateng, who was deemed to be a shadow of his former self, managed to latch on to a long ball from Juraj Kucka. He then showed extreme poise and strength to fend off Roncaglia and round Tatarusanu to seal the game. The Ghanaian will most likely be used predominantly in the centre of midfield or on the wing. With the skill and physical ability that he showed this morning and also in his recent cameos, his role may be more than just a bench player.
Kevin Prince-Boateng's last two goals for AC Milan have come 872 days apart. pic.twitter.com/VcQ7TuolWi
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 17, 2016
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