Serie A giants Milan picked up a very gritty 2-1 win over Napoli and it came despite Max Allegriโs side playing over 35 minutes with just ten men.
Pervis Estupinan was sent off for a last man challenge and this also led to Kevin de Bruyne slotting home the penalty. The Rossoneri scored through Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers in the first half and the goals proved enough to get three points.ย
Allegri made the perfect subs and Milan took the sting out of the game at the right time, denying champions Napoli any clear cut chances after they were down to ten men.
If anything, the win indicates that Milan are in a title race.
The Rossoneri now have four wins in a row and within this period, they have let in just one goal, keeping clean sheets. The back three is working extremely well for the current batch of players and there is a very solid foundation emerging at the back, with Fikayo Tomori increasing in prominence again and Strahinja Pavlovic finding form.
Luka Modric is key to everything too, with the 40-year-old playing a vital role in dictating play in midfield, receiving from deep, turning and making the right line-breaking passes.
He knits everything together, making football look like a walk in the park and this makes Milan seem like a very well-oiled side.ย
Santi Gimenez is facing struggles but this is being made up by Saelemaekersโ labourious approach on the right and Pulisic finding form once again in Milan colours. Rafael Leao returned to action today and should now feature more, with Pulisic likely to move in the central area.
Adrien Rabiot has also impressed since joining, showing why the Italian manager understands the Frenchmanโs role in the side perfectly and uses him in advanced areas instead of playing him deeper in midfield.
Milan just feel like a hardworking and tough to beat Allegri side of the old. They boosted their entire squad depth in the summer too, guaranteeing that they do not fall flat if injuries hit and Allegri seems to be understanding the very intricate strengths of every player in the side.
This pragmatism and the ability to adapt to games is proving vital and it showed today throughout the 97 minutes. San Siro rallied behind the side and a sense of unity is developing once again at the Rossoneri.
We are still early in the season but with Juve still trying to find certainties and Inter also not quite perfect, it seems like Allegriโs know-how of the league will help Milan challenge for the Scudetto.
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Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
