These are interesting times for Rafael Leão in Italian football with AC Milan. While on the surface the Portuguese superstar has scored in three straight Serie A matches and was even named captain for the weekend win over Verona, there is a sense the decision to issue Leao the armband was a protective measure against persistent voices of criticism aimed at Milan’s prized asset.
The latest and most prominent voice of dissent is legendary former Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi, who launched a detailed account of how he perceives Leão’s impact to be detrimental to the team’s ability to be a well-structured outfit playing to their full potential.
Leão is without question Milan’s most valuable player and many would argue the biggest individual talent in the squad. Yet the former Sporting forward is often accused of failing to achieve a level of consistency expected having turned 24 in the summer. However, writing in Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi offered a more tactical breakdown regarding the problematic nature he believes Leão’s presence represents.
“At the end of the [Verona] game a friend of mine phoned me and said: ‘Now you’ll be happy, Milan won. I said, ‘Not much’. ‘Why?’ he asked me. The answer was easy: ‘Because I saw Milan still struggling,’ began Sacchi, who won back-to-back European Cups with Milan during his time as manager.
“I’m not enchanted by the result, even though beating Verona is never easy. The problem is that Pioli’s team are still not a collective.
“Being a collective means having eleven active players with and without the ball, it means pressing, it means not launching it, it means keeping the ball low to the ground, it means always moving.
“Milan must be like an accordion, they must know how to start and finish at the right moment. The collective, despite those that think otherwise, enhances the talent, not imprisoning it.
“If, on the other hand, there’s no collective, that is, no team game, talent alone is of little use. This is a lesson that everyone should learn, but in Italy I see that few have understood it.
“The defeat [5-1] in the derby, so clear-cut, certainly caused some problems in the environment. That’s normal. How do we get out of it? With work, with training, with effort. Provided that everyone gives their all, that they give their soul to the work they do.
“And here we come to the second important point of the question: how are the Milan players? Are they functional to the coach’s project? I hope so, I hope Pioli has chosen them according to their technical and human characteristics.
“It is fundamental to know the players above all as people, because you know exactly what they can give you. When I arrived at Milan, I asked for the transfers of those who didn’t fit into my ideas of how to play or who didn’t respect the normal behaviour of a professional.
“The club, with me, was exceptional: they accommodated me in everything, helped me, supported me. The same must happen now with Pioli, because the coach needs time to assemble the team, there are so many new faces, patience is needed.
“You can’t get everything right away. You need a learning period and a break-in period. What I’ve noticed is that Milan still lack the necessary balance. I had already seen it in the derby, where they were surprised by Inter’s attitude and didn’t have the strength to counter it.
“And even against Verona they proved to have several flaws. The attackers don’t track back in the non-possession phase; the defenders, when they have the ball, throw long balls, it’s not clear what kind of move they intend to set up.
“It seems to me that there is a bit of confusion and here it is up to Pioli to bring order, to give precise lines, to show that he is the first to believe in the ideas he proposes to his boys. Leão scored a nice goal, but today Milan exist mainly for the Portuguese winger and this is a limitation.
“Leão, with his way of being on the pitch, with his lack of tracking back, with his lack of participation in the work of the group, is what doesn’t allow you to become a collective.
“If you want to make a qualitative leap, in the direction of a more European football, it is fundamental that everyone is functional to the project and that everyone knows how to sacrifice themselves in the name of the team.
“Let’s say that the Rossoneri are trying hard to improve, but there are still many steps to take. On the other hand, a drubbing like the one they suffered in the derby, with all that it entailed, cannot be digested quickly.”
Sacchi’s words came the day after Milan boss Stefano Pioli issued Leão the armband, saying “everyone wanted him to be captain, because of his attitude” and defending his player against the critical observations. “There is often exaggerated negativity around my players,” Pioli said. “This is a very responsible group, any error by one teammate is an error for them all.
“Rafa is following his path, he must continue growing and to become a truly great player you must also learn to deal with pressure and high expectations. He did what he had to do. At times he starts strong and drifts out of the game, but he is happy here.”
Speaking for himself, Leão was quoted in an interview released on Monday saying he hopes to continue his development at Milan, with no intention of leaving San Siro anytime soon, particularly in the face of reported interest from the free-spending Saudi Arabian Pro League.
“I believe that the club is on the right path, we managed to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League,” Leão told GQ Portugal. “Now the club’s objective must be to continue to rise, to continue to add, to continue to be strong.
“And I’m sure that Milan will soon return to winning a Champions League, which is our goal. I speak for myself, I’m young, I’m a player who wants to win big things, the Champions League I think is every player’s dream and we are working for this.
“Leaving Milan? You can never say never, but I’m in a club that welcomed me very well, I’ve renewed my contract now, if I was thinking of leaving I wouldn’t have renewed it, I’m focused on doing great things in the next two or three years with Milan.
“Saudi Arabia? I have not yet achieved enough great things to go to a league like that. In recent days money has spoken louder, but for me a Champions League is worth more than a large salary.”
By @SeanGillen9
