Paolo Di Canio and Fabio Capello argued over Rafael Leao’s performance against Club Brugge: ‘He looks like a fantastic watch, but he’s a decent copy,’ said the ex-striker.
Leao was subbed off in the second half of Milan’s 3-1 win over Club Brugge. The result was 1-1, and the Rossoneri took the lead one minute after the Portuguese was taken out.
Furthermore, Leao didn’t join his teammates for post-match celebrations under the Curva Sud.
“We shouldn’t think of Leao as a leader but as an uncommon player,” Capello said during Sky Sport Italia’s post-match show.
“You have to accept this. He must also understand all these things. He is no longer a crucial player, and he must change his attitude. To do so, he must be accepted and supported by his teammates. He hasn’t yet understood the lesson.”
Nevertheless, Capello insisted that Leao “played a good game,” but Di Canio didn’t agree.
Di Canio and Capello argue over Leao performance: ‘I’ve understood what he is’
“It was a victory, an important victory. If Milan had lost, they would have been nearly out,” said the former striker.
“I disagree [with Capello]. Three successful dribbles don’t make a good game. He didn’t move much, it’s my idea. We can’t become accustomed to mediocrity. He may have dribbled past Brugge players, but Okafor and Chukwueze were better in terms of passing.
“I’ve understood what’s Leao. It’s a fantastic watch when you look at it from afar,” continued Di Canio.
“Is he a Vini Jr? Is he a Thierry Henry? No, wait, is it a Robben? Ah, no, it’s a good copy. When you look at it closely, you realise it’s a decent copy. From afar, it’s a nice watch.
“He’s great when he has a lot of space, but then he is not too smart when he has to link up with his teammates,” concluded Di Canio.
“Why did Fonseca replace him with 30 minutes remaining? What did he see?”
As reported by Whoscored, Leao completed nine successful dribbles against Club Brugge last night, the most by a player in any Champions League game so far this season.
The Portuguese ace has one goal and four assists in 10 appearances across all competitions this season.
Milan’s next Serie A match is against Bologna at the Stadio Dall’Ara on Saturday, October 26.
Di Canio is milking this one 😅