Milan suffered a 3-2 loss against Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in Pasadena, so here are the five things we learned from the Rossoneri’s first friendly in the USA.
Milan were up 2-0 at the break, but a brace from Federico Valverde and a Vini Jr. goal helped Real Madrid beat Stefano Pioli’s side. The Italian tactician was still satisfied with his players’ performance. But what did we learn from Milan’s first friendly in the USA?
Romero
Amidst all the arrivals of Christian Pulisic, Noah Okafor and likely Samuel Chukwueze, Romero needs to take every bit of pitch time he can to show what he’s capable of. The ex-Lazio starlet replaced the injured Junior Messias in the first half and after Madrid failed to get the ball out of their own end, the Argentinean received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and emphatically curled home a goal into the top corner. It was an unexpected moment of class from the youngster who doesn’t have many minutes under his belt as a pro but could be a signing that makes a larger imprint than people expect.
Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The former Chelsea players were two of the standout newcomers in the match. The American was really getting on the ball early and often, trying to take players on and create. After several attempts to make his mark, Pulisic created a breakthrough for Milan from a corner, with a poorly marked Fikayo Tomori heading home. It was a good exhibition for the USMNT captain. As for RLC, the Englishman showed his ability to retain possession and then carry the ball forward into the final third. There were still signs of adapting, but a good outing from the new midfielder nonetheless.
Colombo
Giroud and now Okafor will undertake primary striker opportunities this season for Milan. Origi, Rebic and Messias’ departures are formalities as well it would appear. So, could Colombo carve out a role for himself this season? There is interest from Italy for the Italian striker who showed promise last year on loan at Lecce, scoring five goals and assisting 2 in roughly 1500 minutes. Last night at the Rose Bowl, the U21 forward demonstrated good hold-up play and linked well with the supporting crew. While it may be hard to gauge from a pre-season friendly in July, Colombo is a player Pioli has to think about.
Defensive errors
The Englishman opened the score in the first half with a towering header on a Pulisic corner and was tidy defensively in the first half. The 25-year-old kept a high line, read the game well and blocked several shots and key passes from Real Madrid players. Problems emerged after the break, especially in one vs. one situations against the likes of Rodrygo and Vini Jr. Tomori also gifted Real Madrid’s equaliser by giving away the ball in the worst possible place. He was replaced at minute 69 by Malick Thiaw. Goalkeeper Marco Sportiello also had highs and lows against the Rossoneri. The ex-Atalanta keeper produced an excellent save to deny Rodrygo in the second half, but only a few minutes later, he didn’t block a long-range shot from Federico Valverde, paving the way for Madrid’s Remuntada. Overall, the Rossoneri put in intensity and new signings showed glimpses of quality. However, Milan paid a very high price for defensive errors which Pioli will be looking to reduce when the real season starts.