Milan will not have Zlatan Ibrahimovic for this evening’s derby against Inter, giving Rafael Leao the chance to become the star of the show.
The 23-year-old Portuguese forward has taken a clear step up in quality this year under coach Stefano Pioli, having finally found his footing in the Lombardy capital two years after his arrival. The player has scored six goals and provided four assists in 19 Serie A appearances, making the difference for the Rossoneri on a number of occasions.
As highlighted by Calciomercato.com, now it’s time for Leao to take the step up in terms of his leadership and responsibility. He needs to prove that he can be the leader on the pitch whilst also managing his fitness well enough over the full 90 minutes, rather than working too hard and dropping off in the second half.
Milan need Leao to stay focused and impress, especially during a period where they have limited options up front. If the Portuguese forward is as good as many believe, now is really the time to prove it.
Milan, tutti temono Leao: ma non ha ancora fatto il salto di qualità https://t.co/N0y9j1vuHV pic.twitter.com/FpsWY1eaHn
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) February 5, 2022
Everyone needs to stop putting so much pressure on this guy. He’s getting better and more consistent every week, but he’s still far from the finished product and will have his bad days.
Two things he should improve more than anything else : His decision making so he can finish moves that leads to the eventual goal and he also needs to manage his energy better since his game is based on explosive changes of pace.
He’s shown his quality plenty and often. We know he has it along with blistering speed. This game won’t change that, but he needs to show up in big games to grow as a player more.
@Milan Fan
Completely agree.