With Milan preparing for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Napoli, Matt Santangelo argues the Rossoneri will need another MVP performance from Rafael Leao to get a second victory over the Partenopei in less than two weeks.
Entering Naples looking up at the Partenopei in the table, Rafael Leao and Milan delivered a statement performance reminding of his prolific MVP status.
Expectations were certainly tempered for Milanisti heading into the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last weekend for their encounter with league leaders Napoli.
The recent stretch of results were not kind to the Rossoneri. Collecting just one point from their previous three matches, and entering the final sprint of the Campionato, each and every captured point becomes crucial to the cause for a top-four finish.
Compounded with the fact the club’s top players were underperforming relative to their capability when it is crucial they are peaking, it was difficult to project what type of effort we would see from Stefano Pioli’s men. But against the league’s elite, Milan have shown a distinct knack for bringing their best to the pitch when they need a result.
Last week, Rafael Leao and the entire crew dished out a reminder that, despite an inconsistent season, he is a Scudetto winner and league MVP for a reason. Early and often, the Portuguese winger found himself on the ball in optimal positions to inflict the most damage.
Brahim’s nifty bit of footwork and skill to leave two Napoli defenders in the dust put him into space to play Leao who opened the scoring with a cool, calm and collected chip of Alex Meret. Springing up the pitch after Sandro Tonali’s bulldozing midfield play to win possession, Leao did light work of Amir Rrahmani for the club’s eventual third on the occasion. A little lull to sleep with his right, smoothly putting it onto his weaker left and a rapid dispatch of his shot into the side netting punctuated the grade of performance that has made Leao one of the world’s lethal attacking players.
The mesmeric dribbling, the lethal hunt of defenders to take on 1v1, and the end product to tie
it all together are qualities Leao has in his locker, even if they are still a bit raw. When he is completely tapped in and in tune with the tempo of the match, the Sporting Academy graduate is simply unplayable.
Many questions have been raised about the reigning league MVP’s 2023 form and his lack of goalscoring. For all the praise rightfully being poured onto breakout star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for his tantalizing debut season on Italian soil, it was Leao who stole the show in a signature performance reminiscent of 2021-22.
Domestically, Milan are in a much different league position compared to last April and will have to claw their way into a top-four finish, but the dream of continental glory remains with the impending UCL quarter-final bout with Luciano Spalletti’s group in a short time.
Both roads will present their hurdles to overcome, but off the back of an emphatic 4-0 win in Naples, the hope amongst Milanisti is it will serve as a launch point for a strong finish to the campaign – and one which will require Leao to fashion more of the same efforts that made him a champion.
@Matt_Santangelo