Stefano Pioli’s Milan were left to pick up the pieces in West London after suffering a painful 3-0 loss to Chelsea in their Champions League clash last night, writes Apollo Heyes.
An injury-struck Rossoneri side did not look their best at Stamford Bridge yesterday, falling behind after 24 minutes following a scramble in the box that allowed Wesley Fofana to poke the ball home. Second half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James secured the three points for Graham Potter’s side, leaving an exasperated Milan with nothing in West London.
Here are three things learnt from Milan’s Champions League loss to Chelsea.
For whom the injury bell tolls
An injury crisis struck Milan at the worst time, seeing them without seven first team players as they boarded the plane to London earlier this week. Mike Maignan, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez, Davide Calabria, Alessandro Florenzi, Alexis Saelemaekers and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were all unavailable, heavily limiting Pioli’s options.
Despite their spirit, this situation clearly took a toll on Milan and they didn’t manage to overcome the issue against Chelsea. Only four outfield first team players were on the bench and players who were thrust into the starting 11, like Ciprian Tatarusanu and Sergiño Dest, did not have a good game.
To have Leao and have not
One of the more positive elements for Milan in their defeat was Rafael Leao, who had a good outing in West London as he tried to drive the Rossoneri forward throughout the match. The Portuguese forward proved his qualities on a tough stage and will certainly be regretting his failure to convert a key chance late in the first half.
Chelsea were interested in picking up Leao late in the summer transfer window and his performance, better than many of his Rossoneri teammates around him, would’ve only further wooed the Blues. The 23-year-old completed six dribbles, made four progressive carries and produced two shot-creating actions, trying his hardest to give Milan something to smile about on a tough night.
The young man and the sea
Milan spent their summer chasing Belgian talent Charles De Ketelaere and they finally secured their man, beating out Leeds United, in early August. Two months after his arrival, the 21-year-old is still struggling to show his true qualities in a red and black shirt, something that was again apparent at Stamford Bridge.
Despite his slow start, it’s far too early to write off De Ketelaere, but yesterday’s game is a sign that the Belgian talent will still need some time to fully adapt to both Pioli’s system and the big stage. He only completed 59% of his passes, did not complete a dribble and won only two of his eight duels, so Rossoneri fans may have to wait a little while longer to see why the club invested over €32m into the attacking midfielder.