LAZIO v AC MILAN: THE DEBRIEFING

It was difficult and they had to dig in, but, in the end, the Rossoneri came away with a deserved 1-0 victory over Lazio. In picking up the three points in Rome, Coach Pioli’s men put an end to their three-game winless run. Here are three factors that decided the game in our favour.

OKAFOR AND GOALS FROM THE BENCH
Noah Okafor comes on and scores. Luka Jović comes on and scores. CTRL+C, CTRL+V. So far this season, our strikers have made a habit of entering the fray and making a decisive contribution. The Swiss man has bagged four of his five goals this campaign as a substitute (Lazio, Monza, Udinese and Lazio again). Across Serie A, Europe and the Coppa Italia, we’ve now scored 15 goals through substitute players in 2023/24 (compared to ten last season). Against Lazio, Noah came on with exactly the right attitude, as he often does, and changed the match. That’s the way to do it.

CLEAN SHEET
A shutout. On the road, the Rossoneri hadn’t kept a clean sheet since Empoli 0-3 AC Milan on 7 January 2024. After that match at the Castellani, the team conceded eleven goals across their away fixtures against Udinese, Frosinone, Monza and Stade Rennais - too many by our standards. However, at the Olimpico, despite Vecino and Immobile threatening for the hosts, the team managed to record a shutout. Combined with the result, it’s a welcoming development as we start to head into the latter part of the season. Also great to see was Fik Tomori’s return to the pitch after two months out. A big step has been taken: let’s build a Rossoneri wall again.

STEADY NERVES
With Lazio down to ten men, Reijnders, Calabria and Okafor came on and shifted the balance a bit, but what stood out was the team’s composure when the match became a nervous and edgy affair. Following Pellegrini’s red card, tempers ran high among the Biancocelesti players, who tried to increase the intensity where possible. AC Milan didn’t allow themselves to be distracted, stuck to the task and then managed to score the all-important winning goal. Mission complete, third place consolidated and the gap to second closed. Now, it’s time to focus on Slavia Praha.

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