AC Milan vs. Fiorentina: Winners and Losers from Serie A
AC Milan recorded an impressive 2-0 win over Scudetto challengers Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday evening, courtesy of goals from Carlos Bacca and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The Rossoneri put in an excellent defensive display to keep a clean sheet while also creating chances of their own with incisive counter-attacking play.
Bacca put the home side ahead after just four minutes after turning inside Nenad Tomovic to fire accurately beyond a despairing Ciprian Tatarusanu in goal for the Viola.
Milan then held onto their lead before Boateng—who was released by a wonderful diagonal pass from Juraj Kucka—took the ball past Tatarusanu to slot into an unguarded net and confirm the three points on 88 minutes.
The result puts a significant dent in Fiorentina’s title hopes, as they stay in fourth place, now six points behind league leaders Napoli. Meanwhile Milan’s victory saw them leapfrog Empoli and Sassuolo into sixth, where they are now just three points behind Roma.
There have been few outstanding team performances from Milan this season, but this was undoubtedly one of them. Here are B/R’s winners and losers from a rarely consummate Rossoneri showing.
Winner: Carlos Bacca (Milan)
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Bacca was brought in to provide goals, and that is exactly what he has given to Milan. Prior to his arrival, the team lacked a clinical out-and-out striker, though this is no longer the case.
Per OptaPaolo, against Fiorentina, the Colombian notched “his ninth Serie A goal…with his 19th shot on target of this campaign.”
Bacca’s ruthless streak and superb darting movement ensures that whenever Milan have space in which to attack, they have someone reliable to get on the end of chances created.
Loser: Nikola Kalinic (Fiorentina)
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In last season’s Europa League final, Nikola Kalinic lined up against Bacca for Dnipro as they took on Sevilla. On that night, the Croat scored the opener to put his side ahead, only for his opposite man to outdo him with a two-goal salvo to seal the trophy for the Andalusian club.
Half a season later and the pair were lining up against one another in entirely different circumstances, though the end result was the same: Bacca scored more than Kalinic, and Bacca’s team won.
The Viola’s sharp-shooter has scored just once since a November 2015 double versus Empoli, and he failed to register a shot on target against Milan, per WhoScored.com. He will need to re-find his shooting boots if his team are to renew their faltering title bid.
Winner: Milan's Defence
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Milan’s defence had to be supremely organised in order to deal with a Fiorentina outfit that, as noted by FourFourTwo, had “scored in 26 consecutive league games,” a record streak for the club.
Given how suspect the Rossoneri back line has been at times, it was almost a given that they would concede, but with a compact back four and a hard-working midfield sitting deep, Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men were able to stifle their artisan visitors.
The key for Milan going forward will be learning how to marry this sort of defensive solidity to a more attack-oriented tactic when playing weaker teams.
Loser: Fiorentina's Possession Game
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While Milan’s defensive fortitude no doubt had a hand in Fiorentina’s inability to score, it’s hard to ignore exactly how ineffective the Viola’s possession game was.
Per WhoScored, no other team in Serie A averages more possession than their 60.4 per cent total. But recently, there have been suggestions that they lack cutting edge in the final third, rendering their possession statistics irrelevant.
This issue has never been more evident than it was against Milan, who won despite having just 31.2 per cent of possession. According to OptaPaolo, “only Roma have won with a lower possession this term in Serie A.”
Having the ball is one thing but, using it wisely is another, and if Fiorentina want to rediscover their best form, they must start utilising their possession more efficiently.
Winner: Kevin-Prince Boateng (Milan)
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Milan’s decision to re-sign Boateng was a questionable one, though so far the tricky trequartista has made a positive impact upon his return.
He sealed the points against Fiorentina with a late strike and afterwards admitted his delight at the goal, telling Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia): “I am here to work, and I want to do well. I thank the Coach and the President. This goal is important for me, as I did suffer last summer. This was a perfect day. There’s nothing better than scoring at San Siro.”
Despite being restricted to substitute appearances so far, there are more than enough signs to suggest that Boateng can play an important role for Milan in future.
