Ranking AC Milan's Top 5 Players for February 2016
AC Milan were unbeaten in February, putting together a run of three wins and two draws from five games to assert themselves upon Serie A’s top six.
Now looking up at third place and a Champions League spot, the future looks much rosier for the Rossoneri than it did at the start of 2016. This is primarily a collective achievement built upon team cohesion and organisation.
However, perhaps inevitably given the run of form, there were a number of individuals who performed extremely well in February as Milan’s gradual ascent under Sinisa Mihajlovic’s coaching continued.
Here, we'll look at Milan’s top five players in a month defined by positive results.
All statistics are from WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.
5. Cristian Zapata
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February may have been the month that Cristian Zapata got his AC Milan career back on track.
After some cumbersome, error-prone displays earlier in the season, the Colombian centre-back found himself out of favour, with Mihajlovic preferring to field a central-defensive partnership of Alex and Alessio Romagnoli.
However, beginning with a solid showing against Palermo, Zapata has proven himself once more to be a capable Serie A defender.
His best moment came in away match with Napoli against the backdrop of a raucous Stadio San Paolo atmosphere. In that match, Zapata blocked one shot, made two tackles, four interceptions and seven clearances to help Milan to an important point.
He was so impressive that even with Romagnoli back to full fitness after a bout of flu, Zapata looks set to remain in contention for a more regular starting berth.
4. Juraj Kucka
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What Juraj Kucka lacks in grace, he makes up for in effort. The Slovakian midfielder’s energy, work-rate and dynamism have become key features of Milan’s midfield, and his contribution was crucial in February.
The 29-year-old made four appearances, missing one match through injury, and in three of the four games he started, he earned an average rating over 7.2, per WhoScored.com.
He set up Luca Antonelli’s match-winning strike in last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Torino, and he will be hoping to add to his productivity in the final third going forward.
3. Giacomo Bonaventura
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It has almost become trite to talk about how well Giacomo Bonaventura is playing this season, but February saw him put in even more strong performances to cement his position as one of Milan’s star players.
The quick-footed attacking midfielder put on a man-of-the-match display against Genoa, where he racked up two key passes, five crosses and one through ball while completing two dribbles.
In his next outing at Napoli, he scored Milan’s equaliser and put in a solid defensive shift to help his team to a valuable point.
Bonaventura remains the Rossoneri’s best player by far in 2015-16, and if he continues this form, he should be firmly in the running for awards come the end of the season.
2. Luca Antonelli
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In February, Luca Antonelli was once again a portrait of consistency for Milan. The left-back made five appearances, garnering WhoScored.com ratings of over 7.1 in every single one of them.
The 29-year-old also added to his goal tally, scoring the winner against Torino in the final game of the month.
Defensively sound and adventurous going forward, Antonelli has had an excellent campaign and looks set to be a crucial player for Milan for years to come.
1. Ignazio Abate
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In February, Ignazio Abate put in arguably his best showing in a Milan shirt this season, as he helped stem the tide of Napoli's attack to aid his side to a draw.
In that game, Lorenzo Insigne could barely get a look in. Every time the Partenopei’s lithe winger looked around, Abate was nearby.
The 29-year-old right-back’s experience, pace and work ethic enabled him to make six tackles, six clearances and seven interceptions in that game. It was, quite simply, a herculean defensive effort.
Outside of the Napoli game, Abate’s consistency was unerring. He looked to have rediscovered his lust for attacking, and his work without the ball was spot on. For that, he can deservedly be called Milan’s player of the month.
