Milan legend Arrigo Sacch called their 2-1 win over PSG a ‘real team victory’ with a ‘great’ performance from Rafa Leao. The former Rossoneri coach shared his thought on the team’s Champions League win in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport,
“It was an evening to be framed and then to be hung on the wall and admired as if it were a masterpiece-painting: Milan won against the dreaded Paris Saint-Germain, Lazio won against Feyenoord. And the Champions League, to both Pioli’s and Sarri’s boys, smiles again: now, with two games left in the round, qualifying is still possible. Come on, let’s make it!
“Pardon my fan’s emphasis, but when Italian teams play I can’t hold back my passion. At the San Siro it was a very good and very open challenge. In the first half Milan seemed to me a bit disordered, failed to double up on Dembelé and Mbappé, often accepted the one-on-one and in doing so the French created several chances. In the second half, on the other hand, the Rossoneri settled down, seemed to me definitely more orderly and more compact and managed to shorten and double on the outsides.
“Everyone gave their souls, everyone gave their all and this is a very positive aspect, especially since we were coming from the bad home defeat against Udinese in the league. The victory over Psg is an important response from the group that, however, now has the obligation to continue on this path. In order not to have ups and downs, not to suffer from drops in tension and attention, it is essential to have a great team spirit and very strong motivation.
“I would say that last night Milan put those qualities on display. But did you see the power, acceleration and strength of Loftus-Ceek? In midfield he always had the lucidity to fend off opposing attacks and the energy to come forward again. He did very well, but I have to admit that I liked everyone. They fought, they all suffered together, they showed themselves as a collective.
“To highlight Leao’s great performance. The Portuguese, who in my opinion has impressive qualities and I get angry every time he doesn’t exploit them (because it’s such a shame…), came back to help his teammates in the containment phase, placed an incredible series of shots and in this way, besides creating problems for Paris Saint-Germain, he gave courage to the whole team. Leao’s counters, in the second half, were truly devastating: impossible to stop him. And then how can you not mention Giroud’s header: perfect in timing, precision and power imprinted on the ball. And mind you, the direct opponent was Skriniar, a man who commands respect with his head. From San Siro a hopeful sign for the future, in short. Both for the Champions League and for the championship.
“And good news also came from the Olimpico. Beating Feyenoord was by no means easy, because the Dutch are going a thousand miles an hour. Lazio, which does not have a very high technical quality, is very tidy and Sarri is a coach who knows how to make his teams play. Today the other two commitments of the Italians. Not at all easy is the challenge that awaits Inter in Salzburg. The Nerazzurri, who can qualify if they win, face a very young, dynamic team that makes pace and aggression their main weapons. To these qualities the Austrians add enthusiasm, typical of youngsters, and a good wealth of technical ideas in line with the principles of today’s soccer. At the San Siro, in the first match, they showed very good game plots and for this reason I hope Inter will take them head-on and force them on the defensive.
“Simone Inzaghi’s team has the numbers to clinch victory and passage to the round. And Napoli, too, can take a decisive step if they beat Union Berlin. The commitment, on paper, looks less onerous than Inter’s, but in the Champions League you can never trust anyone. Garcia’s team, which slowly seems to be returning to good levels, must insist on the path it has taken. The collective game, which allowed them to win the Scudetto last season, is in Napoli’s grasp. It is a matter of improving the distances between the departments so that the collaboration between the players is total, more pressing and more speed plays need to be made. Then yes, we will see a Napoli still capable of surprising everyone.”
