Thanks to an early goal from Rafael Leao, AC Milan clinched all three points against Hellas Verona yesterday afternoon. Stefano Pioloi claimed after the game that a number of the new signings were taken aback.
From start to end, it was an extremely physical game, with both sides getting involved and frequently disrupting the play. In other words, it wasn’t pretty, and some players didn’t get as much playing time.
After the game, Pioli told MilanTV (read the whole interview here) that the new acquisitions Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders were taken aback by Verona’s strength. The Dutchman, in particular, struggled to assert himself.
“The lads are settling in well, but the process is not yet complete.” Tijjani and Yunus informed me at the end of the game, “Gaffer, it’s tough in Italy, it’s so hard to beat your man because they are so aggressive and physical.” These problems are surmountable, and they will get more so with each game. “They need more time to learn the system,” he said.
Musah was one of Milan’s top players, winning duels and sprinting down the right side. However, he clearly needs time to adjust to the Rossoneri’s system, as does Reijnders (who could be the No.6 in the coming games).
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