5 things from AC Milan's fortunate draw vs. Roma
Welcome to the 5 Things recap by theScore's Anthony Lopopolo, which highlights AC Milan's performances over the 2018-19 season. Here's a breakdown of Milan's 1-1 draw with Roma.
1. Donnarumma preserves a point for Milan
There's no question Milan would've lost without Gianluigi Donnarumma. Though it's great to see the 19-year-old back in his element, unburdened by transfer talk and free to play his game, his workload is spinning out of control. He's made at least six saves in each of his last three Serie A matches, which is great on a personal level, but it's a concern from a club perspective. Milan can't expect to win if they continue to allow opponents to pepper their goalkeeper.
2. Refereeing again takes center stage
Fabio Maresca and his assistants made several questionable calls on Sunday, and the lack of transparency only made things worse. It's not clear why Aleksandar Kolarov's shove on Suso didn't yield a penalty. There's a suspicion the Spaniard was in an offside position, but it wasn't apparent to anyone watching. That's a VAR failure that needs to be addressed. Perhaps more egregious was Maresca's decision not to send off Lorenzo Pellegrini for a second bookable offence later in the second half. The problem is that the referees never have to explain themselves, and the league very rarely offers reasons for why certain decisions were made. That hurts everyone involved.
3. Roma respond after Coppa Italia shellacking
Roma played with energy and determination on Sunday - a far cry from their listless performance in Wednesday's 7-1 defeat to Fiorentina. Daniele De Rossi was a rock at the base of Roma's midfield, and Nicolo Zaniolo was a menace on the left side. There were questions about Roma's overall attitude after the Coppa Italia debacle, but the response against Milan was exactly what supporters wanted. The game changed completely after the interval, with Roma forcing Milan to scramble on several occasions.
4. Piatek does more with less
Despite recording just 24 touches all match - the least among Milan's starters - Krzysztof Piatek proved once again why the club signed him. Piatek primarily fed off scraps and made the most of it. The counterattack was poorly executed and the buildup play was choppy, but Piatek still found a way to make a difference. He put himself in position to score, anticipating Paqueta's pass to gain an advantage on his marker, Federico Fazio. His excellent understanding of space was a crucial factor in the goal.
5. Suso disappoints in another big game
Suso was lucky to last as long as he did. Apart from the non-penalty call, the 25-year-old was anonymous at the Stadio Olimpico, showing very little going forward, and even less desire to help defensively. It's not the first time Suso has struggled to make an impact against top opposition. He's an excellent dribbler and a fantastic goal-scorer, but he's too easily phased out of the game. Roma simply double-marked Suso, and he was never heard from again.