AC Milan disappointed yet again on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Crotone. The Rossoneri failed to turn up in the first half as Marcello Trotta gave the hosts the lead, and a Gabriel Paletta equaliser wasn't enough to spark a comeback. That's just one point from games against Empoli and Crotone in the past fortnight, as Milan now risk throwing away Europa League qualification.
Positives
The performance improved in the second half as Milan maintained more control over the game. As always, they continued to push forward in search of goals as they recovered from a dreadful opening 40 minutes or so.
Negatives
Yet again the Rossoneri dropped points against "inferior" opposition, as there was a shocking lack of quality in the final third and no real composure or urgency in their play for the most part.
Manager rating out of 10
6 -- Vincenzo Montella still hasn't found the secret to seeing off lesser teams, but that also falls on his players to be better. However, he waited until the 78th minute to make a change, bringing on Lucas Ocampos who has offered nothing in recent weeks.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma, 7 -- Little he could have done to stop Trotta's goal, but made two standout saves in the game. The first was a stunning stop to deny Andrea Barberis after just two minutes and he produced a second crucial save just before the equaliser.
DF Davide Calabria, 6 -- A tidy display from Calabria, as although he had his troubles at times, he kept his concentration defensively throughout and tried to break forward when possible.
DF Cristian Zapata, 5 -- It's been a downward spiral for the centre-half since his heroics against Inter. Out-muscled by Trotta in the build-up to the goal, and physically wasn't up to it. Not solid enough.
DF Gabriel Paletta, 6 -- Credited with the scrappy equaliser, often won aerial battles and covered ground to make key interceptions. Not perfect by any stretch, but the better of the two central defenders.
DF Leonel Vangioni, 5 -- Similar to Calabria in the sense that it was a decent performance from the Argentine, but he didn't really impose himself on the game or make a telling contribution.
MF Juraj Kucka, 5 -- Picked up a second yellow card right at the end after a sequence of play that can only be described as embarrassing. The tenacious midfielder draws plaudits for his physicality and energy, but he offers little in terms of technical quality.
MF Manuel Locatelli, 5 -- On one hand, it's hard to be too critical of the youngster. The pressure was on for him to come in and perform today, and he showed glimpses with clever passes between the lines. However, this was a big opportunity for him, and he didn't take it in a disappointing display.
MF Mati Fernandez, 5 -- His movement between the lines was impressive at times, but once in the final third, he rarely found the right pass to continue the threatening attack.
FW Suso, 6 -- The Spaniard has struggled since returning from injury, while his ongoing contract talks may be a distraction too. Nevertheless, Milan rely on him heavily to be their creative spark and while he had his chances, that final bit of quality wasn't there to make the difference.
FW Gianluca Lapadula, 6 -- Should have scored in the second half with his effort cleared off the line. Aside from that, battled tirelessly up front, held the ball up well and linked up play. Needs to add goals to his game though.
FW Gerard Deulofeu, 5 -- The loanee spent too much of the first half moaning at the referee, and he really needs to mature and step up for Milan between now and the end of the season. As usual, got into dangerous positions but the key fact again is that he didn't register a goal or an assist.
Substitutes
FW Lucas Ocampos, N/A -- Did little in the final 10 minutes or so.
FW Carlos Bacca, N/A -- No real time to have an influence on the game.
DF Gustavo Gomez, N/A -- A late replacement after Vangioni picked up a problem.