After his struggling squad lost 1-0 to Inter in the Sunday derby, Milan manager Stefano Pioli justified his choice not to start Rafael Leao.
The defending champions are now sixth in Serie A after 21 games and risk missing out on Champions League qualification if they don’t change their ways.
They have dropped four straight games, losing to Inter in the Supercoppa and Serie A, Lazio by a score of 4-0, and Sassuolo by a score of 5-2 at home.
Leao was only a substitute despite scoring twice to help Milan win the local derby 3-2 in September in order to stay ahead of early leaders Napoli.
Milan has lost all impetus while Napoli has maintained their early furious pace and now leads Inter by 13 points.
Olivier Giroud and Divock Origi were the attacking duo that Pioli started against Inter, but he ended the relationship early in the second half when the unproductive Origi was taken off and Leao came on.
Though the French striker’s poor control cost him the opportunity to equalise, the deft Portuguese forward’s brilliant moment of quick-footed dribbling emphasised Leao’s danger.
“He has enormous potential,” said Pioli, “but I chose to play with two centre-forwards who are closer vertically to put Inter’s defence in difficulty, even if we didn’t succeed.
“I trust a lot in Leao, even if he didn’t start from the beginning. The choices I made are the best for what I saw during the week, for what the preparation for the match was and for the positions I wanted to fill.”
When asked about Leao’s omission, Pioli replied that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would “do it again.”
Milan has lost seven straight games overall, and they play Torino on Friday before playing Tottenham in the Champions League the following Tuesday.
