Sports
AC Milan vs Inter Milan not Semi-final quality — Steven Gerrard
AC Milan faced scathing criticism from Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard following their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Steven Gerrard, a renowned figure in the world of football, branded AC Milan as a disjointed group of players who failed to showcase a cohesive team performance, emphasizing that their display fell far below the standards expected in a semi-final encounter.
Stefano Pioli’s side delivered a lackluster performance at San Siro, with goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the first half sealing a convincing victory for Inter Milan.
Speaking on BT Sport after the Inter Milan match, Gerrard expressed his dismay, saying, “That performance from AC Milan is so far away from the level expected in a Champions League semi-final. It’s frightening. They looked like a group of individuals on the pitch rather than a united team. The manager must be perplexed.”
Gerrard singled out Sandro Tonali for criticism, highlighting the midfielder’s failure to track Mkhitaryan during the build-up to Inter’s second goal.
“The heart of the team was non-existent,” Gerrard exclaimed. “In this particular instance, Tonali was extremely lazy, allowing his marker to run past him.
The lack of coordination and communication between the two central defenders was glaring. How can you permit someone to penetrate right through the heart of the team?”
Throughout the entirety of the match, Gerrard identified the central defensive duo and the midfield pairing as passive and feeble, lacking the necessary assertiveness. “For the full 90 minutes, the two center-backs and the two central midfielders for Milan were shockingly passive and weak,” Gerrard criticized.
AC Milan now face an uphill battle in the second leg to overturn the two-goal deficit and secure a spot in the Champions League final. The team’s lack of cohesion and defensive vulnerabilities, as highlighted by Gerrard, will need to be swiftly addressed if they are to mount a comeback.
The scathing assessment from Steven Gerrard serves as a wake-up call for AC Milan, urging them to regroup and rediscover their collective spirit and tactical solidity.
With the manager and players under scrutiny, it remains to be seen how they will respond in the return leg as they strive to salvage their Champions League aspirations.
