Milan hosted SPAL in the Serie A matchup as Stefano Pioli looked to note his first win as the new Milan manager as of recent.
Pioli opted to start with Castillejo, Calhanoglou, Paqueta, and Piatek as the attacking part of the team for Milan.
Sami Castillejo, in particular, received a lot of criticism for his performances, both this and the last season for Rossoneri.
The first half was very uneventful, as Castillejo’s big miss was the only important moment of the first 45 minutes.
Milan players were booed off the pitch by their own fans, as Milan struggled to create anything.
The second half didn’t bring in much difference, with only Calabria coming on for Musacchio.
However, after Suso came on in the 57th minute to replace the underwhelming Castillejo, the Spaniard made almost an immediate impact.
Piatek drew a foul on the edge of SPAL’s area, making the most out of the almost wasted long ball.
Suso stepped up to take the free-kick, placing it perfectly in the goalkeeper’s top right corner, as Berisha didn’t stand a chance.
This provided Milan with the spark they needed.
The team started playing some more dynamic football, with Paqueta beautifully controlling Piatek’s pass, just missing a golden opportunity.
The guests were unable to create anything, which saw the match finish 1-0 for Milan.
This result means that Milan will climb up to 10th in the league table, tied with Parma at 13 points.
There are a lot of positives for Pioli, as Calabria & Suso combined very well in the second half.
Theo Hernandez also showed some promising moments, just like Paqueta who will be one to watch in this Milan team.