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| Carlos Bacca and Mario Balotelli worked well in attack to help AC Milan to a 1-0 win over Sampdoria |
AC Milan secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday night, with new head coach Cristian Brocchi getting his tenure off to a winning start.
The 40-year-old replaced Sinisa Mihajlovic earlier this week, and his first move was to switch from the Serbian's preferred 4-4-2 system to a 4-3-1-2 formation.
For the most part, it made little difference to the Rossoneri's general play, but they should be commended for battling hard for the win with Carlos Bacca scoring the decisive goal in the second half.
Aside from ending a five-game winless streak, the victory also ensured that Milan opened up a four-point gap over both Sassuolo and Lazio as they continue the fight to hold onto sixth place.
Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma, 6 -- It was a relatively comfortable night for the young shot-stopper, as he wasn't required to do too much. However, when called into action, he dealt with the threat with minimal fuss.
DF Ignazio Abate, 7 -- The veteran right-back has been critical of his side's desire and performances at times this season. Although the quality on the ball wasn't always there, he led by example in a tough game and worked hard defensively.
DF Alex, 7 -- A solid performance from the Brazilian, as he used his experience well to marshal the Milan backline, helping them keep a much-needed clean sheet as he kept Fabio Quagliarella very quiet.
DF Alessio Romagnoli, 6 -- Similarly to his central defensive partner, the 21-year-old carried out his duties well, while also helping Milan build from the back. Perhaps struggled slightly in the air at times, but his partnership with Alex works well and will hopefully continue producing shut-outs.
DF Luca Antonelli, 6 -- An energetic performance from the left-back, but with Brocchi's system keeping things narrow and focusing play through the middle, he will be expected to do more in the coming weeks.
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| Balotelli taking instructions from Cristian Brocchi during the game |
MF Juraj Kucka, 7 -- The minimum Milan expect from Kucka is a combative effort to help win the midfield battle. However, he continues to be a driving force for them and plays a pivotal role in both aspects of the game and in turn produces stand-out performances.
MF Riccardo Montolivo, 6 -- A solid performance from the Milan captain as he gave them a sense of security in front of the defence. However, he arguably needs to be more composed and inventive given his role in the side.
MF Andrea Bertolacci, 6 -- The former Genoa man couldn't have as much influence as he would have liked on the midfield battle, and was replaced just before the hour mark. However, he worked hard for the team off the ball to give them a foothold in the game.
MF Giacomo Bonaventura, 7 -- Bonaventura will seemingly have a crucial role to play in the coming weeks with Brocchi placing him in the side as the trequartista. Seemed to struggle early on with adjusting to his role, but was decisive in the second half in producing the assist for Bacca's goal as he roamed across the pitch and was a real problem for Sampdoria.
FW Mario Balotelli, 7 -- Deserves plenty of credit for his desire, effort and ability to control his emotions on Sunday night. It is no secret that Balotelli is essentially fighting for his future at the San Siro between now and the end of the season, and it shows. Brocchi will be delighted with his display.
FW Carlos Bacca, 7 -- Worked hard off the ball and in closing the opposition down, but was too wasteful in certain situations on the counter attack. However, made up for it with the winning goal to give Brocchi the perfect start to life on the Milan bench.
Substitutes
MF Andrea Poli, 6 -- Added a steeliness to the Milan midfield in a tough game and will hope that he can get more playing time from Brocchi in the next few weeks.
FW Jeremy Menez, N/A -- Struggled to get up to the pace of the game in his short time on the pitch.
MF Kevin-Prince Boateng, N/A -- A defensive-minded substitute to help Milan close the game out in the closing minutes.