A strong defensive match from centre-back Bremer helped Torino split points with Milan on Sunday. El Toro, solidly in the mid-table, played compact and organized, never overcommitting numbers when attacking. On the visiting side, Milan was unable to break through in the final third and had poor finishing, putting just 3 of its 14 shots on target.
Torino
Etrit Berisha – 8
Even though Milan’s finishing left a lot to be desired, Torino’s goalkeeper had a strong match. He made one particularly nice diving save against Davide Calabria and made intelligent decisions when coming off of his line.
Bremer – 9.5
Once again, the centre-back put in a phenomenal shift for Torino. He was strong and physical, making several crunching tackles in the defensive third. Bremer was a key factor in shutting down Olivier Giroud and Brahim Diaz in the centre of the pitch.
Riccardo Rodriguez – 7
Rodriguez provided his typical veteran presence on the backline, staying calm and collected against his opponents. He had a good day passing the ball and was rarely beaten down the wing when defending.
David Zima – 7
Playing as the right-sided centre-back, Zima spent the match furiously defending against Rafael Leao. The winger bypassed him occasionally, but he was in solid form for much of the match and even helped spark a counter attack.
Wilfried Singo – 6
In the first half, Singo performed his defensive duties well, but he was noticeably quiet on the offensive side of the ball. At one point, Ivan Juric could be heard telling the Ivorian to drive the ball at Theo Hernandez, but Singo did not follow his manager’s instructions. However, he changed his game and became much more involved in the second 45 minutes.
Mergim Vojvada – 5
At left wing-back, Vojvada had his hands full with Alexis Saelemaekers and Calabria. He played a decent match, but did not add much to his side’s offensive efforts.
Tommaso Pobego – 5
Pobega, a usually involved midfielder, had problems getting on the ball against Milan. He often struggled to find space, and when he did, he was closed down immediately.
Samuele Ricci – 7
Ricci was the most active of the centre-midfielders, facilitating his side’s few attacking chances in the first half. Offensively, his distribution was fantastic, and he also won multiple challenges when necessary.
Sasa Lukic – 6.5
With Brekalo playing higher up the pitch, Lukic played more conservatively, almost in a box-to-box role. Like several of his teammates, the Serbian greatly improved in the second half, helping exploit the unorganized Milan backline.
Josip Brekalo – 6
Brekalo made a few decent passes, but he was not the creative, goal-scoring threat that Torino needs him to be to win matches.
Andrea Belotti – 6
Belotti combined well when playing between the lines, but he struggled to create any meaningful chances as the number nine. The striker did not have much support with Milan’s double pivot restricting space in the midfield.
Substitutes
Ola Aina – 6
During his short time on the pitch, the Nigerian took an ambitious shot and contributed to the Torino attack on the left wing.
Armando Izzo – 6
After relieving Zima, Izzo helped keep the Granata backline strong as Milan pushed for a winning goal.
Pietro Pellegri – N/A
Alessandro Buongiorno – N/A
Demba Seck – N/A
Milan
Mike Maignan – 7.5
After an extraordinarily quiet first half, Maignan was forced into a world-class save just a few minutes into the second half. From outside the box, Vojvada took a wonderful curling shot, but the French goalkeeper somehow prevented the ball from finding the upper corner of the goal.
Pierre Kalulu – 6.5
Kalulu did not have much to do, but he was confident in possession and did not make any notable errors.
Fikayo Tomori – 8
Despite picking up an early yellow card, Tomori was at his best, winning several tackles and neutralizing Belotti.
Theo Hernandez – 7
The left-back was active on the ball, but he was unable to make any particularly dangerous forays into the attacking third. He also showed off his improved defending against Singo and Aina, allowing the pair limited space and opportunities.
Davide Calabria – 6
Calabria had one decent shot, but he was otherwise unimpressive when attacking, playing in multiple disappointing set pieces. However, he was quite good on defense, doing well to protect the right channel.
Sandro Tonali – 6
Tonali had an interesting match, getting long spells of possession on the ball and distributing accurately and dangerously. However, he ventured too high on occasion, allowing Torino opportunities to counter attack late in the match.
Franck Kessie – 6
After a substitute appearance against Bologna, Kessie was clearly rusty in his return to the starting eleven. He was not the typically fierce defender, though his play did improve after halftime.
Brahim Diaz – 5.5
Diaz had a few moments of quality in the first half, but he was clearly not at his best. After an underwhelming performance, Stefano Pioli replaced the Spaniard with Junior Messias in the second half.
Rafael Leao – 6
Torino clearly had a plan to to harass Leao, with the Portuguese winger frequently finding himself double-marked. He managed to free himself several times and excelled when he was on the ball in the middle of the pitch.
Alexis Saelemaekers – 6.5
At times, the Belgian looked like Milan’s most threatening attacker, but he also made several odd errors. It was an inconsistent day for the winger, but he put in a solid shift and defended well when Calabria pushed up the wing.
Olivier Giroud – 4.5
Giroud’s performance against Bremer was the stuff of nightmares. Though he frequently got on the ball, he was poor with his back to goal and completed barely 60% of his passes. He also managed just one shot, a mediocre effort that was blocked.
Substitutes
Junior Messias – 6.5
Replacing Diaz in the midfield, Messias almost notched a goal seconds after coming on. However, after his fast start he was unable to contribute much to the ailing Milan attack.
Rade Krunic – N/A
Matteo Gabbia – N/A