‘Back to the wall’ – why Leao risks losing starting spot after Conceicao’s warning

The arrivals of Santiago Gimenez and Joao Felix have excited the AC Milan fan base, but for Rafael Leao an important wake-up call has arrived.

La Gazzetta dello Sport speaks of Leao being ‘against the wall’. If up until now it was difficult for Milan to do without his class and his quality (Paulo Fonseca tried with mixed results), with the two reinforcements have given further solutions.

Sergio Conceicao has now made it clear he is working towards a 4-4-2 formation as he used at Porto and in this the wingers are crucial. Joao Felix can drop behind Gimenez in the defensive phase but the wide men must provide adequate cover.

Christian Pulisic has shown that he can do this since day one of his arrival, but Leao on the other hand has yet to acquire this attitude. Stefano Pioli and Fonseca failed in their mission to instil it in him, now it’s up to Conceiçao to try to convince him. And it’s not a given that he’ll use good manners.