In Milan, an unbeaten Serie A start has not spared AC Milan a stern internal verdict. Adrien Rabiot welcomed three valuable points after the meeting with Atalanta, but the French midfielder was deeply unhappy with the way a commanding evening nearly slipped away.
The news from the club
Milan have played seven league matches so far, winning four and drawing three without defeat. Yet their latest result exposed concerns that Rabiot believes cannot be ignored.
Against Atalanta, the home side appeared to have the contest under control well before the hour. Gonçalo Ramos converted a penalty in the 24th minute, Rabiot added the second shortly before half-time, and Mario Gila made it 3-0 in the 57th minute.
What should have been a straightforward finish instead became an anxious final stretch for Ruben Amorim’s side. Gianluca Gaetano reduced the deficit in the 66th minute before Nikola Krstovic scored with nine minutes remaining, leaving Milan to protect a one-goal advantage.
Rabiot felt the contrast between the two halves was unacceptable. He said Milan had played very well before the interval but then “lost our way” after the restart.
“I’m angry,” he said. “If we play a second half like that, there is no point in having such a good first half. Fortunately we won, but I do not know whether we deserved it. We cannot perform that way in the first half and then play like that afterwards.”
The midfielder attributed the late danger to a lapse in focus, warning that stronger opponents will punish such moments. He also called for greater impact from those entering from the bench.
“Against a quality team, you can risk conceding an equaliser and losing the game,” Rabiot said. “I said it after Sassuolo as well: we have to work on our mentality. The substitutes must contribute more too and come into the match properly, in my view. That is football: when you lose concentration, you can lose matches. Still, these are extremely important three points, so we are very happy.”
It is not the first time this year that Rabiot has publicly demanded more from teammates. In July, after a 0-4 first half involving his national side, he described the opening period as “shameful” and criticised behaviour from certain players that he said he had never seen before.
Speaking after the defeat to Spain, he said there was considerable disappointment, but insisted the team still had a duty to finish the competition properly and could not afford to give up so readily. For Rabiot, the recurring demand is clear: concentration and intensity must last the entire 90 minutes.
Europe awaits Bournemouth
Milan’s next assignment is against Bournemouth in the Europa League, where victory is required. After the late nerves against Atalanta, the occasion will offer an immediate test of whether the response satisfies Rabiot’s demand for a more complete performance.
