Alright, eventhough I missed the first 15 minutes or so of the game, I pretty much got the idea of how we performed.
These are the players that impressed me the most (by order):
Daniel Offredi
Man, he's a keeper to look for, seriously. Its quite weird Im putting a GK as the player Im most impressed with after Ajax hardly had any shots on target right? Wrong. He was in total control of his area. He knew when to come up to catch a ball, he basically killed off all Ajax's advances before they even began. The style of which he plays is almost exactly like Buffon. Not acrobatic like Casillas, but commanding like Gianluigi. He commands his box so well he got pissed at the whole back four for one shot Ajax took, he even pushed Cosner (the Captain) like "what the hell man!?". He's that kind of keeper. I like that alot. I really, really wouldnt mind if he was 3rd or even 2nd keeper in the coming years for us. And he's a big tall lad too.
Kingsley Ebere Umunegbu
Now this is another one to look out for. The commentator kept praising him for his "defense from the front" efforts. He kept pressuring Ajax's defenders and goalkeeper to giving away the ball. Non-stop chasing. Not only that, he was fantastic on the ball. He can do all those Robinho stuff and a couple of times of course, earned a foul
p If he doesnt develop further to get into the first team at Milan, Im certain he'll do well for clubs like Siena, Livorno and that. Hopefully the #7 can play for us one day.
Chinoye Wilfred Osuji
He wears the #8, and he performs like our #8. Gennaro Gattuso. Similarly to Umunegbu, this player is tireless. Kept running and running, chasing the Ajax midfield down. The commentator likened him to Makelele, but I would say he's more Gattuso. Especially because after he gets the ball, he doesnt know what to do with is
Remember Gennaro was also like this once, so this of course means that Osuji can improve that aspect of his game.
Matteo Darmian
Of course, we've heard of him the most from our Primavera other than Di Gennaro. Now I know why. He's not the captain but he leads the defense. Milan's defense was the most impressive part of the team just now. He and Bruscagnin gave the Ajax players no chance. But Darmian was stand out. He's more like a Cannavaro then a Nesta. He may let the attacker pass him but he'll recover and win the ball back. People always say that the best defender is a defender that can recover from mistakes, and Darmian is a perfect example. Rightfully so, he's been promoted to the first team this season so hopefully (though unlikely), we'll have a chance to watch him play a game or two.
Other notable players were:
Bruscagnin, who together with Darmian formed a nice understanding in central defense.
Aubameyang, think "David Trezeguet" to an extent. But probably a bit more mobile.
Riccardo Caraglia, was the 'Pirlo' of the team. Has a great freekick, both times he took them he forced the keeper into saves.
There were of course the other players but they didnt impress me. At least not from this past game.
Looking forward to our next game vs Arsenal!
