Brahim beats Pioli again

“Brahim Díaz returns to Pioli the trust placed in him”. Thus began the Gazzetta dello Sport the description of the malagueño's match against Sassuolo. The player on loan from Real Madrid was one of the most prominent footballers on him Città del Tricolore and he proved, once again, that leaving on loan to Milan was the right decision. On the 1-2 of this Sunday, the playmaker started the play of the second goal rossonero, by converting a clearance from a corner into a clean kick for the ball that the side was in charge of turning Saelemaekers into assistance, a spectacular ride through.

And that reference to the confidence that the Italian media slides comes at a fundamental moment, since, although in the Europa League Brahim stands out as one of the most important players in the team, in Serie A he had not managed to achieve such regularity. The momentary shadows of the game against Sampdoria are part of the past. That jam in Serie A has been answered by his coach with minutes and the Spanish has enjoyed two league titles in the three games after the aforementioned match. Clear message from Pioli, I count on you, and strong response from Brahim.

Against Sassuolo, the player owned by Madrid was part of the midfielder line, accompanied by Calhanoglu and Saelemaekers and showed great understanding with both, mainly with the Turk. Furthermore, a serious and earnest Brahim could be seen, a “maturity test” that earned him a '7' by the Gazzetta dello Sport. The Italian media highlighted their match and only Theo Hernandez and Calhanoglu, with a 7.5, received a higher score.

Dribbling and pressure

Further, the midfielder has statistical support in his actions. If we exclude players with a testimonial presence from the equation, Brahim is the second best dribbler on the team with 2.19 dribbles completed per 90 minutes, behind Samu Castillejo's 2.4 That dribbling ability makes him a regular target of the rival and makes him lead his team in fouls received in the final third of the field, with 1.4 per 90 minutes, ahead of the 0.7 received by Rebic. Likewise, only Calhanoglu surpasses him when it comes to filtering passes that end in the final part of the rival field, where the prizes are distributed. The '21' averages 16.5 per full game, the Turkish 22.2 and the French side appears third with 14.3.

Further, Another data that shows the effort of our protagonist in defensive tasks is that of possessions gained in the final third of the opposing field, field in which he commands the rossoneri with 1.2 for every 90 minutes. Against Rebic, with 1, he is second and Sandro Tonali, with 0.9, third. Milan is serving as a mili for a Brahim who will return to the white team much more tanned and rolled. In addition, we cannot forget that he is standing out in the best Milan than in recent years, that he is walking with a firm step in Europe and heads the Serie A.