Pioli gives him the license to play all over the field. And the Englishman has returned to the levels he played under Sarri at Chelsea.
Against Bologna yesterday, Loftus-Cheek had one of the best games since moving to San Siro this summer. He was the main man, the man of the match, driving Milan with two goals as a pure and simple all-around midfielder: the first by slipping in behind the center-back and the second with a header assisted by Florenzi. However, Orsolini‘s last-second penalty flipped the script of a game where everything happened. Two red cards, a crossbar hit, two missed penalties, and a brace from Loftus-Cheek. The man to whom Pioli gifted the crucial and cherished element: freedom
“At Chelsea, he was confined, hampered by injuries and out-of-place roles. Now at Milan, Loftus-Cheek has rediscovered form, notching his third career brace in 23 matches. This tally, a far cry from his prolific 2018-19 season, is marked by continuity and playing time under Pioli. The midfielder is getting the freedom he needs to create echoes his golden days with Sarri.
Loftus-Cheek already feeling at home at the ‘San Siro’. When he flexes his muscles under the stands, surrounded by the team, he exudes smiles earned through hard work. Milan acquired him when he was disheartened, coming off a series of negative seasons with only two goals in the previous four years. Time and determination have transformed him into a explosive midfielder that the rest of the team can rely on.
If RLC is wearing the ‘Rossoneri‘ shirt, it’s also thanks to Tomori, his teammate from Chelsea, with whom he won the Youth League and shared some years in the first team. ‘He told me the AC Milan fans are fantastic, and I’d be playing with champions,’ he confided upon arriving at Milan.
He contributes to scoring as well. Milan boasts the second-best attack in Serie A with 43 goals, and 5 of these come from the Englishman. In 2024, among midfielders, only Zurkowski has scored as much as him in the first five European leagues (4 goals). ‘Ruben knows he can score many goals,’ Pioli said after the game yesterday. Now, he awaits the ones that will earn the team the full three points.
