Milan suffered a deserved defeat against Lazio and now trail Inter by eight points: an analysis of what went wrong at the Olimpico "We conceded more counter-attacks in the first half than in the entire league campaign." With this comment made to DAZN in the post-match interview, Allegri paints a clear picture of Milan’s deserved defeat against Lazio. A defeat born of a first half in which the Rossoneri lacked substance and that balance that only Rabiot can bring to this team. Zaccagni and Isaksen, aided by the work of Dele Bashiru and Taylor, tore apart a defence that struggled without the midfield filter, Modric aside.When Rabiot has taken to the pitch, Milan have won 14 out of 20 matches, suffering just one defeat (at home to Parma). Furthermore, the French midfielder has scored four away goals, including the decisive brace against Como, and has provided four assists, proving himself to be a key element in the Rossoneri’s attacking play.In a season that has been flawless in terms of the team’s conduct and performance, the first crack began to show on the night at the Olimpico: Leao, visibly frustrated by the result, took his substitution very badly and began arguing heatedly with Allegri. But beyond the frustration, the Portuguese player’s outburst contained a clear request to remain on the pitch so he could return to his former role, given the switch to a three-man attack. This was seen as a sort of liberation from the centre-forward role that Allegri had entrusted to him immediately after Gimenez’s injury. A clear signal to be explored further in the present and future, because whilst it is true that the Rossoneri’s number 10 has a good tally of league goals (9, ed.), it is equally true that he does not feel at ease in the role and would prefer something else. The other side of the coin is an increasingly disappointing and struggling Pulisic. And here too, behind the goal drought, in addition to physical problems, there are also tactical difficulties: the former Chelsea player needs to operate around an attacking reference point more akin to Fullkrug than to Leao. In a nutshell, Rabiot, and his absence, currently has a greater impact on the team’s other two technical leaders.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting