Milan, Just Like Juventus: Strikers Struggling to Score, While Former Players Shine
Milan and Juventus are bound by a shared fate, even when it comes to an almost ironic statistical detail at a very difficult point in their respective seasons. The Rossoneri kicked off their Europa League campaign with a heavy defeat at San Siro against Benfica (a 2-0 win for the Portuguese side, which has never beaten the Diavolo in its history). This means, of course, that Ruben Amorim’s forwards once again failed to score. However, a familiar face to Milan fans stepped up at the same time.
Tammy Abraham, a Rossoneri flash in the pan during the 2024–2025 season, took the field on Wednesday in Aston Villa’s Carabao Cup (the English League Cup). Well, the Englishman, born in 1997, actually scored a brace, opening and closing out the 3-1 victory for the Villans. This is becoming a recurring problem for Milan, which has seen only one goal scored by a center forward in four Serie A matches: Gonçalo Ramos, who was very disappointing against his former teammates at Benfica. The other league goals were scored by Cissé (2), Moreira, and Rabiot—none of whom are forwards. Things are even worse for Juventus, whose strikers are still at zero goals. Meanwhile, however, Jonathan David scored yet again on Wednesday.
On the Juventus front, the paradox is even more glaring. While the Bianconeri have been unable to get goals from their own strikers in the league—with goals so far coming from winger Zhegrova (2), defenders Bremer and Gatti, and midfielders Koopmeiners and Nico Gonzalez—the big names traded away this summer are shining elsewhere. Jonathan David, who joined Atlético Madrid on loan on September 1, has already scored two goals in as many La Liga appearances: after netting on his debut away at Real Sociedad, he opened the scoring in the 4-0 home win against Osasuna. A start that stands in stark contrast to the mere 8 goals he scored in 36 total appearances for Juventus in Serie A.
Even more embarrassing for Juventus fans is Dusan Vlahovic’s performance at Vincenzo Italiano’s Besiktas: four goals in three Super Lig matches, including a hat trick in the 6-2 victory over Corum and the decisive goal in the 2-1 Istanbul derby win over Milan Skriniar’s Fenerbahçe. Against the backdrop of David’s resurgence, however, there remains a significant transfer market detail for Juventus: the deal that brought the Canadian to Spain included a buyout clause of 25 million euros in favor of Atlético Madrid. For the Bianconeri, a scenario in which the Colchoneros decide to exercise the option would still represent a positive outcome, turning a loan deal into concrete revenue for the club. Milan and Juventus, therefore, are united not only by their offensive struggles but also by the disheartening performances of their former strikers in front of goal.
The loss to Benfica, moreover, highlighted all the weaknesses of a Milan side still far from the level hoped for this summer. Goals by Lukebakio in the 16th minute and Kaminski in the 53rd minute both came after individual or collective errors, with Amorim paying dearly for some questionable lineup choices. The most criticized decision was fielding Filippo Terracciano in the back three alongside De Winter and Pavlovic: the former Verona player hadn’t started for Milan since December 29, 2024. In midfield, a turnover by Jashari had already nearly cost the team dearly before the visitors took the lead, with Sudakov hitting the post. Among the few bright spots of the evening, Alphadjo Cissé once again stood out. Born in Treviso in 2006 to parents originally from Guinea, the young player is already on the radar of national team coach Roberto Mancini.
