Alphadjo Cisse led Milan to an important victory against Salzburg last night, but he wasn’t the only positive for head coach Ruben Amorim.

After the seven changes were announced for the starting eleven, many fans worried about how things would pan out at Red Bull Arena. Thankfully, Amorim got his decisions spot on and Milan were able to coast to a crucial victory, largely thanks to the success of Cisse.

Cisse like a centre-forward

As Gazzetta dello Sport begins (see featured image), after bagging two league goals, Cisse has now added another three in Europe at just 19 years of age. All of them are worthy of a true centre-forward as well, combining well with his teammates and providing the lethal touch in front of goal.

Not to mention the positioning, as he was always alone in the box on the goals scored yesterday evening. It’s certainly a hat-trick that has shifted the focus from Nicolo Tresoldi’s hat-trick against Inter in the Champions League.

While it’s true that Cisse’s hat-trick is ‘less prestigious’, as the newspaper continues, he’s already at Milan and wants to grow with the club. The No.9 of Club Brugge, on the other hand, is still far away from wearing the red and black shirt even if he desperately wants to.

A dominating and fluid performance

With two goals in each half, Milan dominated the affair and Adrien Rabiot was once again a key player, helping set up the moves for Cisse. He first fed Omari Hutchinson on the right flank and then sent it over to Davide Bartesaghi on the second goal.

At the start of the second half, he switched from hockey assist to assist with the pass that helped complete Cisse’s hat-trick. The Frenchman’s movement was just one part of how Milan managed to disorient Salzburg.

Milan truly left their opponents without any reference points. Cisse’s three goals, for example, were all scored after proper centre-forward movement, despite playing as a left attacking midfielder with Camarda in the middle. The other Azzurrini didn’t impress massively, but his movement to draw defenders away was a tactical key.

The Rossoneri also rotated between playing three and four at the back. It was mostly the former, with Bartesaghi playing as a wing-back and joining a midfield in which Jashari was the deepest point, while Rabiot and Loftus-Cheek sliced through Salzburg like razor-sharp blades.

Hutchinson was also important, taking on a Politano-esque role under Conte: right winger in a 4-3-3, midfielder in a defensive 4-4-2, and, if necessary, the fifth man at the back. It won’t be easy to repeat against tougher opponents, but at least Milan have a starting point now.

Final verdict is still out

Granted that Salzburg appear to be in a decline compared to their former self, nothing should be taken away from the Rossoneri’s performance. On the contrary, this is exactly how they should play against inferior opponents in Europe.

A breath of fresh air was indeed needed after the disappointment against Sassuolo and that is exactly what Milan got. Ruben Amorim got the tactics right after receiving some criticism and Goncalo Ramos broke his goal drought with the club, finally getting back on target.

For a more balance assessement of where Milan stand, however, it will be necessary to wait for the next game against Bournemouth. And before that, the Rossoneri are up against Atalanta in the league.