AC Milan: Bonucci's howler last night was only half the story
- Matthew Klimberg
Immediately after the ball squirted between his legs, memes and ire were raised on social media. The goal was, of course his fault, but not for the reason everyone is blaming.
Bonucci hustled down the the line with furious pace, and was in the right position to stop Christophe Monschein’s shot. That the ball went between his legs was merely a case of bad luck. 99 out of 100 times he stops it, gets up, and sends an incisive pass through the middle of the pitch to begin a Milan attack.
His big mistake, however, came on the pass from Raphael Holzhauer. On the replay, you can see Bonucci stuck in no-mans land. He tries to play the offside trap, but instead leaves Monschein with acres of space, forcing his goalkeeper to come out.
Bonucci should know that if you give any forward, outside of Sunday leagues, that much space, they’re gonna burn you. For a world class defender, the decision was inexcusable. Without it, the ball never gets put on net.