AC Milan's season is taking shape in contradictory fashion. A 2-2 draw at Lazio on matchday four captured the club's current reality perfectly: a team capable of real quality but not yet consistent enough to sustain it for 90 minutes. Ruben Amorim's side were 2-0 down at half-time, outplayed and outrun by Gattuso's Lazio, before a transformed second-half display hauled them back into the game. The turnaround came through substitutes, with Diego Moreira scoring twice after coming off the bench, and Christian Pulisic finally making his first appearance of the season after weeks on the sidelines. The result leaves Milan fifth in Serie A with eight points from four games, one behind the top group.

The match also raised fresh questions about Luka Modric. The 41-year-old was withdrawn at half-time after losing possession 13 times, a performance that underlines the challenge Amorim faces in managing an ageing squad alongside younger options like Ardon Jashari. On the positive side, Samuel Chukwueze has quietly rebuilt his standing at the club after returning from a loan spell at Fulham, while Moreira's explosive cameo suggests a genuine competitor for a starting spot on the left.

Attention now turns to Europe. Milan host Benfica at San Siro on Tuesday in their Europa League opener, a competition the club have never won and one Amorim has identified as a serious target this season.