Zito Luvumbo vs Milan (H) 23/24: Analysis

Zito Luvumbo put in a fantastic performance against AC Milan on Wednesday and was Cagliari's main source of attacking threat the whole game.

The 21 year old Angolan started the game on the right of a midfield four and even dropped in early in the game to double up with his rwb to defend Cagliari's right flank.
As the game progressed however, and as Cagliari ended up shipping two goals just before half time and the third in the 60th minute, Luvumbo shifted more centrally behind Petagna to occupy a number 10 role and even ended up being the player furthest up the pitch for Cagliari. 
Early on, Luvumbo got into battles against Milan's holding midfielder Yacine Adli in midfield and even near Milan's penalty area. Even though he initially struggled against Adli, he stayed persistent and was able to thread a couple of through balls down the right flank to create crossing opportunities.
Luvumbo's shining moment in this game was when he battled against Adli from a throw in near Milan's box. From a lucky deflected touch, he was able to get the ball out to Nandez near the byline, who cut the ball back for Luvumbo. Finding himself in plenty of space, he struck the ball hard towards the near post and sent Sardinian side 1-0 up against the Rossoneri.
Finding space was actually something that really caught the eye when watching Luvumbo in this game. This was especially the case as he managed to create space for himself off the ball on a few occasions in the second half and managed to catch Fikayo Tomori off guard near the end of the match.
One other thing that stood out in the second half was his hold up play with his back to goal. He's quite a small player at 5'7 but he was nippy enough to receive the ball facing away from goal, round Adli and then get fouled in a promising area in the 47th minute.
Overall this was a really impressive performance and Luvumbo will absolutely be one to keep an eye on for the future. 



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