Being subdued by Reece James is nothing to be ashamed of, especially not when the majority of a team's gameplan is to totally isolate and stop you.
James has done a job on some of the best attackers in the world and has cemented himself as one of the most in-form and talented full-backs on the planet, therefore the battle between an electric winger and dominant right-back was always going to be intriguing.
How Chelsea fared against AC Milan was always likely to come down to how much they could limit Rafael Leao's influence on the two games. Olivier Giroud is a threat, Brahim Diaz is creative and Charles De Ketelaere is exciting, but none of them match the fear imposed by Leao.
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His first leg showing was part of a wider systematic issue that Milan had in causing Chelsea any problems, and once James fronted up to Leao in ultra-aggressive macho style, the Portuguese star's impact completely vanished. His immense speed and imposing figure on the pitch didn't go away though, and the flashes of brilliance that saw him expose and commit Trevoh Chalobah and James at Stamford Bridge demonstrated his talent.
In the second leg he was again pitted against James and Chalobah and didn't shy from the task, despite continued structural issues making his impact on the match inconsistent. To only judge Leao on his two showings against James and a very well-organised Graham Potter set-up would be unfair, the 23-year-old remains one of the most talented attackers on the market.
The sense of auditioning for a future transfer was clear after Chelsea pushed tentitively to sign the winger over the summer. With a release clause of £127m he is far from cheap, but given the uncertainty around Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, another attacker is likely to be on the list for Potter come 2023.
Despite Chelsea's interest in the player, and the fact that pressure will be on Milan next summer as his contract enters it's final 12 months, technical director Paolo Maldini is not rushing to sort out a new deal, but there is a timeframe. “It’s true that clubs can chat, but we have not had any approaches after the transfer window closed. Now Rafa has to concentrate on this season and he’s doing it very well." the former Rossoneri defender said.
“We’d like to have the contract sorted before the World Cup, in fact we had hoped to get it done six months ago, but we need the right conditions. Our idea is to get it done before November 12, then we’ll see what happens."
Leao joined Milan just months after Maldini took up his role as director, signing for £26m from Lille.
Maldini also took aim at Chelsea's finances before the game with a brutal comment, adding: “Chelsea spent more on their reserve left-back than we spent in a whole year on the transfer market."
Chelsea and Milan have worked together in recent times with deals for Giroud and Fikayo Tomori over the past two summers, but prizing Leao away from the Italian champions won't be as easy.
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