Between Illumination and Experimentation: Montella makes up for deficiencies and invents new midfielders
Today against AEK Athens, coach Vincenzo Montella will continue to experiment and will present another unseen version of AC Milan.
If you do not have midfielders you can always invent them. This may have been the thought of coach Vincenzo Montella who, despite the pharaonic market, found himself with a reduced department in the middle, with only Biglia, Kessie, Montolivo and Locatelli, plus youngsters Jose Mauri, Zanellato and Gabbia, so far used very rarely. Illumination, also dictated by the needs of the game, came in the second half of the derby. Kessie did not respond properly and Suso struggled as second striker, with a result that did not leave room for many calculations. Hence the idea of replacing the Ivorian, inserting Cutrone and pulling back the Spaniard into a mezz’ala role: a shift that in fact regenerated the Andalusian’s push up front, revealing his splendours and dangers nature of the past.
EXPERIMENTAL DRESS – Europa League comes to the “rescue” of a wounded Milan in need of recovery, but also renewed and anxious to try this new “dress” as Montella metaphorically emphasized in the press conference. Against AEK Athens, with good probability, Suso will be deployed again as half-winger, with Calhanoglu, another one adapting to a new position, acting as left mezz’ala. A sort of revolution for L’Aeroplanino, who, inevitably, has to rest Biglia and Kessie, lacking brilliance for the moment. The coach is trying to mix the cards to find the winning sequence. At the center of the midfield will be Locatelli again, who will be called to cover a lot of ground, given the purely offensive nature of his teammates.
DANGEROUSNESS AND EQUILIBRIUM – The Greek formation is a bit attacking-minded, although it is not at the level of Serie A teams. Against Inter, the experiment worked incredibly up front, with a long series of goal opportunities, but has opened loopholes in non-possession situations. Choosing to deploy Suso in midfield makes it risky to reach an equilibrium level, in the hope that the offensive contribution exceeds the lack of solidity. The search for solidity is probably the real key to search for this Milan, but how is it possible to find it if, with the exception of an out of shape Kessie, there is no similar midfielder in the team?