AC Milan’s battle is a seemingly never-ending one and they will be without seven players for today’s game against Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
As MilanNews reports, Paulo Fonseca will be without a number of players due to various physical issues that they have picked up, starting with the long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi, Marco Sportiello and Ismael Bennacer who all underwent surgery.
Davide Bartesaghi is suspended for one match after the sending off he received against Lecce, while the latest trio to suffer injuries are Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Davide Calabria and Luka Jovic, even though none of them are expected to be serious problems.
Alessandro Florenzi: Cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus rupture. Expected return in late 2025.
Marco Sportiello: Cut on left hand, complete lesion of the extensor tendon of the second finger. Expected return in about a month.
Ismael Bennacer: Third-degree calf injury sustained during a training session with Algeria. His absence will be very long, about three months.
Davide Bartesaghi: One-match suspension for the expulsion received in Milan-Lecce.
Davide Calabria: Low-grade lesion to the soleus of the left calf. Check in seven days.
Luka Jovic: Overload in the hip area.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Right flexor strain.
Of these seven players, the only one whose absence is a problem is Florenzi. With Morata doing the de facto offensive midfielder job, a position where RLC was used in but failed to excel in it, Rubens won’t be missed as long as Morata is healthy. Mike is in great form and Torriani is an appropriate back-up despite his age, so Sportiello (who is otherwise quite decent) is not missed. Bennacer never recovered his form after injury, and now has collected another injury. I like him but unfortunately it seems like he is washed. Jovic was good last season but doesn’t seem to be clicking this season; never did much out of the few opportunities he was given. Calabria is in frank decline (the main problem, as everybody knows, is that his replacement Emerson is arguably even worse). The one I miss there in that position (one who can play that position appropriately) is Kalulu, not Calabria (and Florenzi is good there too; it remains to be seen how Florenzi will be after the injury; players sometimes take a long time to recover form even after they resume play following serious injuries, or never recover form).
Calabria is 27. He’s not in any decline. He’s just got an injury.
And Calabria has done far more for Milan thank Florenzi.
Show some respect.
Regardless of age and regardless of the current mild injury, yes, a player who not only has a ceiling he has already reached, but has been performing worse than in previous seasons, is by definition in decline and there is nothing disrespectful about noticing it. Yes, he has done a lot for Milan in the past but currently he is in decline. Most people can see it but you are blind to it due to your rosy tinted glasses as far as Calabria is concerned.
The person who needs more respect is you. You are aggressive against fellow posters here who dare to express an opinion different than yours.
click bait. 7 players 3 of those with long term abstence
Florenzi is 33 – if he’s not going to be back until late 2025 (assuming lengthy rehab is successful), then I think his career is basically over. Certainly his Milan career. Good player though, very undervalued by Milan fans.
You are right.