There are question marks currently surrounding two midfielders who are part of the first team squad but have been seen very little this season in Yacine Adli and Tiemoue Bakayoko.
La Gazzetta dello Sport writes how Adli has made four appearances so far (one start) without ever shining, while Bakayoko has always been on the bench, meaning that everything suggests neither are a big part of the plans.
The paper writes that the real mystery surrounds Adli, who had an excellent preseason campaign in which he displayed a number of different skills including back-heels and also vision combined with a desire to make things happen.
He was left off the Champions League list, eclipsed by De Ketelaere and Diaz, and has since almost never been used by Pioli. The 22-year-old has only played 114 minutes, but Milan have invested in him are banking on him developing into a special player, though a loan spell in January is likely because the current situation helps nobody.
Bakayoko meanwhile has had his suitcase packed since the end of the summer market. Maldini and Massara along with his agents failed to find him a new club over the summer, and his two-year loan spell from Chelsea shows no signs of improving.
Last year he was in the Scudetto-winning side but made 14 appearances without impressing, while from the end of August to today he hasn’t played a single game. The management will try to find accommodation for the Frenchman in the winter window.
I don’t get the Adli thing at all. Such high hopes for him, and he was good in pre-season. Maybe he’s been banging Pioli’s daughter or something…
His still struggling to learn how the team plays, as shown on his debut. Pioli would not compromise a game for the sake of playing time of a player. Unfortnate for adli he have 2 fit players ahead of him. Depends how he impress in the training ground
I think it’s all Pioli. If he doesn’t like you, he doesn’t like you. It’s that simple. How terrible can the lad be in training? How amazing can Krunic, Origi or Saelemaekers be in training? If it’s about adapting, do you adapt while not playing? Yeah he got a chance to start but he didn’t take it, so what! You condemn him to the bench? I’d like to see you do same to CDK because he’s been given way too many chances but he hasn’t sparked yet. In fact we should loan CDK out too if adaptation is the argument here.
But in Pioli’s defence, we’re not in a position where we can afford to try new things. It’s understandable why he won’t risk giving chances to Adli or Lazetic or whoever seeing as Napoli are running away with the league.
This time, they don’t look like a flash in the pan but rather they look like the real deal. Only time will tell anyway. If Pioli can pull off another miracle, then his decisions – though painful to some fans – will be fully justified.
Pioli:”There’s no patience in football when it comes to new players”
Allowed them to go Mr pioli bcos bakayoko he is not important in milab
Adli was lost in his last game. He need to understand Milans play. He is weak, he need to build muscles like Diaz. And he need to run a lot and faster. That Why Krunic plays and Diaz, but Adli and De Ketelar dont. Both of them need to rebuild themselves.
Reckon adli would probably be better than cdk if given the time off the bench. Not sure why they dont try him on the right too. Baka just needs to play one more game and then milan are forced to buy him i think i saw somewhere i while ago.