Massimiliano Allegri is in the process of deciding his final starting XI of 2025-26, and is expected to rely on his trusted men.
Corriere dello Sport reports that there are quite a few changes planned compared to the ‘usual’ line-up we have become accustomed to this season. Allegri will opt to rely on the players who have shown themselves closest to him in recent times
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Trio on the bench
The main name (in terms of importance) not to be included in the starting eleven will be Leao. The Portuguese has performed poorly in recent weeks, and San Siro has repeatedly jeered him. It could even be his Milan curtain call after seven years, based on rumours.
Without Leao, Milan have seven wins out of nine games played, with 20 goals scored and an average of 2.44 points per game. He remains Milan’s top scorer of the season, but his last goal dates back to March 1 and since then his form has steadily declined.
Last Sunday’s suspension allowed Christopher Nkunku to validate his status as the team’s most in-form forward. Leao, therefore, will sit on the bench (at least from the start), while the Frenchman will operate as a second striker.
Youssouf Fofana and Fikayo Tomori are expected to end up on the bench just like Leao. Koni De Winter will get the nod as the only credible alternative to Tomori. Assuming Adrien Rabiot will be a starter and Luka Modric will return, Samuele Ricci or Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the alternatives there.
On the left flank, Davide Bartesaghi is favoured over Pervis Estupinan, who is returning from his suspension in Genoa. On the right, the race is tight between Alexis Saelemaekers and Zachary Athekame, with the former having been in a worrying decline for several games.
In attack, there are serious doubts about who will partner Nkunku. Christian Pulisic starting on the bench shouldn’t be a surprise, and in that case Niclas Fullkrug is favoured over Santiago Gimenez, who has yet to score a league goal season.
For the decisive match of the season, the one that could secure Milan’s return to the Champions League, it’s best to rely on the faithful in the eyes of Allegri.
Is this due to the fact that zlatan Ibrahimovic was telling tactics to leao and fofana 🤔🤔
That’s just a rumor. Don’t believe everything you read. What does Zlatan have to gain by destabilizing the players …
Maignan- De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic- Athekame or Alexis, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi- who knows Hahaha
*Rabiot, not Ricci
Maignan- De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic- Athekame or Alexis, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi- God only knows who Hahaha
The only reason Leao could play is to have farewell at San Siro.
Theo Hernandez didn’t get farewell at San Siro last season. He stayed on the bench for the entire game. Fans weren’t very fond of him last year neither are of Leao.
Well we better hope for penalties in the box.
Pulisic was sharp in the game against Genoa.
However, he will not start because Allegri knows
he is the best player off the bench. If Allegri
plays Pulisic off the bench, Pulisic will definately be scouting a new team this summer. Pulisic must do what is best for him, that is a team that plays
attacking football with a center forward and two wingers.
If Pulisic doesn’t rediscover his form, he also “will dfinITely be scouting a new team this summer”
Agree. You could see his frustration with Allegri when he came off after the Juve game. No reason for him to waste the best years of his career playing in a system that doesn’t suit him. Allegri will do his thing and Pulisic needs to leave for his career.
Agree and Disagree. It’s a chicken or egg problem. Puli has been on a slump (or injured to be fair) and Nkunku is indeed our most in-form striker. But everyone knows, the experiment of 2 SS instead of a SS + CF has not worked at all. Rafa-Puli, Rafa-Nkunku, or Nkunku-Puli did not work. So, Allegri is force to put a proper CF, regardless of form (Fulkug or Santi) and one of Puli, Rafa, Nkunku.
He chose the in-form. that’s it. I’ve been saying it for a while, next season allegri will have to find a way to have Puli , Rafa (or whoever w replace him with) and a CF on the pitch at the same time, without hurting the defense. The 4-3-3 failed but i’m sure with a whole offseason to practice, we will get it. Puli’s place on the team is solid, when healthy
I don’t see a solution, either we go back to 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 or Leao will be sold since he can’t play so well in 3-5-2. Neither can Pulisic if he’s paired with a profile of an attacker similar to his (as you nicely explained), it’s a struggle.
Amazing how regular diving, 5 PK’s and a tap-in goal across an entire season are tantamount to “in-form” these days. I don’t believe any of these mid-week articles, and considering Leao has not been benched, except through injury, despite all the previous predictions that he would be, he will likely be picked ahead of the other two “center strikers”, along with our prized Nknunku, everyone’s superhero of the moment. It seems Allegri is really good at building factions, burning bridges, planting stories, and playing his favorites. Obviously not sustainable.
I agree on the Nkunku front. Happy for him though but it’s a bit overblown. It’s Interesting how these numbers are perceived. Leao and Puli with almost the same numbers have had not such a good a season. A seasoned player costing 40m playing in his preferred position unlike the aforementioned wingers is apparently having a good season lol 😂😂😂
Well said and that’s why I think Allegri is gone after this. This management have shown little patience so far.