Massimo Ambrosini believes that Youssouf Fofana could have a big impact at AC Milan, while he also suggested that the double pivot that started the game against Torino cannot work.
Milan were ultimately left having to scrap for a draw against Paolo Vanoli’s side, having found themselves two goals down with less than 10 minutes to go at San Siro on Saturday night.
All the enthusiasm generated in preseason faded away quickly after Malick Thiaw’s comical own-goal in the first half and then Duvan Zapata’s unmarked header in the second half.
However, in the end the substitutes Alvaro Morata – who is now injured for at least three weeks – and Noah Okafor pulled off a rescue mission to ensure that Paulo Fonseca did not begin his official tenure with a bad defeat.
Ambrosini was able to watch Fonseca’s first competitive Milan game up close on Saturday given he was working for DAZN as a pundit, and he shared his thoughts on what he saw during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Did the Bennacer and Loftus-Cheek pivot convince you?
“Not much. The Englishman especially seems limited in the two in front of the defence. Personally I prefer Loftus as an attacking midfielder, where he uses his physicality to make himself dangerous and has excellent timing of his penetrating runs.”
Many have criticised the choice to use Christian Pulisic behind the first striker because it may unbalance the team. Do you agree?
“I don’t agree. Pulisic is a quality and attacking player, but also selfless in his running and with Torino he worked hard also in the defensive phase.
“I believe that in theory Milan can afford the American as an attacking midfielder, but it is clear that the right collective attitude is needed. When we talk about balance, however, it is never a question of individuals, but of the team.”
Fonseca complained about the lack of pressure when Torino first got the ball. Do Milan, especially in attack, have the players to press as the coach wants?
“It’s not a question of characteristics, but of mental predisposition. Then, as a former midfielder, I can say that sometimes the strikers don’t even need to make any special runs.
“Just positioning themselves with their bodies in a certain way, closing off the passing lanes for opposing defenders, helped me a lot to understand how to react in turn. The defensive work of the strikers starts from these details.”
There are those who even see Tijjani Reijnders as an attacking midfielder…
“I prefer Loftus-Cheek in that position, if I have to say. I like the Dutchman better in a three-man midfield.”
On Saturday Milan officially announced the signing of Fofana. What can the Frenchman bring to Fonseca?
“He’s a good addition, because he’s good at reading the trajectories of the opponent’s passes and he knows how to occupy spaces well. When you play with a two-man midfield, the midfielders are asked to cover a lot of ground and he knows how to do it, he has the legs to do it. Yes, I think he can definitely help Milan.”
Your former team-mate Ibrahimovic has confirmed the Rossoneri’s interest in Manu Koné, while Bennacer could leave. How would Milan change?
“It would be a move in line with the intention of building a team with a more international vocation, in the way of understanding football. With more pace and intensity, so to speak.”
Bennacer, however, has more regista-like skills due to his characteristics…
“Maybe yes, but it doesn’t seem to me that Milan want to use a classic regista in the role, at least from what I’ve got.”
Fonseca also had words of praise for Musah, can he also play as a midfielder?
“I think so. He’s clearly better suited to carrying the ball than to building, but he’s young and he’s strong.”
If Reijnders is more of a mezzala, how do you see Milan with a 4-3-3?
“Good. I’m sure it will be an option, both from the start and during the match: Reijnders with Fofana and Loftus-Cheek, not bad eh.”
That might work.
They compliment each other reasonably well although still think we’re missing someone who will actually sit.
Reijnders especially is very poor defensively and lacks fight.
A lot is going to depend on Fofana being an actual DM.
RLC at AM worked so well last season I am not sure why there’s a need for a change.
“RLC at AM worked so well last season I am not sure why there’s a need for a change.”
Because it didn’t work well last season. He only looke good during certains games (most of which were against poor sides) because he managed to score goals from a second striker position which automatically raise his rating, but as far as actually doing what an attacking midfielder is supposed to do (aka creativity and passing) he was severly lacking in that aspect.
During the games where he didn’t manage to score a single goal (which were the games against decent opposition), his ratings were very low because he didn’t have something to cover up for his lack of involvement in the build-up, or the lack of through-balls, dangerous actions,…
It’s nice to have options, particularly if they’re good ones. It’s a “good problem”. I think Fonseca should explore the 4-3-3 more thoroughly at some point. Unfortunately it will probably mean having to bench Chukwueze, who was a big investment, but for the sake of having more defensive solidity it might have to happen. As Ambro pointed out, Musah and Reijnders are better suited to playing in the outside of a middle 3. While RLC would certainly still be an option, I’d be curious about a 4-3-3 using Reijnders-Fofana-Musah as the midfield trio. RLC could also play in the outside positions or come in as an AM if we needed to transition to 4-2-3-1 mid-game if we need to be more offensive.
Right now our starting midfield must be reijnders fofana musah no bennacer no rlc we can’t afford another nonsense bennacer rlc pobega can go we have no place for them
Why would we drop a midfielder who scored 10 goals last season?
And why do people hate players who actually deliver???
Cause he dosen’t really deliver man. 10 goals in 4 something games against weak teams. He goes missing for the rest of the season. Anyone would have scored those goals if he was just waiting in the box for 38 games. Give Pobega all that time of just standing in the box he will score just as much.
10 goals for a midfielder is the definition of delivering.
3 goals in 37 games (whilst being responsible for goals at the other end) is the opposite of that definition.
Every time we get to specifics around here I am also baffled by the responses.
Such a ridiculous comment. Like he’s just standing in the box. The irrational hate for RLC on this site is absurd. He’s a very good player who has helped the team a lot. And if you watched the match Saturday , it was his brilliant outside of the boot pass that put Leao in on goal where he should have scored. He was also the best player on the pitch when we beat PSG in the Champions League last season , so much for weak teams.
Move RLC back to AMF and Pulisic back to RW, and Chuku back to the bench where he belongs.
He had exactly one good game against decent opponents and that was the PSG game. He’s good against most of the smaller sides where he can bully their players with his size and decent technique but he’s no AM befitting a giant club like Milan.
He could be a starter as a mezzala in a 4-3-3 the way Sarri used him at Chelsea. That’s his best position. Otherwise, bench player for Milan. Bring him as an AM when you need to use his physicality to keep a lead or bring him as an attacking DM/CM when you need goals.
More nonsense. You could do the same thing for most any player if you are going to personally cherry pick which games you think count and which ones don’t. Bologna wasn’t a decent team last season? He scored a brace and had a 7.5 rating. I could go on but it only took me 1 minute to already prove you wrong. He had a better season than any of our midfielders by just about any way you want to measure it. Better than Reijnders for sure but everyone loves him for some reason. He’s got great physical attributes and he’s a skilled player. The only knock on him was that he was very injury prone but he’s been pretty healthy since he’s been here. It’s bizarre the hate he gets on here.
10 goals for AM is nothing specially SS he was playing ss mostly last year
Yeah good luck with a midfield filled by only 3 players for 3 position in a season that potentially can go to more than 50 matches.
That’s an awful trio. Reijnders just isn’t pivot material. Ambro says himself that he’s a mezzala then turns around and says a pivot with 2 mezzalas and a mezzala on AM isn’t bad..
Yes it fokign is.
So what’s your alternative with the players we have?
Classic. Buy a foking DM and play 433. DM tijani and benacer. Ofc that’s out of the foking window with the arrival of Fofana. Now we shall suffer.
But since that isn’t happening…..which of our midfielders would you start with?
I think these three are probably our best with Reijnders probably being the weakest link.
But Musah isn’t viable and Adli and Pobega are on their way out….
Fofana Reijnders benacer on AM.
DUH.
Your boi toy ruben is only good off the bench as a starter he doesn’t bring anything to the game 9/10 times. Just like last weekend
My ‘boi toy’?
What can I say I like direct players who don’t mess about (and who scored 10 goals for us last season).
Anyway we’ll see.
I think Fonseca will probably stick with RLC.
o yeah. goals vs slavia and rennais. So important! How did we ever manged without the one and only golden Ruben Loftus- Cheek!!
How did we ever beat Cagliari, Empoli, Udinese, Bolonga and Fiora before the one and only Golden Ruben Loftus-Cheek join ac milan.
Those team, such tought nuts to crack. Only The One And Only Golden Ruben Loftus-Cheek can break the opposition and score goals…
Yes and we needed those goals and those goals were scored.
Again it’s one of those recorded historic fact things.
Also there were the runs he made that created goals for others.
What precisely did the others do against those teams or anyone?
Reijnders scored 3 goals last season and started nearly every game. He also cost us goals by being a total push over in midfield. But it seems no matter what he does some people seem to think he’s great.
Anyway you seem to be very argumentative and certain about stuff so that’s good for you I guess.
RLC will still probably start most games this season so try not to be too angry.
useless goals in games we were already winning.
Im the argumentative one? i mean i am, but dont sell yourself short whining heir. You match me just fine in that department.
I think ruben will be droped and be a squad player.
Nothing worng with anger, its an emotion like any other. We are human, we have emotions..
Reijnders is affective player but rlc has no affect just running around in the field like headless chicken
There’s no such thing as ‘useless’ gaol.
But again let’s discount things that actually happened because opinions and stuff.
sure there is. What happened was, we bought 3 mezalas to play 433. Then someone figured out that for a 433 you need an actual DM not a wannabe like Krunič. And then we went back to 4231. The only problem was, you cant really play 4231 well with mezalas. So we struggled and out of all the mezalas we bought our lord and saviour Pioli thought Ruben was the best fit for AM: Poor mans SMS. He failed miserably at it ofc. But since Pioli was a stubborn old goat, he played and played and played the AM and even managed to tap some goals in. So people like you went and thought. ‘Oh wow, Ruben is a good player. He scores goals.’
He isnt. He is average.
Now i want him to be good and to help us compete on the highest lvl, but thats the quailty you get on a discount deal. There is a reason they’re on discount afterall.
Ruben will be 29 in jan, we got him cheap and he was never a wow player, never had a spectacular season and frankly never reached his potential
Pulisic gets burned out as a 10. Yes, he is selfless with his running on defense. He for sure ran and covered more ground than Bennacer, but that took a lot of his energy. In certain game situations, he could play as a 10, but I’m not a fan of him starting there, especially not with both Leao and Chukwueze next to him. If they are going to play Pulisic at 10, then Saelemaekers has to be one of the wingers to help the balance of the team.
When it comes to the midfield, any combination of Fofana, Reijnders, and one of RLC/Musah will be good. I actually prefer Musah over RLC. RLC has that Bennacer laziness in him. Musah is a little out of control on the ball sometimes but has the skill, the athleticism, physicality and the tenacity
💯
Yes agree with Ambro. With 4231, he’s clearly better suited in the AMC position, moreover we already got Tijani and Fofana who’d be the mainstay. With 433, he can start and he’d be in his natural position just like Tijani.
Maybe a 4 3 3 formation will do this team better… Just as Ambro said:
RLC Fofana Reijnders
Pilisic Jovic Leao
Mind you i pick Jovic cuz he is the only real number 9 we have since Morata will be sideline for 3 weeks with injury.
with RLC and Reijnders pushing forward when attacking and Leao chopping the wing with Pulisic to deliver the crosses, we need a old fashion box striker
God our midfield is actually terrible….
It is nothing short of miraculous that the area of the field that has received the most attention in the past 2 summers is by far the worst!
Having voluntarily gotten rid of, not one, but two Scudetto winning midfielders in Krunic and Tonali, we really have nothing.
Bennacer was the weakest of our Scudetto winning midfielders and since his injury his form has not recovered.
Last season we ended up playing the previous season’s reject (Adli) who it transpired was rightly rejected given I’ve seen sloth’s move quicker.
All of the new box to box midfielders ended up being, well, box to box midfielder.
I’ve genuinely tried to work out our best three and it just doesn’t work.
Fofana has a massive job on his hands to fill in for Kessie, Tonali and Krunic!
“Having voluntarily gotten rid of, not one, but two Scudetto winning midfielders in Krunic and Tonali, we really have nothing.”
Yeah. If only we’d still have the two scudetto winning strikers Giroud & Zlatan with us. Or the Scudetto winning defender/legend Bonera playing as the RB. We’d be unbeatable.
You understand that neither Krunic nor Tonali are retired?
How is that even a response?
The main point is that you are living in the past. And the second is Krunic. Nuff said.
I’d love nothing more than to see this team play 433 due to all the mezzalas they brought in. I also think both Reijnders and Musah would perform greatly playing in their natural wide playmaking roles.
But who’s playing as a DM? Fact is, this team will suffer in both 4231 (lack of pivots) and 433 (lack of a proper DM). Fofana is no holding midfielder. In Monaco he was paired with one.
This midfield is still a complete mess from system point of view.
IMO the only viable, balanced system with this set of midfielders is 343 (which personally I don’t like). It’s also a system Fonseca deployed at Roma when he was struggling to perform with his 4231 due to lack of proper midfielders.
Think we’re gonna see 343 before xmas.
that if Fonseca is still here around Christmas.
Curious to see how a 3-4-3 will work for us though, we don’t seem to have the necessary tools for that configuration.
sure we do.
Royal, Tomori, Pavlo
Saladmaker, Fofana, Whoever, Theo
Puli/Chuku, Morata, Leao.
Or maybe Gabbia in def and Royal on RM
Has anyone asked Theo if he can play in a 3-4-3? Or Leao for that matter?
@ACM1899:
That’s a good point.
I remember that Leao failed with Pioli in 2022/23 when we switched to a 3-4-3 after that fiasco that was january 2023. Leao simply doesn’t like to play too close to the goal even though he SHOULD be able to do so.
As for Theo, he should be able to play in a 3-4-3, since he would technically have less defensive responsiblities and more coverage. I think he did play a few games with France in a 3-4-3, but I’ll have to check.
sure they can. Arent they pro players? The lanes are the same for lm as for a lb. lw is lw in any formation.
If Leao gets his head out of his a** he’d be able to play anwyhere up front.
And if he cant we should bench him and play someone that can.
I actually love the idea of 343!
Certainly the 3 in defence solves the DM problem but who are the back 3?
Tomori Gabbia Pavlović
with, who, Thiaw on the bench?
Probably need to cancel the Kalulu sale…
The biggest issues are:
1) Reijnders is not well suited for a defensive role. He is more of a free-flowing mid that can attack the backline. Can give and go passes and score.
2) RLC – is the odd one out. I thought with his height, body, and strength, he’d do wonders for Milan. But so far, he has disappointed (bar a few matches). He is underperforming instead of excelling with all those features. Brahim with none of it could get past defenders easily and score or create chances. He was a total nuisance for defenders but it was easy for them to outmuscle him. In RLC’s case, defenders cannot outmuscle him, but he offers no threat…instead, RLC has no clue what to do next. He creates zero problems for defenders. He only passes sideways and kills any chance of an attacking move. This is why I think RLC is just an odd piece of the puzzle.
3) Fofana – seems to be the right player that Milan needed in that defense. I think he and Bennacer can forge the same strong partnership that he had with Tonali/Kessie (this puzzle would be solved).
4) I feel Milan just needs these 4 mids (Fofana, Bennacer, Reijnders, and Samardzic). In case of injuries, there is enough quality backups too.
5) Musah is the exact opposite of RLC. If RLC is someone who has no clue how to even get past a defender, Musah somehow always manages to get past a few of them, but then he just makes the wrong option. He lacks finishing. He sometimes shoots over the bar or passes when he needs to shoot and vice-versa. If he can sort out the last part – he will be a good squad player (who can come on as a sub and make an impact).
RLC has to step up and show that he is useful either in defense or attack. Else, the best thing would be to sell him in the winter transfer and get a proper midfielder. Otherwise, Milan will fail to create chances and at the same time allow teams to score goals against them. This is one of the weak areas that Pioli really failed to address, and selling Tonali created a big hole. That is one of the main reasons why Leao and the forwards struggled to score last season compared to the season before. Tonali was a perfect midfielder.
Horses for courses but seriously how are you criticising a midfielder who scored 10 goals last season, and defending a player (Musah) who cost us goals last season!
I honestly do not understand the logic around this place sometimes.
It must be a generational thing where people just love players who can dribble.
I once had a few 20 year olds join our over 35s and none of them would pass the ball! They all just kept doing tricks. Like Musah.
More ridiculous RLC hate. He was extremely useful in the attack last season. Maybe you didn’t watch.
It’s so funny, Diaz used to get killed on this site. Everyone was hating on him, he’s too small, he always gets bullied. Now everyone pretends like he was Messi when he was here.
Pioli was a dumba** for not using a 433 formation and now Fonseca is proving that he is also a dumba** for not playing a 433.
Ibra said during preseason and during the appointment of Fonseca that we will play 433 but when fonseca started he used 4231. What a sh!t show at Milan.
The midfielders we have in the squad are better suited for a 433 but here we are forcing them to play outside of their natural positions and we wonder why we look terrible in midfield.
Unbelievable. We would have been better off hiring Sarri or Mancini given the players we have now in the squad.
The problem is the coach can’t keep trying out new formations the team needs to build chemistry thats why inter has become a great team they always have the same starting line up. Milan keeps changing the line up almost every game for the past 6 month. I hope Foncesca learns quickly which players should start. My preference would be Musah and Fofana as double pivot against stronger teams. Reijnders and Fofana against weaker teams. Musah can cover more ground and help our shaky defense
The problem is the coach can’t keep trying out new formations the team needs to build chemistry thats why inter has become a great team they always have the same starting line up. The past year for Milan that was not the case each game we had at least one change in the line up. My preference would be play Fofana-Musah against stronger teams in the double pivot and than Fofana-Reijnders against weaker teams
The problem we are not using the right formation to get the best out of our players. That’s the problem.
We are putting round pegs in square holes. Our midfielders are better suited for a 433 formation. Pulisic is better at Left wing or Right wing. He is not a trequartista or attacking midfielder and neither is Loftus Cheek.
If we don’t play our players in the formation that is best suited for them then they will have problems playing at their best. Smh
Milan coaches are self sabotaging the team. Use these players in their right position and stop forcing them to play in a position that is not good at playing.
Haven’t we seen enough of RLC at the 10 last season to understand that he’s lacking at that position?
It isn’t Puli’s optimal spot, but i’d rather play him there and have him grow into it, then keep trying RLC who after pretty much a full season at the 10 still lacks the final decision/pass.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Reijnders try the 10.
“Haven’t we seen enough of RLC at the 10 last season to understand that he’s lacking at that position?”
Him scoring that many goals was enough to pad his stats and convince many (including some posters here) that he actually did a good job.
Play those three together in a 4-3-3 instead of the double pivot