After the great impact he had in the derby two weeks ago, Stefano Pioli entrusted the starting spot to Brahim Diaz in the role of attacking midfielder against Sampdoria and Salernitana, but he has disappointed again.
MilanNews writes how the Spaniard is currently in a rough patch of form that he has so far been unable to escape from, and the data shows that he has not scored in Serie A since 25 September against Spezia and has not provided an assist to his team-mates since 4 December in the reverse game against Salernitana.
Of course, Covid has a part to play because it derailed his rhythm when he was in his best form, striking after the win away against Atalanta. The player does not want an excuse or an alibi, but at this point it seems obvious how this factor has influenced the player’s season and he may be suffering from ‘long covid’.
It must also be considered that Brahim is only in his second proper season at the professional level because the minutes he accumulated at a very young age with Manchester City and Real Madrid are not significant enough, while at Milan he found consistent game time.
The player’s talent is undisputed, so much so that Real Madrid insisted on getting a buy-back at around €27-28m as part of the two-year loan, and there is already signs that patience is key. Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali are two examples of why there cannot be too much pressure too early, because the Portuguese exploded in his third season while the former Brescia man needed a season of adaptation.
Brahim also perfectly matches Milan’s project, which is to bet on young players with talent, to develop them and to trust them through the expected periods of turbulence.
