Gerry Cardinale and Ruben Amorim are on the same page regarding the current state of AC Milan’s squad, a report claims.
La Gazzetta dello Sport focused this morning on the internal reshuffle that Cardinale has enforced, which sees numerous figures like Massimo Calvelli and Hendrik Almstadt effectively given a promotion instead of external hires to fill key roles.
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Cardinale intends to be a lot more active in decision-making than he has been in his four years so far. However, there will still be a team behind him that will work as a team to support the team and the coach.
A shared vision
Building a competitive Milan is the primary objective for him, with the club having chosen Amorim as its new architect. In Cardinale’s view, as well as Amorim’s, the team ‘already has a solid and well-equipped starting position to aim for the Champions League’.
This would be even more the case if strengthened with further additions, and that is the plan. If it were up to the club’s owner, all the big names would remain: Mike Maignan, Adrien Rabiot and obviously Luka Modric.
Rafael Leao has opted out on his own but as for the others, the club are ready to resist the temptations of potential suitors (certainly Allegri’s Napoli for Rabiot). Milan – self-sustaining even if deprived of the revenue from Champions League qualification – want all the key players to remain.
Then there’s the willingness of the other side, which could play a role. If there are transfer requests, suitable offers will also have to be received. Modric’s situation is different: Cardinale has specifically asked him to stay with the Rossoneri and he’ll decide after the World Cup.
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Maignan
Tomori Gabbia Pavlo
Saele Hjulmand Rabiot Barts
Pulišić Goncalves
Ramos
I sure hope not. That’s a worse squad than we had this year. Gabbia should not be a starter. Neither should Saleamakers.
Gabbia and Alexis can’t and (but) Bartesaghi can?
Maybe he can develop under a new coach but personally I see him more as a LCB than a left wing
He’s not a left wing but a left wing-back. I agree, he would be better as a left back in a four-man defence or a LCB but we already have Pavlovic.
If the swapped Pavlovic and him it would be better for anyone. Pavlovic is out of position all the time, he would do better on the left back position or even lwb.
No, he wouldn’t. I’ve been watching Pavlovic throughout his whole senior career which is much longer than everyone here (has), stop repeating that like a parrott just because you don’t like the guy which is something you two haters obviously share. It’s simply a matter of physical characteristics and motoric abilities, he’s definitely best suited for a (L)CB.
Pavlo for a LWB is actually a great shout. He likes to venture forward the most our of our defenders and would be pretty reasonable on the flank. Better than Barte I think.
As if being better than Bartesaghi is particularly hard and an achievement which deserves so many bravos. Pavlovic doesn’t know how to dribble in a full or wing back fashion, he wouldn’t be able to act as a flank player for several reasons of which some or pretty obvious, how (come) is it that you don’t understand that? He wasn’t trained and built and thought to be a left wing-back, he’s fit to be a center back (be it in a 2 or a 3-man defence) and not a flank player, what is wrong with you two? Both the club and the player himself would lose too much if some coach were to change his/this natural position, just do the math, pros and cons. Our national team plays with three in the back for long time and now all of the sudden you think it would be wise to change his position, everything he’s learned and done so far would go to waste, everybody involved would suffer dearly, trust me. Just in case you didn’t know, he is the reason we stuck to that formation both in the national team and at ACM and vice versa, he practically became the pillar of both squads whether you like it or not.
*some ARE pretty obvious, for A long time,
everyONE involved (was this a mistake too, actually not sure)
**all of A sudden
Leao should be sold definitely probably Maignan. Try and keep Modric and Rabiot for midfield.
People do understand that Pavlovic would have to defend against speedy and mobile wingers. That’s a recipe for disaster. As a centerback charging forward he’s fine. But he has little finesse and I’m not sure about his ability to put in a cross.
He has the ability to cross just fine but he can’t play as a wing-back (or even as a full-back for that matter) due to multiple reasons and that shouldn’t be a topic anymore.
You say that Pavlovic can’t play a position that Bartesaghi is playing? A guy that is worse at dribbling and slower. Ok. Good analysis, you’re experts. Evident.
I don’t really get all the Gabbia hate. He is our most solid central defender for the past two seasons now. Go check our defensive stats last season when Gabbia was missing due to an injury.
We tolerate Pavlović because of his grinta and sacrifice but his positional awareness is just awful. He’s found everywhere else except where he should actually be. And Tomori is now a senator but he’s headless most of the time.
And regarding the team, Leao and Modrić are as good as gone, maybe even Rabiot and Maignan. You think Gerry will splash the money needed to reinforce from GK up? Hjulmand and Goncalves together would cost 70 millions at least, Ramos could be granted a loan with a bit of persuading. Not to mention financial hole, they’ll need to patch because of CL. But these are reportedly the ones Amorim would want and if the reports are true about him having more power over transfers then they should get him what he wants. Or it won’t work and we’re back to miserable square one.
You speak of Gabbia and his positioning as if he were Nesta or something, you are exaggerating.
In the context of this Milan he is Nesta. You can wish for an upgrade at the back all you want, Gabbia simply is our most consistent defender. He’s at the centre of the 3 for a reason.
I’ll concede, he’s an average 1-on-1 defender and any goal conceded you can blame him for, he’s given too much respect to his opposing player, but he defends space as well as anyone and his composure is second to none, and those are far more important in his role.
I personally wouldn’t stop at saying he should be first name on the team sheet, I’d make him captain.
He’s at the centre of the 3 because he’s slow(er) than Pavlovic and Tomori, it is as simple as that.
Well it’s not as simple as that is it. He doesn’t hold down a key role in a (still) leading club purely based on a negative attribute. That’s an utterly stupid thing to say.
No, that’s you exaggerating. I said no such thing. But from the crop of central defenders we currently have, he’s better than all of them.
He has quality of course but you have definitely overrated his tactical awareness, his composure and his positioning which are not questionable in principle but they are not at the highest level either, not even when you wish to compare him to Tomori, KDW and Pavlovic just because you have to urge to portray Matteo as something
he just isn’t and will never be for that matter. What I meant to say is that he isn’t fit to play
as a right/left center back just like De Winter, Tomori and Pavlovic would struggle (a bit or
a lot, it depends on the player) to play in the centre. Gabbia’s atributes are mostly very well known but are also (for some reason) evidently aggrandized by many of you. Or maybe that’s just your desperate attempt to defend him as your compatriot because Milan is reduced to one or two Italian(s) in the starting lineup, eh? Completely fair and understandable but only to a certain extent, you shouldn’t lose objectivity. Nothing is simple in life, it’s usually like that, why should this be an exception?
Its not hate.. its just a reflection that we needs a lot of upgrade.
Ted, calling Gabbia an average defender is not hate…It’s only fan observations. Italian defenders are shockingly medicore these days and the fact that Gabbia is unable to get a game in the most shambolic Italian national team in decades is telling?! No? The quality just isn’t there. How many avoidable/embarrassing goals did Milan concede? He owns a few of them.
Observation? No problem. But don’t trash talk a player because you don’t like him. Stats tell different story.
I don’t like or dislike anyone. I like winning. I judge players by their performances, that’s it! His performances have been average to below average. So I call him average. I trust my eyes, not other people’s opinions.
Exactly. And as for Tomori…. that guy shouldn’t be anywhere near a Milan shirt next season..
No, that’s not a trash talk at all, those are all pure and undeniable facts, our comments are factually substantiated. I wouldn’t exactly call Gabbia’s performances below average but he shouldn’t be so glorified either because that’s not deserved and justified. He is a correct and solid squad (rotation) player and a very good person but let’s not be carried away here, Ted.
@Revolt
@Savio
Where were we when he was missing due to an injury this season? Our defense was in shambles.
Here’s a report from 20th April this year – With him on the pitch, Milan have lost only once in the league, managing to win 15 games and draw nine. Without him, the Rossoneri have won four of eight matches, losing the remaining four.
The average points haul in matches where Gabbia is present is 2.16, while in his absence the figure drops to 1.5.
And above all is a silent leader. Always comes to speak to media even when we lost and had it tough. That’s character.
So again, he’s no Nesta but from current crop of defenders, he’s our best. You may have an opinion sure but numbers are factual.
He (have) already this conversation, you cheer for Gabbia, Pavlovic is my favourite and my champion. What do you think would happen without Pavlovic on the pitch? The exact same thing or even worse but we had Pavlovic for an entire season so there can only be speculations in that regard, it remains to be seen what will happen from now on. Gabbia is OK but keep it humble, he isn’t something out of this world and someone indispensable and surely isn’t irreplaceable and worth so much nice words however harsh that may sound because he didn’t deserve these words either just on account of me not exactly adoring and idolising him the way you lot seem to do most of the time.
*he (have) already had
Gabbia wouldn’t start at Inter or Juventus or even at Napoli. Let’s calm down here.
Hi Ted…in 2024 Milan finished 8th and 9 teams had a better defensive record….9!!! let that sink in…Gabbia was at the center of that mess…right in the thick of it…shipping shambolic goals all season…last season, the same. Come on Dude wake up…He can’t even get a game in the worst Italian defense in living memory….As long as he is back there Milan will have a mid-table defense…he would not start at juv, inter or Napoli. Just calling it like it is.
@Savio
Talking about the season where we finished 8th. Was that the one with a non exsistent midfield of Reijnders, Musah and Fofana? Emerson on the flank where most of the goals came in? Where Pavlovic started his first season horrible and many here wanted him out? Or the fact that they just changed two coaches unable to adapt to current squad? Calabria, Theo and Leao targeted and made the culprits of the season? A striker brought in just to be shipped out 3 months later? Was it that season where they offered Maignan a new contract and he wanted to sign, but they suddenly decided to withdraw it and alienate him too?
Yeah, Gabbia was our problem.
@ Ted Milan had more than one problem…Gabbia WAS one of them. Re-read the FACTS I mentioned, or yeah just ignore them and say how good he is.
Or Bart or Tomori (or Salad if he’s going to play like the second half of the season as opposed to the first)…
you mention gabbia but you left tomori there?
Gabbia > Tomori
Uu then pick on Salamakers yet you’re leaving Barte?? okay
If Milan want to go to the next level then we will definitely need to upgrade on Salaemakers, Gabbia, Barteseghi and Tomori.
These players are not starters. Milan is currently pursuing Thomas Kristensen, Oumar Solet and Goncalo Inacio from Sporting Lisbon.
So I believe Tomori will be sold. But with these 3 CB we will improve as Gabbia, Tomori and Koni De Winter are bench players.
We also need an upgrade on the wingbacks for both RWB and LWB. Barteseghi and Salaemakers cannot be starters next season.
Yeah, it is wishful thinking. So they will buy starter level LWB, RWB, CD, MC, ST and AMC? Not happening. You know it.
Where did you get the info on Solet and Inacio?
Try to keep Maignan, Modric, Rabiot and Pulisic. Everyone else is sellable. I’d keep Leao if he changes his mind.
Poor Amorim, he really doesn’t suspect what people he’ll be dealing with.
Antonio Silva – pure addition because we lack CBs
Estupinan – ???
Modric – Hjulmand
Kang-in Lee/Trincao – p.a. because we lack AMCs
RLC – Zaniolo (or Chukwueze if we switch to 3-4-3)
Leao – Ramos/Vlahovic
Gimenez – Icardi/Lukaku
Fullkrug – Camarda
+ Bondo instead of Fofana (in a way & in a sense)
+ Comotto/Zeroli
+ AMC (for 3-4-2-1) or a LW (or (a) RW) (for a 3-4-3)
When you didn’t know anything about football stop this stu…. or are you an inter fans
Go F yourself and disappear, you illiterate peasant.
The fact that Cardinale knows anything about the state of this squad is already science fiction to me.
Milan should consider Mbokazi from Chicago Fire MLS