Paulo Fonseca has now made it clear that he wants an attacking midfielder in his system, but at the moment there is no undisputed starter in that role.
As Calciomercato.com recall, it was Mattia Liberali and Christian Pulisic who played as playmakers in the preseason friendly matches, and it seemed as though the latter would get a run of starts in that role when the season properly began.
However, against Parma and Lazio, Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to the position that Stefano Pioli used him in last season. It was partly a decision based on the condition of various players, but also a tactical one aimed at increasing the balance between the departments.
Nonetheless, the general performance level from the Englishman has certainly not been sufficient so far and, now more than ever, it is necessary to define an important question: who is the most effective ‘glue’ between the defence and the attack?
The first hypothesis is actually to not use a playmaker and to instead switch to a 4-3-3 but give Tijani Reijnders more freedom. He starred for the Netherlands over the international break with two goals and one assist, with Ronald Koeman given him the license to roam in a three-man midfield.
The Dutchman dropped back in front of the defence when not in possession and rose up to the attacking midfielder spot during attacks. Milan could do the same, using Youssouf Fofana as the anchor and either Yunus Musah or Loftus-Cheek as the other mezzala, as Massimo Ambrosini suggested.
The likes of Hakan Calhanoglu, Brahim Diaz and Charles De Ketelaere all struggled to show themselves in the No.10 position for large parts of their respective times at Milan. Yet, the report also puts forward the idea of trusting a talent like Mattia Liberali.
He is one of the shining jewels of Milan Futuro and impressed during the USA tour, while in Serie C he is showing that he can do it against adults too. It might be too much to ask too soon, but the pressure is on Fonseca and brave decisions could be taken.
The only problem is Fonseca continually playing RLC there for 90 minutes every game
It must be all of those goals RLC scored last season and the fact that he drives the ball forward nearly every time he gets the ball….
But Reijnders has done well on international duty so it’d be interesting to give him a go this weekend.
He needs to deliver though for Milan because, unlike RLC, he’s done nothing yet.
I’m convinced you don’t watch the games, how can you defend RLC as the 10? What has he done this season? Please enlighten me. And I don’t want to hear about his 4 good games last year.
What has he done this year?
Every time he gets the ball he turns quickly, wins a free kick or plays a quick pass.
I’ve really no idea why people are more impressed with Reijnders taking too many touches before hitting an uninteresting pass, or being overrun in midfield.
And the goals he scored last season are not really up for debate. 10 goals in a debut season is phenomenal.
Again, what has he done so far this year?
And again, stop talking about the past.
Actually watch the games.
Do you mean 2024 (when we went on a run and finished 2nd)?
Or do you mean the 24/25 season that has only just started?
In both scenarios he’s played better than Reijnders.
What has Reijnders actually done for Milan?
Ask your boyfriend if you can watch the game this weekend and see how useless RLC has been this season.
RLC is nowhere near a 10. He does drive the ball forward well and get fouled when doing so resulting in yellows because you can’t otherwise bring him down. But, he needs to do this as a box-to-box mid, not a 10 because he loses the script when he gets to the box.
His 10 goals last season weren’t of his own creation – he was an extra body in the box that wasn’t marked well due to numbers and ended up scoring. The same way Jovic and Okafor were scoring.
Reijnders in the middle of a 433 is the next logical step here, with Fofana and RLC on the sides. He too drives the ball forward well but defending isn’t his forte. Look at him shining with Holland – Koeman put him in a position that works for him and surrounded him with attackers up front and defensive mids next to him.
This IS the way for Milan to move forward. Reijnd pegs into Reijnd holes.
It’s 3 games. You could say that about half the team. What has Theo done? What has Fofana done? What has Reijnders done? What has Chuku done? To the bench all of them, they suck.
If you watched the last game, he had some nice tackles, carried the ball well and had some nice passes. He for sure was better than Reijnders or Fofana in that game. But yeah, lets keep singling him out for all the hate.
The coaches also see a lot more than you do in practice everyday and both he and Pioli seem to think RLC brings a lot to the team seeing as they play him every game. But i’m sure you know much more than these professional coaches.
Last game Fonseca clearly asked Reijnders and Fofana to stay deeper. You could tell Reijnders wasn’t moving forward much.
Fonseca ball and all
@ACM1899 Yes,I can’t think of a single positive thing Reijnders in the last game, but somehow he always gets a pass and RLC always gets the hate. Perhaps switching positions with RLC and Reijnders might be the best option, but all these people saying RLC is terrible are just ridiculous. He was our best midfielder last season by almost any way you want to measure it.
Agreed RLC did well last year in certain games but those seem to be less frequently as is his inconsistency as well as in games where we play on the counter and backs against the wall against the likes of PSG. Overall reijnders is a better 10 and wasted in front of the defense and musah deserves some time in the double pivot (if we have to use 4-2-3-1) alongside Fofana.
All in all depends on the type of game and against Serie a teams we must be aggressive with and attack from the first minute, like Venezia, we have to pick a more penetrating #10 pulisic. Against Liverpool and inter that #10 spot should be for reijnders though with musah Fofana doing the bulk of the defending.
What evidence is there for Reijnders to be a better 10 for Milan?
What’s he actually done?
He’s scored 4 goals in 53 appearances. RLC scored 10 in 43.
And it wasn’t just the goals.
His runs off the ball into the box created space for Giroud and others on multiple occasions.
RLC doesn’t need to justify his position at Milan. Reijnders very much does.
Since he’s arrived and played 53 games we’ve had no midfield to speak of.
Wait, you’re comparing the goal and assist performance of RLC who plays 90% of his games on AM and TR who plays more quietly? And you still claim that TR should not be tried on AM, although we have never seen it there. The matches for the Netherlands tell you he should be given a chance and you’re stuck with RLC even though we can all see he’s useless there.
i havnt seen ruben drive any balls up this season. you’re making it up again..
WHY?
He literally did it against Lazio.
He won free kicks in dangerous positions.
Nope. Thats nothing. One free kick in 180 min is sh*t stats for an AM
Why did the others do???
2 (two) assists in 40 games. It’s not enough.
Yes, he does drive the ball forward nearly every time he gets it…if he’s facing the flow of play – then he’s actually very effective. But he’s useless with his back to goal….absolutely useless. Just simply because of where the ball is coming from when you’re a 10, you spend a lot of time receiving it facing your midfield. He turns about as quick as an articulated lorry, which is also why he is terrible in the 1st phase after the ball has been turned over.
I’ve said on here all summer he did enough to be given the chance to press on this year and hopefully he finds a role (I’m certain he could do a job in a three), but nothing about his entire career has suggested he’s a natural 10.
10 goals and 2 assists in 40 games v 4 goals and 4 assists in 50 games.
RLC is not useless with his back to goal. He either turns quickly and launches a counter, wins a free kick or lays it off.
Where is the notion he turns slowly?
This seems to be more about his physique than what he’s actually doing with the ball which is turning in 1 or 2 touches.
As for more pigeon holing players, he literally played in that position to great effect last season, and did so well that not just one professional (non-armchair) coach but two put him there.
I don’t think I defended Reijnders anywhere in my post, so I’m not sure why you’re bringing him up with me.
I have a notion he turns slowly because…he does, and he IS useless with his back to goal….would you look at that – an impasse!
There is nothing unusual about his physique. He’s strong but he’s no hulk – I think that’s perhaps your misconception, not mine.
He didn’t “literally” play that position to great effect last season as that is entirely subjective. If you are happy with those numbers, irrespective of what Reijneders did, then good on you. I would want more from a true 10. Look at that – another impasse.
I’m not an armchair fan by the way, but I’ll simply chalk that up to your usual need to throw in an insult to strengthen a poor argument.
PRESUMABLY you understand that Reijnders was asked to play more defensively under Pioli while RLC wasn’t and barely ever tracked back, right?
You actually watched the games right??? While RLC was habitating in the opposition box, Reijnders was asked to stay back in front of Defense to prevent counters.
And you STILL wonder why he had more goals than Reijnders? I mean honestly, man…… The more I read your posts the more dense you sound.
“What’s he actually done?” – Hmmmmm enough to playin the National Team at the position many of us are claiming he would be stellar at.
But then again, your pinnacle of contribution to this team and the poster child for it is Calabria….
I think this guy is RLC in disguise, his agent at least. We have not been watching the same games, the guy is nonexistent most of the match, loses the ball often and creates no chances. He should be 10 ft away from the field.
Reijnders has only played in that position for milan twice and scored even. I don’t know why he’s never been given time there. I’ve always said reijnders is best at carrying the ball and making plays while his defending his horrible, yet Ee play him defensive mid and loftus our physically biggest player plays attacking. Switch the two up and let’s see reijnders play there!
The problem is Loftus doesn’t run/cover ground, while Reijndiers does. Thats why they prefer Reijndiers in the double pivot. But you are correct he is bad at defending. As for Loftus as a AM he can score from crosses from time to time and thats about it. Its not ideal at all. They dont have players for the double pivot like Tonali, Kessie. Maybe Musha or Teracciano can be tried there with Fofana while Rejndiers move to AM. But then you have Loftus who has one of the big salaries in the club sitting on the bench and making more then the starters… Again not an ideal situation at all.
I see Reijnders as our calhanoglu. Not that he is going to end up in the hands of Inter, but he is Milan’s wisest and most active midfielder who will find it difficult to flourish in this Milan team, which is full of arrogant players like Leao, Loftus, and Theo of late. It is not that Milan can’t compete with inter-shoulder-to-shoulder, but the truth is that some Milan players don’t play for the fans, which inter-players do each time they are on the pitch. This is why inter-are full of leaders because they all want to win,, and as suc,h, they hate losing. As for Milan, some players see losing as normal that’s why they don’t care when the team is losing over and over. When inter experience two or three consecutive defeats which is unusual, you Will not only hear the coach but even the players themselves will begin to vent their frustration and fix the problem as soon as possible. Milan are disorganized. The person who is supposed to be our leader both on and off the pitch is acting like he has already got 10 ballon dors is the main problem even though we rely on him most of the time. Leao if ready, is better than many players that the world are talking about but he doesn’t even care to see his name at the top. I just pray that there be unity and cohesion in this Milan squad so as for the fans to begin to taste the atmosphere of winning week in and week out and become competitive on all fronts. Forza Milan
Leao, Loftus, and Theo have actually won stuff.
Reijnders has won nothing.
So I’d suggest that Reijnders needs to learn from actual winners.
Why do so many Milan fans hate actual winners?
Origi also won stuff. lets play him instead of Morata and or abraham..
you’re dumber than a pile of planks whining heir
Yes which is why Origi’s signing made complete sense.
Shame it didn’t work out but most signings in football don’t work out.
But I’ll take a punt on actual winners than hoping for some imaginary ceiling.
It made 0 sense then and it makes 0 sense now.
Your so called winners argument never hold any water and it never will.
Musah won 3 cups with USA national team, does that make him a better player than Fofana who won one cup with Strasbourg Alsace ?
Okafor won 7 titles with red bull, is he better than Leao and should we start him over leao?
Calabria, bro. In his mind no one holds a candle to Calabria. The nest right back of our generation… That’s how his mind works.
He is calling players who have won just 1 trophy winners.
This is from the same guy who was saying that Pioli is a better coach than Simone Inzaghi because he had a scudetto, his only trophy, while Simone Inzaghi had 7,8 trophies.
Why do you hate actual consistent winners but you hype up fluke accidental wimners?
You do realise that winning trophies is actually hard?
Milan have won 3 Scudetti this century, and Theo and Leao helped deliver 1 of them.
Maybe stop under-estimating how difficult it is to win stuff and you won’t be constantly disappointed with life.
Your throwing stats to compare when loftus played 30+ games in a more advanced role where reijnders played in a double pivot that our management can’t seem to figure it out there. Reijnders the two times he played in the attacking mid role scored and assisted and for the Netherlands this past week scored 2 and assisted 1 in that role.
Its clear that reijnders bringing the ball forward and trying to create something is much more dangerous than loftus in that role. Loftus usually phases in and out of games. For 60 minutes you don’t even hear his name.
He doesn’t understand positions and what each entails – just basic football 101. Don’t bother.
The man argues because a player in a team that won a trophy is better than bringing any player from a mercato. For example, just because Calabria is the captain and won a scudetto he thinks he’s the best right back in serie a. Meanwhile he can’t even make it onto the italy team.
seems like a plan. do it
Fonseca should use Rejnder and liberali to play attacking midfield RLC should forget attacking midfield and switch to double pivot so rejnder will start attacking midfield then liberali play from the second half with that liberali will be perfect while Gabbia should partner with Pavlovic while tomori will play from 80th minutes then musah and Fofana should always start and let’s bring Chaka Traore to the senior team because both Chaka and liberali are all solid and Good they can help us not to struggle with scoring of goals
4231 is not working. Why? Becuase our midfielders are mostly mezzalas. That means the team is more built for a 433.
So it makes more sense to switch to a 4-3-3 but give Tijani Reijnders more freedom and have Fofana play a defensive role.
Thats an option as well. The 4-2-3-1 is getting outdated anyway. Spalleti Italy ditched that formation despite being his favorite one and now they are playing much better. Maybe Fonseca should try something new too.
In italys case it’s because of a lack of good wingers and strikers and a great amount of high quality cbs
We need to acknowledge that Reijnders and RLC haven’t even come close to replicating the influence Diaz and Tonali had on games. Stats without context don’t mean much. RLC scored 10 goals but most of them have been against lower level opposition with him playing as a second striker. We don’t need that. We need Reijnders and RLC to function as a midfielders. They are both technically sound but don’t seem to know how to translate that into something impactful. The lack of a clear role for them (and Musah) doesn’t help but they need to do more as individuals as well.
1. RLC is no 10 – I don’t care how may goals he scored last season;
2. Our only natural 10 is Liberalli and he’s not ready for first team football
3. Emulate Koeman’s 433 with Fofana/Reijnders/RLC the pieces are there.
Fonseca needs to be tactically flexible here and not suffer from Pioli’s mind block.