Ruben Loftus-Cheek was one of the stand-out performers for AC Milan during the winter months last season, but fast forward to the present day and he is more the object of mystery.
Calciomercato.com report that Milan have two clear short-term objectives: to maintain the positive trend in Serie A and start racking up points in the Champions League, starting with tonight’s match at the BayArena against Bayer Leverkusen.
Head coach Paulo Fonseca does not want to take risks from a technical point of view with a team that is starting to assimilate certain mechanisms. The rotation, therefore, will come later and any changes in the coming games will be dictated by physical condition.
Alvaro Morata will not be risked as he continues to try and fully shake off bursitis and that provides a new chance for Loftus-Cheek, whose first season in red and black was very good in terms of goals scored with six goals in Serie A and four in the Europa League.
Stefano Pioli deployed the Englishman more as a second striker than as an attacking midfielder, taking advantage of his overflowing physicality in open play and from set pieces. The win in the Champions League on 7 November 2023 at San Siro against PSG was his best performance.
However, the ex-Chelsea man has found it very difficult to try to evolve from a tactical point of view from there. He remains devastating when he can attack spaces on the break, which means a game like tonight’s at the BayArena could mark a resurgence, but against low blocks he struggles to find the quality.
At this stage of the season, Fonseca knows that the result becomes even more important to acquire the necessary conviction and confidence. Loftus-Cheek is part of that group of players who enjoy the trust of the coach but at the same time are very behind in preparation.
Fonseca wants to improve the 28-year-old in the possession phase because he is mainly strong in dribbling at the moment, while the ambition is to shape a player who also knows how to pass, move and press. What better starting point than a Champions League challenge against the German champions?
