Stefano Pioli has demanded that AC Milan sign another central defender before the season comes to an end because he feels he is lacking bodies in that area of the pitch, a report claims.
As has been reported by Corriere dello Sport (via Pianeta Milan), the coach is not happy with the limited options that he has in that area of the pitch.
Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw seem to be his favoured pairing right now, but then Pierre Kalulu has been used often at right-back during pre-season and Simon Kjaer’s fitness cannot be fully trusted.
There have been suggestions that youngster Davide Bartesaghi could be used as a centre-back this season for more depth, but Pioli would presumably rather an actual signing arrived.
Resources are starting to wear thin and Milan still want a backup left-back, a striker and a central defender, meaning Pioli could be left disappointed in at least one position.
Give Simic a chance ffs
Giving a chance is not a problem, losing a game or two and hanging the entire season on a Primavera player is an issue. Anybody remembers when fans were asking for Rodrigo Ely to play coming from a full serie B season, he played a couple of games horribly (got even a red card iirc) and didn’t play again. Anybody remembers what happens with Radu at Inter?
Getting young defenders to play well in Italy is a lot more tricky. The teams play slower football, more tactical and try to abuse the weak points of the opponents. If Milan puts Kalulu as a central defender, you can be certain that teams will try to catch Theo bursting forward and try to get crosses from our left side towards the second post to a tall player to overwhelm Calabria or Kalulu and get a free header. Playing Bennacer instead of Kessie/Krunic as a right midfielder didn’t help to avoid headers from rushing opponent midfielders.
With Kjaer falling down the pecking order, we need someone to direct the defense and Kalulu, Thiaw and Tomori are not it yet.
Where is loser Giancarlo? Is he blocked?
I been on this site this morning. I just can’t be on it 24/7/365 like you. Get a life and go touch some grass.
You mean you arent ready to comment on every single article with a complaint ready like most people here? 🙂
You should have told management in the middle of mercarto. Limited CB, limited DMF, limited ST.
Some compromises have to be reached, smart incredibly smart moves must be made in the final run
Simic for sure should see some first team minutes this season. Has been great in preseason. But I can see why Pioli is asking for an experienced CB. Another Thiaw’esque profile.
Pioli is a clown , he doesn’t understand what financial fair play means! Maybe he thoughts he is at Mancity, Bayern Munich, psg or manutd who have endless financial resources, get to work use the raw talent you have and prove you are a good coach ..
Excellent point 👍
That’s not how it works, lmao. And I bet most people wouldn’t credit Pioli, even if he did develop younger players. He’s done alright with Kalulu, but coaches are not wizards.
Even if Pioli wins the league again these clowns will still glamour for bigger name like ‘Conte’ and “De Zerbi’
Even though freaking De Zerbi has won jack sh*t so far, there is no guarentee he’d be any good
The calls for De Zerbi baffles me.
No coach is a guarantee, just look at Tuchel in Chelsea.
He came in mid-season and won CL + Club Manager of the Year.
Then, with almost the same squad, he only reached the quarters in CL and finished 19pts off the winners in PL next season.
Then Chelsea spent +€500 mio. and Tuchel was fired after a record of 3-1-3 in the first 7 games.
There are very few Guardiola-class coaches available at the moment, so a change of coach should be considered carefully.
He is just looking for excuses. Once he fails this season, he will say: well, I asked for a defender…
Pioli is really tereible. He hates giving youths the chance. The likes of hauge. Adli. Lazetic. I wonder how he thinks. He keeps playing pulisic on the right. A position thst limits his abilities. Why not play him behind the striker and let romero and chukwueze handle the right. While leao and okafor handle the left. Pioli out
In another thread, I gave a list of players who was under 23 when Pioli started coaching them. You can look it up yourself, instead of relying your selective memory.
You’re right Pioli is “tereible” – CL semi and winning our first scudetto in 11 years just proves it. Pioli out out out out.
Its so good to see all these people endlessly complain about Pioli as if there’s some ready made coach ready to replace him tomorrow.
These guys rather Milan lose so he gets sacked then Milan do well and you call yourselves fans lmao
Still we have Caldara in team.
We all can agree many players flopped last year. But, read this statistics: Bakayoko, Vranckx, Adli, Dest, Fode Ballo and Gabbia, played 2674 minutes in combined. Thats 445 min per player or less than 5 games of 90 min in whole season.
Florenzi and Ibra were more injured.
Pioli needs to start using players before, and sooner rather than later. And not expect to do same mistakes like last year.
Here we go again.
Pioli doesn’t trust young people. He never developed any young player. It’s a fallacy. If there was no injury crisis, Kalulu or Thiaw would never have played all season. He throws players in at the deep end in a crisis situation and people say, he developed players.
As I said above, I doubt that many people would credit him for developing a player, even if he did. if any player succeed, it is because of his own work and talent, while any that fail will be the fault of the coach. Facts and logic stand no chance against emotions.
No worries, they have a bunch of players on LW now. Completely pointless but no LB backup or real DM.
With the limited money remaining it makes more sense to keep Caldara. Get Sesko on loan with option to buy. Get a good LB for Theo backup. And last sell Pobega and use the money to replace him with a DM. Pobega is not up to the task for me. I would rather keep Adli as mezzala.
Use simic and bartesaghi, promote atleast one player straight from primavera and motivate the others, we used to do that, why should we buy a 5th choice cb, unless he wants to change the cb hierachies now which is late even, dont behave like ac milan has money to solve every problem by buying a player
With just corsport source , all this clown comment so touched. Cannot develop young player, cannot this cannot that. Gabbia leave and kjaer old & already have injury ACL , this clown suggest just 4 CB kalulu ,tomori,thiaw enough for 3 competition, if you play kalulu in RB incase florenzi & calabria injury thats make you only have 3 CB
Exactly but as you said, these clowns will use Sala as RB.
In a world without Redbird,
Milan would have Botman and Tonali.
Just wondering. Who covers leao absence? Rebuc is gone? Only left, maybe Chwi? Or Pulisic? If so, who covers Pulisic??beside Pioli, if he’s smart enough, he needs to switch btwn 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1 to 4- 4–2 diamond formation. But highly he’s smart enough to do so
Dude are you new here ? You dont know AC Milan sign okafor ? He can play LW & CF . Dude you dont know last season pioli switch to 352 and leao flop in that formation ? Leao only good if formation use winger like 433 or 4231
I insist on a new coach, Pioli is clueless, he will never launch a young player and will destroy everyone in the process.. take Leao… does anyone here think he is playing to his full potential????