Yacine Adli made his first appearance since October last night, getting seven minutes plus stoppages on the pitch against Fiorentina. A short window in which he managed a hockey assist, raising doubts about Stefano Pioli.
The French midfielder was brought in from Bordeaux on a permanent deal worth around €9m in the summer of 2021. Milan agreed to leave him at the club on loan for one year and the feeling was that it would make him even more ready.
Instead, Adli has amassed just 121 minutes on the pitch this season. It’s a sensational stat especially if you consider the injury struggles Milan have had. Still, in his seven-minute cameo last night, he got a hockey assist.
The midfielder picked out Alexis Saelemaekers with a lovely pass, showing his ability to read the game. This action begs the question, why has he not been given the chance more often?
Even though he ended up making an impact, the feeling was that Pioli was protecting himself with that substitution. At 2-0 down, with Fiorentina still very much dominating, he threw on Adli. In a hopeless situation, in other words.
Players like Adli, who haven’t got a lot of playing time and lack confidence, need the trust of the manager to fully excel. They need to be given proper chances and not just a couple of minutes here and there, especially in games when there’s really nothing they can do to raise their confidence.
Adli was brought in because of his technical ability and his vision for the game, but no one can expect him to showcase this in just 121 minutes. If Milan’s policy is to invest in youth, then the youth needs to be utilised on the pitch.
The same argument, in fact, can be made in Aster Vranckx or Tommaso Pobega’s case as Tiemoue Bakayoko got the nod instead last night.
