AC Milan’s first team faced the Futuro side in a friendly at Milanello earlier today, gearing up for their proper pre-season tour with a convincing 7-0 win.
As we spoke about earlier this morning, Ruben Amorim decided to schedule a joint-training session with the Futuro side today (Sunday), including a friendly between the two teams. With the first proper pre-season friendly scheduled for next weekend, a warm-up was needed.
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According to Antonio Vitiello, the two teams had two separate XIs for each half, giving as many players as possible the chance to play:
First half report
First team XI: Torriani; Tomori, Gabbia, F. Terracciano; Athekame, Ricci, Musah, Bartesaghi; Ossola, Kostic; Nkunku.
Futuro XI: Faccioli; Cappelletti, Zukic, Vladimirov, Perera; Sala, Zeroli, Balentien; Sia, Sardo; Asanji.
Score: 2-0 (Kostic and Ossola).
Second half report
First team XI: Pittarella; Odogu, Gila, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Fofana, Comotto, Borsani;
Loftus-Cheek, Guernier; Camarda.
Futuro XI: Catalano; Colombo, Piermarini, Pagliei, Minotti; Mancioppi, M. Cisse, Menon; Plazzotta, Vos; Magrassi.
Score: 5-0 (Chukwueze, Pavlovic, Camarda, Loftus-Cheek, and Fofana)
Initial thoughts
As said, this in-house friendly was a way for both Amorim and Sergio Navarro to test their players a little more. It was certainly no surprise to see four different XIs, as such, and the likes of Andrej Kostic and Francesco Camarda scoring is a bonus.
It will be interesting to hear if the Futuro actually lined up with a four-man backline. We can’t know for sure since it was behind closed doors, but the players in the XIs suggest that it was indeed a 4-3-2-1 formation (as we have listed above). Let’s see.
First team XI: Torriani; Tomori, Gabbia, F. Terracciano; Athekame, Ricci, Musah, Bartesaghi; Ossola, Kostic; Nkunku.
Are you sure about this, Kostic behind Nkunku?
Znao sam da ce Kostic (i Pavlovic) opet ubosti!!!
Players are listed from one side to the other so no it was Ossola and Nkunku behind Kostic in the middle
First team XI: Torriani; Tomori, Gabbia, F. Terracciano; Athekame, Ricci, Musah, Bartesaghi; Ossola, Kostic; Nkunku.
Brother, the “;” after Ossola and Kostic (and before Nkunku) means they (have) probably made a small mistake. PROBABLY, NOT 100%.
Camarda scored first goal for first team😃
Training (and friendly) goals doesnt count. Only official matches count…
Yeah ik, but it can be his moment tho.
well Having seven different players score enhances the mental readiness of the entire team and reduces reliance on a single striker.
It improves fitness, coordination, and harmony between the team’s lines, allowing for the implementation of tactical ideas in a safe and pressure free environment. A negative aspect is treating the match merely as a “training exercise” without analyzing any defensive positioning errors that may have occurred, despite the victory.