Igli Tare and Massimiliano Allegri are at work together to try and build an AC Milan side in their vision, but how would that look.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Tare spoke in a press conference behind closed doors of a team that ‘must be compact, dominate games, have players with great ball possession’. Inevitably, it felt like a throwback to what Paulo Fonseca said.
At his unveiling, the Portuguese had declared: “I want to build a courageous, offensive, dominant, reactive team, that doesn’t leave the opponents thinking, with a strong identity. The quality of the game is important to me.”
We know how it went: the idea in Paulo’s head was there, but a sufficient number of players capable of guaranteeing it were missing. Milan in 2024-25, even after the winter transfer market, remained mostly a transition team, built for counter-attacking, and not a possession team.
Balance and firepower: Tare’s idea
With Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci set to arrive, it certainly lines up with Tare’s statement that ‘the midfield will be the department where we will intervene the most, we believe it is important to increase the quality of play of this team’.
Granit Xhaka, Ardon Jashari and Javi Guerra are the names on the list to complete the options in the middle of the park. The big challenge is to be able to make up for the absence of Tijjani Reijnders, who not only scored 15 goals but was an elite ball progressor.
A 4-3-3 formation is expected, and the entire system will revolve around the regista for balance, the deep-lying playmaker who will be the linchpin. The idea is to remain compact and control the tempo of games, but there will be time for formation changes during games, like a 3+2 build-up.
Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic will be the main weapons in transition, then the centre-forward position is a question mark. A Giroud-esque striker is what Tare wants: someone who is lethal inside the box, and perhaps a bit more physical than the Mexican, for those tough games against low blocks.