San Siro has a new idol and it is a love story that is not born just for football reasons, with Yacine Zinedine Adli very much a fan favourite.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall how Adli had a good outing against Cagliari, despite an error leading to the opponents’ goal, and was so-so against Lazio.
His performance on Saturday in particular caused discussion because for the fans he was among the best players – as demonstrated by the standing ovation that accompanied his substitution – while for others he wasn’t quite as good for various reasons.
It must be said that Adli has shown a clean style of football and also of ideas that add something to Milan that was perhaps missing regardless of Ismael Bennacer’s absence due to injury.
Adli is precise in his executions and also good at certain defensive readings, which allowed him to thwart some Lazio moves. It just so happens that his elegance is accompanied by a certain slowness in his movements (which is why his starting position was moved back and his role changed) and by an insignificant physical impact, as per the paper.
From this point of view Adli must grow, but it may be that after the long wait he needs a few more games to get his legs moving in the right way.
The fact remains that Adli has become an idol of the Milan fans and not only (or not so much) because of what he showed in the matches against Cagliari and Lazio. Yacine is liked because he has always shown the right attitude even when it seemed that Pioli, rather than let him play, would have deployed the kitman.
Last year in May, Adli organised a lunch at his house, also inviting the families of his team-mates. He has always been an important part of the group even if then, when the referee blew the whistle for the start of the game, he stopped playing the role of the player and played like a fan would.
It’s more difficult and more beautiful to convince everyone in this new position than further forward, with a great goal or an enlightening assist, but Yacine knows that those are needed too.
