Where did Yacine Adli go? Why didn’t he play for a year? Many AC Milan fans asked this question on Wednesday evening, after seeing him against Cagliari.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write how in 2022-23, head coach Stefano Pioli obviously considered Adli’s strengths and weaknesses, watching him in training session after training session.
His technique was never in question, but evaluations were made on his intensity and his defensive approach. In these areas, Adli was not judged ready.
The second thing that held the former Bordeaux man back was the competition. A year ago Adli was assigned as an attacking midfielder, a role in which Milan also had Charles De Ketelaere and Brahim Diaz, an alternative who quickly became a starter.
Adli was the third choice and for this reason he had little playing time. Pioli also explained this in September: “Charles is doing everything I’m asking of him. Brahim has agility, speed, brilliance, I’m definitely counting on that.”
In January, Pioli added: “Adli has to grow but I rely on him a lot. There is great competition in his role.” When he had a chance against Hellas Verona 348 days ago, Yacine certainly didn’t impress.
This was understandable though because it wasn’t easy to be thrown in from the first minute against a compact team and immediately be at top rhythm. Further back, Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer were preferred, so the spots were all taken.
The third reason was growth. Adli worked a lot, as Pioli explained after the Cagliari game. The player we see today is certainly superior to the one who failed to get much space a year ago.
In this story there are three dialogues that mark the evolution. In January, when Adli looked like he could go out on loan, Milan told him to stay and to have faith. In July, however, Pioli explained to him that he would not be part of the project, as Yacine explained two nights ago to Sky.
“He told me that we would change the way we play and I wasn’t included. Then Tomori asked me what I would do and I told him: ‘I’ll stay here and you’ll see how I play’,” he said.
The most important point, however, is the third, which took place in the heart of the Stadio Olimpico before Roma-Milan on September 1st, the last day of the summer mercato.
Adli had some interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevilla above all, but never a strong proposal, so he stayed. Pioli told him that he was happy to still have him on the team, in the new role as deputy to Rade Krunic, and now he may have found his sliding doors moment.
