Andrea Longoni has urged Max Allegri to place full faith in Santiago Gimenez when it comes to the No.9 role, rather than experimenting with Rafael Leao in it.
The last days of the mercato were a bit chaotic for Milan, and especially Gimenez, as he was linked with a swap deal involving Roma’s Artem Dovbyk. In the end, the striker stayed and it has been made clear since that he never wanted the swap.
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Now, the Mexican will get the chance to prove himself as the only proper No.9 in the squad. Christopher Nkunku may have arrived for big money from Chelsea, but he’s a very different player and won’t close the door for the former Feyenoord man.
Gimenez’s upside is huge
In his latest editorial for Calciomercato.com, Andrea Longoni urged Allegri to give Gimenez a proper chance this season. If used in the right way, as the journalist describes it, he could be a huge asset for the Rossoneri.
“I’m with Santiago Gimenez and I believe that if used properly, if managed properly, he could become a huge asset for Milan’s season. Also because, let’s be honest, he’s the only true centre-forward at Allegri’s disposal.
“As far as I’m concerned, the idea of using Rafael Leao as a centre-forward, as a No.9, is intriguing but then difficult to implement.
“We saw it during the preseason with some good results, but mostly against teams that allowed Milan to counterattack. Against defensive teams, this is a solution that risks being difficult to maintain in the long run.
“So, in the end, Allegri will have to turn to Gimenez. There is a negative perception of him today, even among many fans, but this is blatantly wrong and not in line with reality.
“For a centre-forward, numbers are everything; they are the bible of football. Looking at the Mexican’s, they are anything but negative.
“Many have said that it’s easy to score in the Eredivisie. However, what’s overlooked is that at just 24 years old, he has scored eight goals in eleven Champions League games. These are impressive numbers in Europe’s premier competition,” Longoni wrote.
Finally a reliable journalist has spoken the truth…
Who you going to bench in Allegri’s system? ACM knew that when they hired Allegri the offense would be limited, so here we are. You of course keep Leão on and bench Pulisic.
Benching Puli 😂😂😂
Right. As an American I will always support our national team players and therefore want him to leave ASAP. To show I’m not crazy, I was on board with Musah leaving. He wasn’t good enough. Pulisic is just going to get benched no matter how many G/A’s he has.
Gimenez’s alarmingly poor form sent Milan into the market for a 9, Tare effectively gave him a very public vote of no confidence, Milan tried a last minute swap with Dobvyk. Gimenez is not only not scoring, he does not look dangerous to the opposition. His runs are poor, his ball control is poor, his positioning in the penalty area is poor.
The only thing that will save him is goals. Allegri has given him every chance to turn his game around. What more do you want? goals will save him, nothing else. It’s up to Gimenez to play well and earn his place in the 11. And he isn’t doing that. I’m sure he will have more chances, but he has to take them. It’s all on him to convince.