One of the most peculiar aspects of AC Milan’s recent struggles and indeed their season in general so far has been the lack of use of the 2022 summer signings.
MilanNews recall how the flagship of the summer transfer campaign was undoubtedly Charles De Ketelaere, bought for more than €30m from Club Brugge to fix the No.10 role. Divock Origi was signed on a free to rotate with Olivier Giroud, and Malick Thiaw was purchased as a centre-back with potential.
Two players returned to Milanello in Tommaso Pobega – after a four-year spell out on loan at various clubs, most recently Torino – and Yacine Adli who came back from Bordeaux.
Finally, two players joined on loan as Sergino Dest came to deputise Davide Calabria after Alessandro Florenzi’s injury, and Aster Vranckx came from Wolfsburg to add depth to the midfield.
With the exception of Thiaw and partly Dest and Pobega, these are players with an attacking vocation, yet the contribution after mid-season is basically non-existent: 3 goals and 2 assists in total. Pobega has scored twice, while Origi has a goal and an assist, with De Ketelaere getting the other.
However, the defence of the new arrivals is that they have had not much time to show their capabilities. Origi for example arrived feeling the effects of a muscle injury that affected the end of his time at Liverpool. He has played 17 games out of 26 available but only four as a starter.
It hasn’t gone much better for Dest who has 14 overall appearances and four as a starter. De Ketelaere is the one who has played the most but he has been on the field for only 40.8% of the total minutes available this season.
Pobega is being used as a wild card and could be most ‘impactful’ addition due to his two goals scored, but then Vranckx (6.21% of the total minutes played), Thiaw (5%) and Adli (4.63) show that there is little return from the summer so far.
We expect more of that in summer with Red Chicken. LOL
Adli play 1 bad match = bench him next 20 matches.
Diaz play 5 consecutive bad matches = oh yeah lets still play him every match !!
I don’t get why Thiaw isn’t being played at CB.
Play a 3 of him, Tomori, and Kalulu if you want.
His few cameo appearances have been the only time we’ve had a forceful defender in the air all season. Maybe with an extra body we could manage to not go behind 2-0 after 30 minutes every match.
Adli must’ve farted in the elevator alone with Pioli. No other explanation makes sense as to why he’s been benched all season when CDK playing like my gran and Diaz about as reliable as a second hand Citroen.
Blame the coach. Poli takes 2 years to warm new players. 3rd year to be good. 4th year ready to leave Milan for free. So it’s normal that Adil cdk and many others form slumped in Milan in their 1st and 2nd year.
It’s not unusual for players (or lawyers, doctors, barmen, CEOs) to take some time to settle in.
Everything is new about a job. Where the documents are kept, where to get the best sandwiches, who is who, what sort of runs team mates make.
This was the case with Theo, Tonali, Leao and Brahim (although the latter continues to be hit and miss).
Knowing this Milan (and football teams) needed to limit the number of signings as each one would take a long time to settle in. In particular having both Adli and CDK is a waste of time. We only needed one.
Having both stunts both of their development and growth. Every minute one gets on the pitch could’ve been minutes the other had on the pitch. If both play then one is out position.
The reason these players haven’t quite added anything to Milan is because we signed too many. Had we signed one – say a next level RW – it would’ve added more to the team than adding 5 or 6 or however many we signed.
In short, quality over quantity.
It’s not unusual for players (or lawyers, doctors, barmen, CEOs) to take some time to settle in.
Everything is new about a job. Where the documents are kept, where to get the best sandwiches, who is who, what sort of runs team mates make.
This was the case with Theo, Tonali, Leao and Brahim (although the latter continues to be hit and miss).
Knowing this Milan (and football teams) needed to limit the number of signings as each one would take a long time to settle in. In particular having both Adli and CDK is a waste of time. We only needed one.
Having both stunts both of their development and growth. Every minute one gets on the pitch could’ve been minutes the other had on the pitch. If both play then one is out position.
The reason these players haven’t quite added anything to Milan is because we signed too many. Had we signed one – say a next level RW – it would’ve added more to the team than adding 5 or 6 or however many we signed.
In short, quality over quantity.
Yeah Napoli entered the chat with, it takes long to settle in ….
All this guys have not been playing constantly and that is our problem pobega is a better player in Torino since when gabbia hasn’t shown and I’m sure he is at the same level as kiwor or even better than him, Diaz is not our player but he plays always, we bring CDK but always in bench and we are complaining we bring players but not trust them if these guys are in another team by now they are per better than now