AC Milan failed to beat either Genoa or Fiorentina over the past few days, leading to questions about the squad composition again.
As Calciomercato.com recall, going 18 unbeaten in the league is the sign that Milan are building something significant. Managing to come back in games that were almost lost in the final minutes is a clear sign of how the Rossoneri have radically changed, especially in their mentality.
Massimiliano Allegri reminded everyone at the end of the match that Milan are 34-36 points away from reaching the main target: a Champions League spot. Asking for more seems anachronistic, considering the difficulties of a squad that is certainly less deep than its rivals.
However, Milan were very active in the summer as they streamlined the squad hugely and welcomed a lot of players that should be making a clear difference. For three above all, this is yet to be the case.
Estupinan struggles
Taking over Theo Hernandez’s legacy wouldn’t be easy for anyone, but it can’t be used as an excuse for Pervis Estupinan, who seems to be getting worse with each performance.
After a strong start, especially with his performance in the win at the Bluenergy Stadium against Udinese, the Ecuadorian full-back has made a series of mistakes that could have cost Milan dearly.
The sending off against Napoli, his error in Parma and now a disastrous performance against Fiorentina suggest he isn’t worth the €18m investment made this summer. It also highlights the difficulties of a department where Saelemaekers and Bartesaghi lack adequate replacements.
Ricci unconvincing
A move from Torino to Milan does not automatically mean hitting the ground running, as even Tonali had to overcome a difficult initial period in the transition from a club with different ambitions to the Rossoneri.
Samuele Ricci is struggling to assert himself in the midfield, sometimes seeming trapped by a fear of making mistakes that forces him to hesitate on the ball or hide when he is not in possession.
The potential is there, as is the mentality to improve, but doubts about his signing haven’t been dispelled. He’s more of a deep-lying player than a mezzala, but the issue is that’s where Luka Modric and Ardon Jashari want to play too.
Jashari timid
The same argument made for Ricci can also be made for Ardon Jashari, who has more excuses than his Italian counterpart. He has played little so far due to an injury that sidelined him for four months.
But the question many are asking is this: did it make sense to spend €40m on another Modric replacement? The doubt is even more pressing considering that Milan are notoriously a club that pays close attention to player investment.
Encouraging signs are coming from Nkunku, who gifted Allegri a crucial point by regaining Comuzzo’s early lead, without forgetting that for the first five months he really struggled.
This is why the Tuscan coach is perhaps right when he points out that this team has undergone 55% changes and that the squad isn’t yet Scudetto-worthy when compared to those of Inter and Napoli.
You guys forgot Nkunku for some reason. Jashari just won player of the year awared in Belgium. You think someone with a broken leg will just walk back in and start outperforming Modric?
Oh and yes, what happened to Italian players. Ricci not Italian enough, or simply like most Italian players now a days that are protected by the league with quotas for foreigners not good enough.
I remember when Serie A was like EPL today, where Italians where competing with the rest of the world but managed to produce some of the best players in history.
“I remember when Serie A was like EPL today, where Italians where competing with the rest of the world but managed to produce some of the best players in history.”
It feels like it was decade(s) ago. Oh wait, it was! It’s not a coincidence or “bad luck” or even a conspiracy that Italy hasn’t been at the World Cup for ages. They fcked it up themselves by preferring foreigners over their own academy players.
The squad is definitely scudetto – worthy and capable.
They just have to get their sh*t together.
1. Everyone needs time to settle in. Remember the likes of Leao, Kessie, Hakan, Tonali. They all had below par first season.
2. It depends also a lot on the system. Nkunku is not a bad player but is he the right player for Allegriball? I also don’t see Leao and Puli as our strikers but here we are. Ricci and Jashari are both being asked to play different roles in the middle from deep playmaker to mezzala and defensive midfielder. No consistency or continuity.
This article is bias.
Keep in mind we are talking of Allegri ball here. He barely rotates his starting 11.
The only department that has been having decent rotation is the attack simply because of injuries there.
This was the 1st major deep rotation this season, and Ricci and Jashari have not slotted into the team play, given they’ve been serving as substitutes all the while.
The article is arrant nonsense.
Oh, wow.
We have seen a bunch of these articles over the last 4 months where the media is criticizing Milan’s transfers window and players, but for the 1st time they actually included Ricci too. Before, for some reason, we know why, he was left out and spared from the criticism.
No doubt, Milan is not yet Scudetto-worthy. The team needs more commitment on field, every player fighting for the ball
I had expressed doubts about these signings. I didn’t understand the hype around Ricci…still dont and his stats were very average. Similarly Jashari was also average when considering top 5 leagues but looks (just like Tijji) the best of the rest. I even got slated for saying Brugge ain’t missing Jashari….seems like it’s panning out that way and Brugge are laughing all the way to the bank and at us. Strangely enough I thought Estupinian would have been the best signing of the lot but turned out to be almost the biggest bust of the bunch. That of course goes to Nkunku. Why we inexplicably paid close to 40m for him remains a mystery..same with Jashari to be frank. A 100m+ midfield bench and they aren’t worth a dime. It’s horrible planning by Tare (in fairness he got at.least two signings right… Rabiot and Modric)
The one good thing about the transfer window was that we trimmed the squad and got rid of some deadwood. Unfortunately we also lost some good players without similar replacements. And the cycle continues…this Mercato once more and then summer again for another revolution