AC Milan will have a chance to try and put things right again after their derby loss against Inter on Saturday as they face Newcastle United tomorrow.
According to what is being reported by MilanNews, there will be a change in defence where Fikayo Tomori returns alongside Malick Thiaw having been suspended for the game against Inter. Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez will be the full-backs.
There will also be a change in midfield where Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rade Krunic will keep their place, while Tommaso Pobega should start from minute one in place of Tijjani Reijnders.
The third and final alteration should come in attack: Samu Chukwueze is moving towards a starting shirt, his first, in place of Christian Pulisic.
Probable Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Pobega; Chukwueze, Giroud, Leao.
Bench: Sportiello, Mirante, Florenzi, Kjaer, Bartesaghi, Adli, Musah, Reijnders, Pulisic, Jovic, Okafor.
Unavailable: Caldara, Kalulu, Bennacer, Romero, Pellegrino.
There is no way this can be true. This is not a serious team or coach that is starting Pobega and Krunic in the Champions League. We need athleticism and pace. This coach puts in our slowest, least athletic player and takes out our best midfielder. Don’t know what to say. I’ve defended Pioli for a long time, but this selection along with the idiotic tactics he played in the Inter game, make it very hard to defend him anymore.
I have no problem starting with Pobega, however he should be starting in place of Krunic.
Pobega and RLC will add the much needed physicality to our midfield, while Reijnders and RLC carry the ball to attack.
Well, with the midfield Pioli is trying to setup tomorrow, Pobega and Krunic may operate more as a double pivot, it appears he doesn’t want our full backs to move into the midfield anymore. RLC together with Theo may be charged with carrying the ball to attack.
On paper, not bad, but I hope Pioli knows what he is doing.
Pioli tidak akan tahu… Dia pelatih tolol…
Saya harap dia melakukannya.
Pobega should probably start for RLC, but definitely not Reijnders or krunic. He’s no 6. He’s not much of anything honestly except a block on top of cinder blocks.
Not starting Reijnders makes absolutely ZERO sense to me.
Pobega isn’t a regista/#4. He was tried in the role last year and, while he got better, he was still pretty scratchy. I wouldn’t trust him against the press Newcastle can be expected to bring.
He’s actually a pure 8, he did very well for Torino with a pretty high intensity game, making late runs into the box, ect. I agree with the above comment that he’s more of a replacement for RLC.
Krunic is not a great regista/#4 but he knows what he is doing. He can at least dictate the tempo of the play and shield/cover for the defence with decent positioning. There isn’t really anyone else in the squad who is proven in the position. I believe Piloi has been developing Adli for the role.
That was why I said I hope Pioli knows what he’s doing.
I expect Pobega and Krunic to play as a double pivot, that’s the only way it will make sense to me with RLC slightly in front of them to drive the ball forward, with support from Theo.
But, you know what, even Hakan played as a #6 and played it well for Inter on Saturday, at Milan, no way he’s playing that because the coach will never balance the team to bring out the best in him.
Pobega has played as a double pivot either with Tonali or Kessie in the past, and he has played it pretty well, we just need his muscle in the midfield that’s all.
I think your right. Pobega should be back up for RLC, Adli should be backup up for Reijneders and unfortunately we have no back up for Krunic!
It still amazes me we did’nt bring in a natural DM, is Krunic to play every game this season?
Musah is young and very raw, he will take time to develop, he will eventually compete with RLC for his role
Pobega will score a goal tomorrow and be one of the best players on the field.
He will play as a mezzala and ball out in his favorite position. He will outplay Tonali
Easy Milan dub. Newcastle are a very overrated team.
You do realize that Newcastle had a horrible match up the beginning 5 games right? Liverpool, City Nd Brighton (that feels weird saying that they’re a top team but they have played spectacular) are all tough clubs. I’ll be happy if we can eek out a win but Howes a good manager so who knows.
as long as theres someone to step up. not confident at all about this game tho
Why is pioli stuck with krunic,,what’s so special about this guy.. we need a serious coach than Pioli
Love, rumor is he’s proposing soon.
because we have nobody else for that position!!
The is the start of the moment of truth for the new management’s Mercato.
To date there is nothing we couldn’t have done without sacking M&M and selling Tonali.
We could always have brought Reijnders/RLC and Pulisic and just played Tonali.
Admittedly the depth hasn’t had much of a look yet but it has done very little. Chukwueze has done less than nothing.
This has nothing on the mercato please.
Even with Maldini on the job, and Tonali in the ranks, and in our Scudetto winning season, we still couldn’t really compete against Inter. Even when Giroud had his double against them and we won, the performance was not worthy of the result.
It starts with the setup, there’s little a good mercato can do when the coach just relies on individual performances to win matches, it may pay off in Serie A, but against top teams you will always find this being exposed.
I agree completely. RLC, Pulisic and Reijnders cost 60m. Thats 50m budget plus only 10 m needed from sales.
Hopefully those “depth players” start to contribute.
As you say Chuky has done nothing, Musah looks waaay out of his depth, Jovic…..well nobody wants him. Okafor is the player I see with the most potential so far
And I didn’t even read the article properly because Pobega is going to start ahead of Musah.
Thrilled for Bartesaghi to be on the bench for UCL as a 17yo.
I should clarify above that we have been linked to RLC and Pulisic for at least 12 months.
Let’s wait and see how Pioli plays his strategy. Hopefully he learns a lot from the embarrasing defeat from the last Derby,
I just hope Pioli gets fired, Giroud shouldn’t be playing for Milan, krunic, Calabria, Florenzi, we have DF & MD, not has seen, will likely not for three or four months, i don’t know why Pioli request for players he never uses. It’s absurd.