Divock Origi would probably be the first to admit that his time at AC Milan has so far not gone to plan because of a number of different factors.
La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Origi’s first goal for the club was strangely emblematic in a way as the Belgian fired a fantastic right foot shot into the top corner of the Monza goal and then stood still to celebrate on the spot, with a slightly disconsolate smile, after feeling a muscle pull at the moment he shot.
In that there was a snapshot that perfectly summarises the 2022-23 campaign for Origi so far: glimpses of huge potential but the fragility of a player who has not yet freed himself from the chains of physical problems.
Stefano Pioli is an expect in getting the best out of players who are lacking a bit in confidence, as in his three years of management with Milan he has made almost every single player better.
However, Origi arrived as an already established name that the management fully backed to be the alternative to Olivier Giroud in the attack, the problem being that he is yet to fully step up and seize that role.
Nonetheless, Origi will be a very important asset in view of next year when Milan will probably need to bring home a new centre-forward, but he first needs to have a good second half of this season to prove he should be a fixed point in the plans.
It is unthinkable to ask Giroud for continuous overtime while the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic brings its own intricacies. The muscle problem that plagued Origi at the end of his time with Liverpool and also forced him to miss the Champions League final against Real Madrid had a bigger impact to his start at Milan than expected, so much so that he practically skipped the entire summer preseason.
When the ex-Lille man started training with intensity, a tendon inflammation took him off the scene that caused him to miss five games and almost eliminated his athletic progress. A good performance against Monza and his first goal (plus an assist) had everyone smiling, but since then nothing.
The report adds that what we are witnessing is a classic situation in which the head commands operations and the body fails to execute them. The long break in December is a welcome one and a special work plan is ready with targeted and personalised athletic preparation, studied by Pioli’s staff based on the player’s traits.
The coach will provide further tactical instructions, also because Pioli’s side have been further evolving game situations in recent weeks. The December friendlies against Arsenal and PSV will be crucial, and of course his former club Liverpool.
