Carlo Pellegatti has backed Stefano Pioli’s potentially bold selection choices ahead of this evening’s game against Cagliari in Sardinia.
According to all major sources, Rade Krunic’s injury means that a first start of the season should come for Yacine Adli at the base of the midfield, 346 days after his last start for the Rossoneri against Hellas Verona.
Then up front Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao will rest which gives a chance to a revolutionised attacking trio made up of entirely new signings: Christian Pulisic on the left, Samuel Chukwueze on the right and Noah Okafor up front.
Pellegatti spoke during his column for MilanNews about the expected choices from Pioli and revealed his belief that they are the right ones, while waiting for the field to tell the full story.
“I’ll say it first. I like Stefano Pioli’s choices. In Cagliari, the Milan coach deploys an unprecedented attack, but fresh, fast, intriguing,” he began.
“On the right, Chuk must confirm his qualities, which led him to become the player with the most successful dribbles last season in La Liga, behind only Vinicius.
“Okafor impressed me with his speed and technique, in his two appearances in Rome and on Saturday at San Siro. There remains the suggestive unknown of his adaptation as a central striker, but I am sure that Pioli has invented a position, ideal for enhancing his sprint and dribbling.
“On the left, Pulisic is safety, who seems more comfortable on the left wing than in other areas of the pitch. An important match because it must begin to clarify our ideas about the quality of the last market.
“However, the market has already been positive in Reijnders, in Loftus-Cheek, in Pulisic himself and in Sportiello. Yes, in a goalkeeper who guarantees total reliability, safety and experience. His most beautiful and decisive save of this start of the season, a save that gave two points to Milan against Verona.
“The most exciting aspect of the match on Sardinian soil, however, concerns the seasonal debut of Yacine Adli. Especially for ADLIDISTS like me. ‘Mozart’ could be the happy surprise of the season. He has studied in the Fucina degli Artisti in Milanello in recent weeks, in a new role for him. As a central midfielder.
“In the summer friendlies, he had shown encouraging signs of positional sense, tactical intelligence and above all personality. Here, personality and courage seem to me to be the peculiar qualities of the French player, who could give himself and give Milan an important turning point, as regards the role of Bennacer and Krunic.
“Some compared his path to that of Pirlo. It is forbidden to make faces of disappointment while reading these lines. Before becoming one of the best directors of the last twenty years, in Italy and internationally, I remember well the criticisms that rained down on his head, before Ancelotti gave him Riccardo Chailly’s baton.
“I remember the comments on the performances of the ‘talent’, as he was called. He seemed like the classic difficult prospect to place. Then it found its footing and exploded in all its greatness. Alongside him, Loftus-Cheek and Reijnders will help him, now well tuned into Pioli’s tactical ideas.
“Let’s open a parenthesis on the Rossoneri coach. The constant defeats in the derbies have put him in a bad light for some of the Rossoneri fans.
“However, it is a Milan team, which this season too, has missed one game out of six, with an average in the league of 2.4 points per game, which would bring the team, in projection, to a final score of 91 points.
“I don’t know when and who will come after him, but whoever sits on the Rossoneri bench, I hope that in three years they can achieve a second place, win a Scudetto, reach a semi-final in the Champions League, and always fight for top.
“If his successor wants to surpass him, he will have to win two league titles and give the fans at least one Champions League final. Results obtained with a team that was never favored and always relegated to the role of surprise.
“Do you want to know my opinion? If they had told me that I would return to CL, then win a Scudetto, win the decisive derby for the title, fight in the Champions League until May, but lose five derbies in a year, I would have signed with pen, Eiffel Tower pin and inkwell. Even at the cost of getting my hands dirty, like in second grade.”
I would be the happiest to see him shining on the role, he seems like a good kid who is liked by his peers. Didn’t complain about his game time last season, he has been patient and waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Also, the journalists who are making this Pirlo comparison needs to find a new profession, smh.
Just like the Kaka-CDK comparison, so dumb.
Hope he balls out tonight though.
I like the idea of Adli. On the first ball he does seem like a pretty talented lad. Now its up to him to make Pioli see that and get more game time and maybe become indispensable for the team
“However, it is a Milan team, which this season too, has missed one game out of six, with an average in the league of 2.4 points per game, which would bring the team, in projection, to a final score of 91 points.”
Pellegatti, it’s a 1 “missed” game out of 5, not 6.
Why is Pellegatti projecting how many points Pioli’s Milan will have based on only 5 games sample this early into the season?
In that case inter average is 3 points per game and they are projected to finish with 114 points and a perfect season in serie A.
Last season Milan had 11 points after 5 games. That’s 2.2 points per game, and projected Milan to finish with 84 points and comfortable 2nd place finish, but instead Pioli’s team finished with only 70 and needed Juventus to be docked points to qualify for this year’s UCL.
Your shady fat ass missed the whole point.. But I liked being shady. Pioli must go 😂
Now you are projecting just like Pellegatti
Well im not saying you doesnt have a point in what you are saying here in regard of matches played and the stats but then that take on things can also be reversed in regard of people demanding piolis head on a platter for losing one match even if a big loss against inter because piolis numbers are actually so good he is amongst the coaches at the club with the highest winning percentages ever at the club. Before january last year he had the best % wining stats since capello was the coach in ac milan in the mid 90ies and that with far inferior squads than what several of those coaches in between had at their disposal.
I assume you meant January of this year.
Why stop at January and not look at his whole Milan tenure when you compare Pioli’s stats with other Milan coaches? Because Pioli tenure at Milan should have stopped in January. Since then Milan has played poorly and the results have been just as bad. UCL semi-final was a fluke.
Was listening a popular Milan podcast yesterday where they were laughing at Juventus losing to Sassuolo 4-2. They said at least Milan lost 5-1 to inter not 4-2 by Sassuolo. Oblivious to the fact that Milan lost 5-2 to Sassuolo just 8 months ago LAST JANUARY at home.
Also, you said that Pioli’s squads have been far inferior than those of Capello, Ancelotti, Sacchi. What about the quality of serie A today compared to serie A in those great coaches’ time. Serie A was by far the best and most competitive league in the world in 80s, 90s all through the calciopoli scandal. Today’s serie A is lIgue 1 level.
Most of our fans talk the talk of Milan being a big club but they act as a fan of a mid table club when they defend Pioli’s awful results and performances last 12 months.
Pioli did a great job. But he is a stepping stone coach. Coach with huge limitations who can get you to a certain level, but if you want to go higher, you need a better coach. Pioli has maxed out. That doesn’t erase what he did in the previous 3 years, but his time at Milan has come to an end
It is not fans that defend pioli but maldini then later furlani. What can you do if management like maldini the previous director and furlani the new director dont want to sack pioli? Fans here want de zerbi but ofcourse that wont easy convince de zerbi or other coach accept moving to ACM in the middle of season
Thank you Carlo, fellow adlidist!