GdS: Pioli has not solved attacking midfielder issue despite having three to choose from

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli was probably hoping to have the hierarchies sorted for the playmaker role by now given he has multiple options, and yet it remains a mystery.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that De Ketelaere has so far failed to set the world alight in his first season with Milan after the over €30m invested to sign him from Club Brugge. Pioli is determined to try and get him into form as his 17 appearances and 8 starts show, and the ideal would be for the Belgian to have a breakout performance just before the World Cup break.

In the 25 minutes against Spezia, some interesting signals arrived as the 21-year-old fought for every ball and appeared generally a bit more aggressive in his moments and his interventions. However, it is still unknown who will start on Tuesday against Cremonese because the problem remains evident: Milan have not yet managed to find their number one playmaker.

Other solutions have been forced to be used such as the 4-3-3 system and even fielding Rade Krunic as an attacking midfielder, just as Franck Kessie was deployed further forward last season because of the same problems.

The fact is this: if there are three attacking midfielders in the squad in Brahim Diaz, CDK and Yacine Adli but the starting spot is given to Krunic, there is an issue.

Pioli therefore has the choice tomorrow of playing a player who does not offer guarantees like Brahim or De Ketelaere, playing Krunic in a non-natural role or removing the attacking midfielder spot by modifying the formation, while waiting to discover what is temporary and what is permanent.

Tags AC Milan Brahim Diaz Charles De Ketelaere Yacine Adli

1 Comment

  1. 4-3-3 ish like we played vs Salzburg I think is the most balanced one we’ve played so far. Krunic knows how (and when) to defend and to attack the space. Putting Leao and Rebic / Messias further up front is more natural for them also.

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