AC Milan have used 24 players so far this season, but it would be fair to suggest that their squad depth is not at the level needed for them to be successful this season, and a report has highlighted the need for alternatives.
On paper, seeing 24 players feature in eight games is quite good, and suggests things are better than they are. However, questions are already being asked about Milan’s depth, and the Rossoneri risk entering an all-too-familiar cycle.
Last season it was especially noticeable in the midfield, with Stefano Pioli being forced to rotate his squad constantly due to injuries. However, this harmed his team as there was a frequent lack of balance due to not having the right profiles available to him.
Within eight games, Paulo Fonseca is now experiencing a similar issue. As Pianeta Milan writes, the Diavolo have a ‘poorly constructed’ squad for what Fonseca wants to do. There is a clear identity that the Portuguese head coach associates with, but ‘the starting eleven does not have an alternative’ even if there are 13 players to rotate.
Because of this, it is suggested that the Rossoneri require two or three ‘important’ signings in the January mercato – a midfielder to balance Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders, a ‘link’ striker like Alvaro Morata, and another right back.
I just hope Milan don’t continue with this 4231 idea. That formation does not work and it doesn’t the players we already have in the squad.
So if we are looking to reinforce the squad then sticking with 442 and 433 makes more sense.
He needs to use all players .
Milan would have same result if he benched Reijnders Royal and Gabbia in game against Bayer and used Musah Pavlovic and Calabria.
Isn’t it true ? He just need to use more benched players and not do same mistake like Piolio.
Milan are even worse than Inter in rotation options. Say both Theo and Pulisic get injuried for 3 months, who will replace them? How can they play every game of the season? The alternatives on the bench are below the minimum standards for a team that is supposed to fight for trophies.
Midfield not built for 4231, not built for 424 and lack a key role player for 433. Still wasted close 90 millions on it.
One of the biggest and most expensive howlers ever. Hope to see heads role at the end of the season, specifically Moncada’s.
I don’t Milan dishing Madrid as Lille are dishing them this night.
I don’t seems to understand why Fonseca did not push for Thiago Santos. He is just too good than Emerson in both phase.
I hope the management can go all in for J Davids when his contract expire
It isn’t about buying more players or changing the formation it is more about the characteristics and traits of each player. The players acquired have similar characteristics, affecting the coach’s ability to come up with different ideas. The blame falls on the management for not identifying other players that would make the team more unique than one-sided
We had a right back who we sold to Juventus
We had a midfielder who we sold to Newcaslte
So we still need 2-3 more players??? LMAO 😂 we spent all that money on the midfield and we still need more players. Incredible!
I’m glad to finally see articles which myself, Ted and other have been preaching for some time now….. that is, the squad is poorly constructed.
I wrote this in a separate place but bears repeating here. There’s plenty of blame to go around of course but let’s start at the top because that’s really and truly where the overall direction of the club comes from. It really begins with Cardinale and his real right hand people, the REAL management…Scaroni and Furlani…pres and CEO..the ones who will get the next set of directors fired. Ibra and Moncada don’t have that sort of power let’s be real. I’ve rarely seen bad management and good players/coach/team combo that wins things.
So let’s start with last year which was the start of the sh!t show. Firing a Milan legend, one of …if not the greatest one for Milan, was never going to end well. Don’t be fooled by the 2 or 3 anti-Maldini ppl in the comments section, the vast majority of fans here and outside in the real world appreciate his work (Scudetto, UCL semi, increased value of team, under a salary cap)….the jury is still out about the current set. It was just poor taste and poor understanding of the club and it’s history. Appeasing fans with what Gerry thinks is a Milan symbol in Ibra is simply a diversionary tactic to ease pressure off of their decisions….and even that has seemingly ran it’s course.
And I kept saying, I didn’t mind them firing Maldini IFFFFFF on that basis they hire a proper sporting director and I even named a few like DAmico because that would make sense to me . But nah, we get called Maldinisti as if it’s so bad to support one of your own and so on. We never said he didn’t make mistakes but the results speak for itself. But to dismiss only Maldini (and Massara) and kept the rest meant 1. That Cardinale believed that Maldini was the sole reason for seemingly “bad results” 2. Cardinale believed that keeping the rest (Furlani, Moncada and later Ibra) meant they could do the job better and they simply haven’t. Otherwise he would have hired someone else. Cardinale (and real management) IS the one to not hire an actual Sporting Director and I’m glad ppl are starting to catch on. For all his boastfulness about being in Sport and having all this know how.and success, I’m actually questioning how much of that is luck or other more competent ppl doing the work for him because the current setup for this project ain’t working. I honestly thought he’d bring in ppl with expertise from his “vast networks”. But so far we haven’t seen anything except on the commercial side. Where is the sporting side?
Even the people he loves to talk about who he works with all have the same traits…..the Rock, himself, Ibra ..all similar braggadocious and loves to talk up themselves, lots of bluster, full of soundbites but lacking in substance. Peek how Ibra approaches his role….”I’m the boss”.it’s as if he’s still a player, juvenile-like, that might work on the field but in this line of work what counts are trophies. And if he is resorting to egotistical retorts when asked a serious question about the team then he has a long, long way to go (granted he did start to check himself). Some humility will go a.linf way.
We had 130m last year, 50+m this year and we still short in midfield? And no one is accountable ? 442, 4231, 433 take your pick. We don’t have the players to play any of these.
4231 ? We need pivots, we only have one .. sorta in Fofana. And no cam.
433? We don’t have a proper DM or subs for the DM and even our mezzalas lack.
442? Do we have enough strikers to rotate? Left and right midfielders? Not to mention, we never had that formation in mind. It was something throw out because our backs were against the wall after….THREE GAMES. 🤦♂️
Such a farce!!!
How bad is it that our center forward/striker (Morata) can play in midfield and as a CAM better than any of our current actual midfielders? He’s better than both RLC and Deers in that role….he tracks back, sets up the play and charges up field to join the attack. Why can’t OUR mids do that. It’s such a shame.
But we’re being sold on being more European, a “better” team somehow but still need players. We’re not reaching a UCL semi anytime soon, let’s be real. We’ll quicker win the Scudetto than achieve that feat again.
I totally agree with you on almost everything and will add to this…
The management can not find a proper back up for Theo since he arrived 4 season ago to rotate with him
But sign Right Back every seasons and none of them is good enough to start 10 league matches successfully. FLORENZI, KALULU, CALABRIA TERRACIANO.
The so called management kept signing players the coach will never use and end up going on loan till contract runs out Pellegrino cuz they and offload the for reasonable cash.
They prefer to buy under 25yrs from other clubs but their own homegrown under 25yrs did not deserve playing time in the first team even as under study.
Real Madrid Endrick is not so better than Colombo