SM: Pioli changes stance on Adli but management remain unconvinced – the situation

By Oliver Fisher -

Stefano Pioli seems to have changed his stance regarding Yacine Adli and would now be willing to include him in his plans, but the AC Milan management are unsure.

Our colleagues at SempreMilan.it write that there is some important news regarding Adli. The French midfielder has been linked with a number of clubs, but now seems to be part of Pioli’s plans for the season ahead.

The coach believes that Adli has unique characteristics that make him one of the few able, with the right adaptation, to play the role of regista – therefore as Rade Krunic’s deputy – box-to-box midfielder and as a playmaker in a 4-2-3-1.

However, Pioli’s choice has not yet received the total support of the Rossoneri management who are keeping their ears pricked in case offers arrive for the Franco-Algerian.

Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada continue to ask for an amount of no less than €8.5m to sell the former Bordeaux star on a permanent deal.

We discussed the ‘Adli Paradox’ in the latest bonus article for our SubStack, which you can read in full here which a seven-day free trial.

Tags AC Milan Yacine Adli

24 Comments

  1. This is actually a good idea. He has the ability for the role anyway unlike Krunic. But then he needs series help in how to act if he is gonna play that low on the field. We cant have a reckless regista when our defense seems unstable for the moment

    1. Adli is terrible against the ball. I can see him in the playmaker role when Reijnders needs some rest, but Adli has neither the tenacity nor the defensive brain to play instead of Krunic without giving up defensive quality.

      1. This is not true. He is very good defensively and he has already played as center mid in Bordeux showing off impressive defensive stats. I encourage you to read a scouting report written by “Breaking the lines” on Adli 2 years ago.

        1. Just watch the last friendly he played, maybe he used to be better and lost a sense of urgency after making it to Milan, but that’s not going to cut it. Of course standards are higher as well.

    2. So many question marks over this kid, mainly because we haven’t seen him play much. My main concern would be over his defensive contributions.

      One thing is for sure: he won’t get better at anything unless he actually plays more.

  2. If I were him I would put my agents to work to find me a new club, preferably in Ligue Un. Unless he’s the type with mediocre mentality, who is okay with his talent wasting away and is okay feeding of crumbs and being Pioli’s rug boy.

  3. I don’t think he’s strong defensively and we have too many attack minded players, he might have the ability of regista, but he’d need a defensive midfielder next to him … in other words, it’s ok if you have a Pirlo as a regista if you can put a Gattuso next to him.

    He might pull it off, but I’m not convinced, he’s too light physically to challenge the opponents…
    Also Pioli has barely used Adli in the friendlies so far, not sure if Pioli saw something enlightning in the Novara game.

    This article sounds a bit off, though we currently have only two spots for
    CDK, Ballo Toure, Krunic,
    Origi, Adli
    If we can’t sell Origi and we sell Krunic at the last minute and can’t find a proper replacement, we might decide to keep Adli as a backup

  4. This is the news i have been waiting for hopefully it will be true. Adli has the potential to succeed anywhere in the pitch. He is utility player. As far as am concerned, he is better than Krunic. I remember vividly when Milan acquired Bennacer but he was benched exceedingly by Marco Giampaolo for Lucas Biglia who was playing nonsense. It’s the same scenario that is playing out in the case of Adli. Adli is a pure talent. Pioli also should give Chaka Traore some minutes to play. He can be our joker

  5. Adli hope they keep him in the squad i can asure you he is better than krunic he knows the game passes last friendly we had he was the best in the game

  6. I think this could be the perfect role for him IN TIME. He still needs to work on the defensive aspects of the game BUT his vision and creativity from that role would be welcomed as he is the only other mid (aside from Benny) that has the vision and flair to distribute the ball all over the field. He’s young and can adapt to that position. Reminds me of similar situation with a weak defensive player in Pirlo playing in front of the D with Gattuso and Ambrosini beside him and protecting him and doing all of the dirty work and Pirlo was left to just control the game. possession is also the best form of defense. Obviously Adli and Benny are no Pirlo but you get the point (hopefully). IN TIME I can potentially see a Reinjders /Benny/Musah or when Benny is eventually sold to SA – a Reinjders/Adli/Musah future mid if he is given the time and opportunity. We shall see. What I do know is selling him for 7M is useless as you cannot find a replacement player with that type of talent for that small of a fee. At worse if we don’t believe in him they should loan him out so he can increase his value and hopefully return to the squad or sell him for a higher fee – but to sell him now is a waste of his talent and doesn’t give you a fair return on his investment.

    It’s funny how many on this chat are willing to give Columbo the chance to grow and preach patience but the same is not afforded to Adli (or CDK for that matter). Hmmmmm…wonder why (Italian) that is??🤔🤔🤔. It will remain a mystery 🤪🤪

    1. I agree with you for the most part. The mystery in this is that Colombo gets loaned out regularly and improves slowly. Whereas for whatever reason, Adli just camps out at milan without any play time, which hinders his growth and marketability (if they are in fact looking to offload him)… There are a lot of aspects for Adli to still improve on. But Pioli needs to actually integrate him in.

    1. Not sure anyone would compare Pirlo to Adli. However, we all must remember that Pirlo was not always what he became over the years. If I recall, Pirlo never started as a regista when he became the player when he left Milan for Juventus where he excelled of a great deal. It took him quite some time and some nerve-wrenching maneuvers from the coach to help him master that position. Likewise, Sandro Tonali was never what he became at the end. Just food for thoughts.

    2. Read the post. Nobody said Adli was Pirlo – only that they share similar defensive deficiencies that were or can be masked by putting ball winners (Gattuso and Ambro in Pirlo case) next to them. Point was Adli has the vision and flair to spread the ball around that someone like Krunic does not possess. IN TIME He like Pirlo just needs someone to do the dirty work around him. ZERO Adli/Pirlo comparison mate.

      1. Well said,right on. Adli has a lot of futbol in him. Not sure how his lack of care to defend was approached,but it is puzzling that he was not given more chances. The kid can play,he just does not care to defend. 100% you have to defend at the top level. BUT, tactically disciplined and well trained teams can still get away with 1!! player not defending. That is also the max…

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