Pierre Kalulu only played one game during the pre-season tour in the US, coming on against Barcelona and playing both as a centre-back and a right-back. A situation reminiscent of Ignazio Abate, Mauro Suma argues.
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Kalulu struggled with a minor injury after returning from the U21 Euros with France and thus missed the first two games of the USA tour. However, he did come on against Barcelona, initially as a right-back but then he was moved into the centre.
In his latest editorial for MilanNews, the MilanTV pundit Mauro Suma has compared the situation of the Frenchman to that of Ignazio Abate prior to the 2010-11 Scudetto season. Both, in fact, have been used in multiple positions.
“I remember what Ignazio Abate was prior to the 2010-11 Scudetto season, a player tossed around in multiple roles. Then, once his position on the pitch was evident, he became a decisive player in the Scudetto derby won 3-0 against Leonardo’s Inter.
“I see pieces of that story in the current situation of Kalulu. Is he a right-back? Perfect, the full-back market is closed, as he and Florenzi can play on the left and on the right. But in this case, we lack a central defender. Do we believe that Pierre can return to the centre-back he was in the Scudetto season? Ok, perfect, then we need a full-back. This is a topic we must decide,” he wrote.
It remains to be seen if Kalulu will be used mainly as a centre-back or a right-back, but the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Stefano Pioli likes versatility and depending on the situation, he youngster could be used in both positions.
