AC Milan’s summer transfer market has come under criticism because of the players that are failing to make an impact and those who have barely been used.
Tuttosport (via PianetaMilan) have provided an early reflection on Milan’s summer business in their paper today, remarking how Sergiño Dest and Charles De Ketelaere are not offering on the pitch what Stefano Pioli and the fans hoped they would.
Then there are also those new additions that arrived to strengthen the squad and which, at the moment, are practically never getting on the field. The most surprising case is that of Yacine Adli, bought a year ago and then left on loan to Bordeaux to mature.
He arrived at Milanello in July and he was the protagonist in summer friendlies receiving lots of praise from Pioli, but since then Adli has disappeared having not even played 60 minutes in total.
Aster Vranckx arrived on loan with the option to buy from Wolfsburg and he has just 15 minutes of game time in total with Tommaso Pobega preferred, and Malick Thiaw – signed outright from Schalke 04 – has not appeared once.
Adli, Thiaw and Vranckx are not even on the UEFA squad list and therefore Serie A represents their only prospect of playing. Not even the precarious injury situation has opened the doors though, meaning there are some big question marks about the summer business.
The coach is the one who sees them on a daily basis in training not Correire dello sport or la gazzetta dello sport. Hence, their critique didn’t count at all. If they are used without been ready, they will be the first to point fingers!. Of course they might not be contributing and no one expect instant hit because they are simply signing under the radar with potential to improve. So the unrealistically expectations from them is invalidated.
This coach may see them everyday but his understanding of the game determines what he can see in them. Pioli isn’t very brilliant as a coach.
I wonder what he sees in Krunic on a daily basis. I think this point will soon become a cliché if it isn’t already. 😅
I mean, these players were predominantly signed as backups and depth for a title-winning squad – only Kessie left the team, and CDK has obviously taken that ‘spot’ in the primary starting lineup, but the others were always likely to be on standby.
If Kalulu, Kjaer and Tomori are fit, why would Thiaw play? Vrancx I expect to see a bit more, but even then Pobega, Tonali and Bennacer are all ahead of him for those centre-mid spots.
And Adli is obviously behind CDK and Diaz in Pioli’s selection for that AM spot.
No alarms and no surprises.
very good
I think one of the problems is that we’re so “lucky.” In spite of the fact that our coach is so one-dimensional, we’re still getting results one way or another. For instance, we all know that the Empoli win had nothing to do with tactics whatsoever and it was all down to pure luck. We’d probably draw that match 70 times out of 100 ceteris paribus. It’s also how you lose talents like Milos cuz Theo ends up playing in games where he should be resting. I remember Pioli once played Samu as a false 9( it didn’t work out but it took guts to do that) but he can’t seem to try Rebic as the right winger or even the Madrid loanee. We all know he won the scudetto but let’s be honest it’s more down to individual brilliance, or slip ups from the other top teams than it was down to his tactical brilliance. You trust Krunic so much that you can try him on the right wing but you don’t trust that Adli can play as a CM!! I love the fact that Pioli is a good man manager but honestly, the man isn’t too tactically brilliant, doesn’t know how to adapt his squad, is too timid and a lot could be said but maybe it’s not necessary. Anyway, I’m content with his cautious approach as long as it brings us wins. Quite easy to understand is the fact that Pioli isn’t in a position where he can afford to try new things. 🤦🏾♂️
Wasn’t tactically genius, i agree. But to play down his tactical decision to our last scudetto is such a stretch. How we won the league last season was because our solid defense, and he was the one to make them defends as a unit like that, not every coach can operate and has the guts to put high-pressing defending like him.
He put Kessie on CAM against Inter to put brozovic under pressure, he succeeded, and that game became the breakthrough to to our scudetto.
He switch Kalulu from RB to Centre-half, and now he’s one of the best young defenders in Serie A.
I can see your points, but football is not mathematics, dude. There are so many factors lead to a victory, and not every tactic would work, even with the best players and the best condition. If so we would see Man City would be undefeated winner every season
Bro anyone who thinks our last scudetto win was more down to tactical brilliance than it was down to individual brilliance is just not willing to admit the fact. Why didn’t the high press work with defenders like Romagnoli? Playing Kessie as a CAM just to trouble Brozo seems brilliant but you don’t talk about the other aspects in which we suffered thanks to that piece of brilliance. Like you said, football isn’t maths and it never will be but do you know why we have probability and statistics in math? You also did say that not every tactics will work which I fully agree with and when tactics aren’t working then sometimes it all boils down to the individual brilliance of the players. Be honest with yourself, do you think the Napoli 77(I can’t spell his name) will start ahead of Krunic if Leao were injured? Of course Pioli will deem him unready! We’re all fans and we love Pioli for his incredible work with the team but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t point out his faults(even though we’re not coaches 😁). It’s like Guardiola in all his tactical brilliance playing de Bruyne as a false 9 in the UCL final against Chelsea.
We won the league mainly becaouse Inter had a crowded schedule at the end thanks to some canceled games mid season. I called it even when Inter was at the top of the table. I said that they will drop points with either Bologna or Udinese. They simply had to many games in a short amount of time, they had to fatiuge. Not to down play Pioli or anything but this was the turning point in the season for us.
“We won the league mainly becaouse Inter had a crowded schedule at the end”
Correction: We won the league despite some scandalous refereeing. The best team won – no questions about it. Milan deserved it. Look at the matches we lost – and especially HOW we lost them.
Thiaw, Vranckx and Dest were signed on the last day of the mercato. They are all young and more of a projects than a ready made players that can just walk in and start playing for such a big club.
CDK was obviously the big signing but he needs time to adapt to new country, new club, new style of play.
Leao cost Milan the same amount as CDK, was only a year younger when Milan signed him and we had to wait 2.5 years for him to start producing and now some call him a top 5 player. Patience
Adli is like a back up QB in the NFL. He is a fan favorite, everyone calls for him to play when the starter is under performing, until they see that back up play and realize why he is just a back up and not a starter. Pioli sees him every day, maybe he isn’t good as people think because they saw him vs some 3rd tier club in pre season
It’s the Hauge situation all over again. Fans hyping up players who are not that good. Hauge is currently playing for a mid table team in Belgium and there are still people crying why he wasn’t starting for Milan. BTW he isn’t even a starter in Gent
Pioli is the best thing that has happened to Milan in the last 10 years. No matter the low budget, the injuries, not supported by management in the mercato, and still led Milan to a title, is title contender this year and in a very good position to get out of the group in the UCL. Being criticized after a loss vs Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, when he barely had enough players to put on a bench its just ridiculous
Agreed 🤝
100%, great comment. I would also add that Adli got so much time to “shine” in preseason because of the dragged out negotiation for CDK, meaning the 21 year old who was bought for big money and moving to Italy from his home town/club/country didn’t have that time (both games and training) to settle into the new squad. CDK was still living at home with his mom LAST SEASON while playing for Club Brugge. People think too often that video games are real life and these factors don’t affect things.
Well said
one loss and peope are already forgeting all that pioli has one for us in the last years.. cant win them all. Milan has been playing great football under him won a title, haters can hate all they want
A big part of Pioli’s game (and modern game in general) is movement. Out of sync and the team will lose.
I also dislike the fact that Adli hasn’t play much, but I realised that even during the preseason he did move the way we see our AMs like Brahim or Calha did (when they were on their good days). Simply put, he played well but had not really mixed well with Milan’s style. Moreover, remember that he didn’t play with all starters at that time.
correction: he did NOT move
The way things are done in Milan right now is beyond analysis,there is confusion.am afraid the little progress we had over last two seasons is threatening
The little progress we had over the last two seasons is threatening!!??
Milan just won the scudetto 5 months ago after 11 years of mediocrity. What are you talking about little progress.