The January window is fast approaching and AC Milan need to make some reinforcement amid the injury crisis. However, the midfield is not one of the priorities despite Ismael Bennacer’s situation, a report claims.
Tommaso Pobega recently sustained an injury and will be out for four months, while Bennacer is expected to take part in the AFCON with Algeria in January. This leaves Milan rather exposed in that department, but no reinforcement is expected next month.
According to Antonio Vitiello in his editorial for MilanNews, the Rossoneri are fully focused on reinforcing the defence amid the centre-back crisis. Luka Jovic’s recent success has also made the No.9 position less urgent, but it remains a position that could be reinforced.
There are no signings planned for the midfield, though, as the journalist states. This means the manager will have to rely a lot on Yacine Adli, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yunus Musah and Tjjani Reijnders in Bennacer’s absence.
In the potential period that Bennacer could be missing, Milan will take on the likes of Roma, Udinese, Bologna, Frosinone and Napoli. Of course, everything will depend on how far Algeria will make it in the tournament, with the final taking place on the same day as the Napoli clash.
4 midfielders only in a 3-men-midfield-formation? For 6 matches (EL matches were forgotten). Yeah, what could possibly go wrong in a injury-plagued, record-breaking team? “Injury-prone” RLC will probably die during that period.
7. Not 6 but 7 matches.
RLC can’t do 3-4 matches in a row, at 27 years of age. It was about the same 4-5 years ago. I still don’t understand why didn’t Milan get a different player for that money, the one that can play most of the season…Calabria will play in midfield if fit, or Florenzi. You can expect this to happen.
Agreed. It would be an error to not bring in another player, particularly if Krunic is sold. Vitiello is either way off or looking to create polemics.
If Pioli use Bartesaghi, Simic, for some games until now, it’s also perfect way to start Primavera midfielders.
This season is already lost. Milan must keep balance in green and if Pioli lose 4th position, than he should quit his job as coach. Even with injuries he must find solution for 4th position this year .
Krunic should be kept and used until summer and then sell him for small fee.
A CB?
To add to our 7???
1. Tomori
2. Kalulu (1 and 2 being Scudetto winning CB pairing)
3. Kjaer (experienced CB)
4. Thiaw (best signing of 22/23)
5. Pellegrino (new signing)
6. Simić (youth team player who did everything you could ask of him when he was given a chance)
7. Caldara (remember him?)
And what happens when all 7 are fit?
Or what happens if the new signing joins them on the injury table?
What’s the strategy?
What’s the long term strategy for our CB pairing (or any position on the pitch)?
Who is going to be our CB pairing for the next 5-10 years?
Our Baresi/Costacurta, Nesta/Maldini, BBC, Ramos/Pepe???
How is a panicked signing because we’ve broken our players going to help deliver that long term strategy?
Or even short to medium term strategy?
Who is going to be our CB back pairing for our title run THIS season?
That’s the plan presumably?
To win the Scudetto.
The 10 signings in the summer, the DEPTH, the 3 in January, the pressure on the manager and the team who are 3rd?
What’s all this pressure if there’s no plan?
Just panic.
Caldara won’t play a single game for Milan. Pellegrino will rot on the bench or loaned out. Kjaer won’t get an extension. Gabbia and Simic will be loaned out. Then we’ll be back in the same situation where we don’t have enough CBs.
Bro forget who is going to play when they’re healthy, basically we want to know who is going to play now. Do u suggest we wait two months for injured players to show up who eventually have to slowly integrate back to match fitness.
Exactly. Worry about NOW and what we need to make sure we stay top 4 for a UCL spot.
I know you’re allergic about signing players but in our current predicament with no one incoming, how do you propose to field the defense?
Genuinely curious.
Me too. Genuinely want to know. I get his point in a general sense and for summer windows but during a season where you’re given a chance to correct the issues…
I’ve named 7 CBs and didn’t mention Florenzi, Theo, or Pobega who can also do a job.
So that’s 10.
If 10 is not enough we may as well give up.
I’ve lost track of who is fit and who is not but how is 7-10 not enough?
Genuinely curious what we’re going to do when these new signings get injured.
Good call, our midfield is stocked and it’s booming! /s
We need about 10 new midfielders with the rate our players are going down. No squad can handle so many injuries. I would say Man city, for example, would be 10-12 spot in the epl if pep had 1.5 muscle injuries per match. It’s impossible to prepare for such a situation, even if you have qatar money, since decent players don’t want to be the 3rd or 4th backup.
Finally a smart decision. We still have Krunic and Adli, we are set for the rest of the season. If we bring in more signings the team will get disrupted and only Italians understand how to play Serie A football anyway, just ask Sacchi. The only additions we need is to bring back Maldini because our masterminds in charge already brought back Zlatan.
We currently only have two center backs, of which only one, Kjaer, who has had fitness struggles for two seasons, is considered a “senior” player. Thiaw and Tomori won’t be available until half way through the second half of the season, and Pellegrino is trash and also currently out. Caldara is literally perpetually hurt. If Kjaer goes down in the next couple of games the centerback pairing for AC Milan fighting for top 4 will be 17 y/o Bartesaghi and 18 y/o Simic, and maybe question mark Gabbia. SURELY EVEN YOU can see this will not be adequate. We need another CB. Yes, the total number will be skewed until the end of the season, but then Kjaer and Caldara will leave at the end of their contracts, Gabbia, given the fact he was already loaned out with an option, will likely be sold (unless he changes minds in the next 5 months), and Pellegrino will likely be loaned to give him a chance to show he’s not a bust. That will leave Tomori, Thiaw, Kalulu, Simic and the new CB as our 5 CBs for next season. Assuming we’re playing with 4 at the back, that seems normal. If, God forbid, we bring in Conte in the summer, or anyone else using 3 CBs, we’ll actually need a 6th. I don’t see the need for the hysteria.
This was meant as a reply to Maldini’s Heir.
How are you judging Pellegrino after less than 90 mins of football???
I mean what was the point of his signing?
Couldn’t they have just given me the money?
Kalulu?
Does that Scudetto winning CB not count?
What exactly did Bartesaghi and Simic do wrong?
How about this – if I was the Milan owners (or a parent of a child who kept breaking toys) I’d say ‘stop breaking the players/toys, there’s no more’ and as an owner (not a parent) I’d say if we get any more injuries on your watch, you’re fired – I don’t care where we are in the league or what we’re doing I can’t have you breaking my players/toys.