AC Milan cannot afford any more slip-ups in their pursuit of a top four spot, with Massimiliano Allegri plotting some attacking changes.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report this morning that Allegri feels he needs to restructure Milan’s attack for Monday’s match against Genoa (assuming it is on Monday) and he has a clear idea, at least based on indications from Milanello.
In a 3-5-2, the coach is thinking of starting Christopher Nkunku alongside Niclas Füllkrug. It is a move that immediately brings to mind 2022-23, the year those two jointly topped the Bundesliga scoring charts with RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen respectively.
Why Nkunku and Füllkrug?
The lineup obviously isn’t set in stone, as we’re only at the start of the week. A clear trend, however, is evident, as Santiago Gimenez has been quite disappointing and Christian Pulisic is certainly not at 100%.
Yesterday, Captain America trained on the pitch alone. While it’s not a definitive verdict, it’s not the best way to begin the build-up to the penultimate match of the season, one that Milan absolutely must win.
Allegri is inclined to use Nkunku and Füllkrug because both of them showed signs against Atalanta. The Frenchman scored from the penalty spot and hit the crossbar after a masterful save from Carnesecchi.
The German had three moments: the lay-off to Nkunku for the shot that hit the bar, a brilliant through ball to Fofana and a first-time pass to Nkunku in the build-up to the penalty. It was like Fiorentina-Milan, when Füllkrug put Pulisic through on goal three times but didn’t get an assist.
How Nkunku and Füllkrug will get along together is a curious mystery. This season, they’ve played 172 minutes as a pair, spread across nine games. Only once have they started at the same time, in the Easter Monday defeat to Napoli.
Milan scored four goals in those 172 minutes, but what’s more important is understanding how Nkunku and Füllkrug can work together on the pitch. The No.9 has the physique to defend the ball and to be a focal point, holding the ball up and being a target for crosses.
In Max’s mind, this detail is not insignificant: in the match against Atalanta, he felt betrayed by the soft approach of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao and others. Nkunku will circle around him as a second striker, hoping to hurt Genoa with his vertical runs.
It could work, but Milan desperately need a solution to their attacking problems: before Sunday’s two late goals, the team had scored once in six games.