Prior to this evening’s match against Cagliari in Sardinia, Carlo Pellegatti has supported Stefano Pioli’s maybe audacious lineup decisions.
Yacine Adli should make his season debut at the base of the midfield, 346 days after his last start for the Rossoneri against Hellas Verona, according to all credible sources citing the injury to Rade Krunic.
Then, in the front, Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao will take a break, making room for a newly assembled attacking three consisting of Christian Pulisic on the left, Samuel Chukwueze on the right, and Noah Okafor in the center.
While waiting for the field to tell the entire tale, Pellegatti discussed the expected decisions from Pioli in his piece for MilanNews and expressed his conviction that they are the right ones.
I’ll start with that. I approve of Stefano Pioli’s selections. The Milan coach uses a novel, quick, and exciting assault in Cagliari,” he said.
On the right, Chuk must confirm his qualities, which led him to become the player with the most successful dribbles last season in La Liga, behind only Vinicius.
Okafor impressed me with his speed and technique, in his two appearances in Rome and on Saturday at San Siro. There remains the suggestive unknown of his adaptation as a central striker, but I am sure that Pioli has invented a position, ideal for enhancing his sprint and dribbling.
On the left, Pulisic is safety, who seems more comfortable on the left wing than in other areas of the pitch. An important match because it must begin to clarify our ideas about the quality of the last market.
However, the market has already been positive in Reijnders, in Loftus-Cheek, in Pulisic himself and in Sportiello. Yes, in a goalkeeper who guarantees total reliability, safety and experience. His most beautiful and decisive save of this start of the season, a save that gave two points to Milan against Verona.
The most exciting aspect of the match on Sardinian soil, however, concerns the seasonal debut of Yacine Adli. Especially for ADLIDISTS like me. ‘Mozart’ could be the happy surprise of the season. He has studied in the Fucina degli Artisti in Milanello in recent weeks, in a new role for him. As a central midfielder.
In the summer friendlies, he had shown encouraging signs of positional sense, tactical intelligence and above all personality. Here, personality and courage seem to me to be the peculiar qualities of the French player, who could give himself and give Milan an important turning point, as regards the role of Bennacer and Krunic.
Some compared his path to that of Pirlo. It is forbidden to make faces of disappointment while reading these lines. Before becoming one of the best directors of the last twenty years, in Italy and internationally, I remember well the criticisms that rained down on his head, before Ancelotti gave him Riccardo Chailly’s baton.
I remember the comments on the performances of the ‘talent’, as he was called. He seemed like the classic difficult prospect to place. Then it found its footing and exploded in all its greatness. Alongside him, Loftus-Cheek and Reijnders will help him, now well tuned into Pioli’s tactical ideas.
Let’s open a parenthesis on the Rossoneri coach. The constant defeats in the derbies have put him in a bad light for some of the Rossoneri fans.
However, the Milan club, which has missed one out of six games this season and averages 2.4 points per game in the league, would have a projected ultimate total of 91 points.
Regardless of who replaces him and when, I hope the Rossoneri can finish second, win the Scudetto, get to the Champions League semifinals, and consistently compete for first place in the next three years.
It will take two league championships and at least one Champions League final for his successor to surpass him. Results with a team that was never given preference and was always placed in the
Do you want to know my opinion? If they had told me that I would return to CL, then win a Scudetto, win the decisive derby for the title, fight in the Champions League until May, but lose five derbies in a year, I would have signed with pen, Eiffel Tower pin and inkwell. Even at the cost of getting my hands dirty, like in second grade.”
