INTRODUCTION

Milan look like they have awoken from a deep slumber thanks to their lion-heart striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan begrudgingly sold the striker in 2012 against his wishes in a double swoop to the latest money bags in town Paris St.Germain. Milan since then have tried out a plethora of strikers in their forward line including accomplished strikers like Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Bacca and promising youth Andre Silva. It even led to believe among fans that the number 9 shirt carried a ‘curse’.

Zlatan came to Milan and scored 11 goals and 5 assists in 20 games and helped Milan to a Europa League playoff spot. But Zlatan is not a youthful player and being on the wrong side of the 30’s and Milan know from their own past that succession planning is a vital part in creating long lasting cycles of success.

But who really can succeed Zlatan Ibrahimovic ? Which player has the pedigree that can match the charisma and hunger to win that the man carries even at the ripe age of 39 ?

We take a look at 5 options for Milan to consider while replacing Ibrahimovic.

The Popular Option- Andrea Belotti

A name still on the lips of every Milan fan since 2017 is Italian striker Andrea Belotti or Il Gallo as he is fondly remembered. Belotti had a breakthrough season in 2016/2017 where he scored 30 goals in all competitions despite being surrounded by less technical players and urged Torino president urban Cairo to extend his contract with a 100 Million release clause only applicable for foreign players.

Belotti has the ability to drop deep and link up with his teammates when they are being pressed by the opposition teams. He has the uncanny ability to get in-between the lines and finds space even in tight areas. He also has a tidy amount of key passes after dropping to link up play, something Ibra does so often.

Belotti suffered a big blow in 2017/18 season and missed games due to injury. And with Torino chopping and changing managers as well as players Belotti’s form has suffered quite a dip. He converts less number of chances when compared to his first season.

Belotti is 27 and entering the peak of his career. He would look to step up from Torino to win silverware and with Milan being his boyhood club and a big fan of Shevchenko Milan should make a lunge for him.

The Serie A option- Dusan Vlahovic

A less known but constantly linked striker to Milan is Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic. Signed by Fiorentina from Partizan Belgrade it is one of the most famous academies in Serbia. He broke out under Vincezo Montella and now is a steady starter under Iachini

Dusan Vlahovic played as a target man initially in the 3-5-2 with chiesa supporting him. But with Cutrone coming to Fiorentina, he was more of a supporting striker. Dusan Vlahovic is not a traditional no.9 type striker rather he moves around and with his off the ball movement creates space between the lines for wingers to run into or for Cutrone to run into. He occupies half spaces or moves wide to allow fluidity in play. This is a very strong characteristic that is shown by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Dusan Vlahovic is also an astute dribbler and is not afraid to take on players. With his tall frame he also uses his physicality to hold up the ball

Vlahovic is only 20-years old and there are inconsistencies associated with his lack of experience showing in his game. With a huge club like Milan with high expectations, Vlahovic could be over-burdened with leading the line at Milan.

If somehow Milan could sign Vlahovic this summer and let him be an understudy to Zlatan it could help the elite mentality that Zlatan tends to transient to others.

The Most rumored option- Luka Jovic

Milan have been linked with Luka Jovic for some time since the striker fell out of favor with Zinedine Zidane.  With his agent similar to that of Ante Rebic, tabloids have been running rumors for months with Gazetta Dello reporting as recently that Milan may try for the player on dry loan

Luka Jovic is a goalscoring machine. In his last season for Frankfurt he scored 27 goals in 48 games but a bout of injuries and preference for Benzema meant he could re-create his form at Madrid. Jovic. At Frankfurt jovic would use his pace to collect vertical passes once they won the ball back or drop back into midfield to collect the ball. A very different trait of Jovic is that he always likes to ball to be played into him between the midfield and defense. Frankfurt score a lot of their goals from crosses and Jovic stays away from the press and makes late runs into the box

Jovic at Frankfurt has always operated alongside a more physical striker in the form of Seb Haller. And standing only at 181 centimetres he does not provide much of a aerial threat like Ibra  and like werner is a ball playing centre forward. It would require Pioli to tweak his tactics to accommodate him in Milan’s team

Jovic also poses a huge threat financially. He earns 5M net at Real Madrid. But his goalscoring exploits and the chance to re-unite with Rebic could see him invoke some of his goal-scoring force that made him a threat in Frankfurt

The Technical+Long Term option- Aleksander Isak

Need a long term replacement for Ibrahimovic ?? why not sign the next Ibrahimovic which is the popular moniker given to Isak. Hailing from Sweden Alexander Isak was signed by Dortmund seeing an up-coming Zlatan. But he failed to hit his stride and was shipped out to Real Sociedad with a buy back clause. And at 20 years old, Isak has managed to slowly reach the promised heights

Isak stands at 6ft 2 inches at 20 years of age. A player that can accelerate with the ball and dribble past defenders with easy he has shown early signs that he is comfortable with the ball. Isak can also hold up the ball and draw defenders out of position with his off the ball movement. He is also a cool finisher and has had a breakthrough season

Isak is, like Vlahovic, only 20 years old and needs playing time to grow. He however has the facets to be a top striker in the years to come. He, however would come at a cost and Milan have other avenues to invest. Maybe if Milan qualify for the Champions league they could consider signing him

THE EXPERIENCED OPTION- EDINSON CAVANI

Edinson Cavani requires no introduction to football fans. One of the most prolific strikers of the last decade he broke into top echelons of football with Napoli earning him a move to PSG. After 6 years Cavani is looking for a new challenge and having played with the great man himself knows all about Zlatan.

If there is anything Zlatan prices and tries to transient to others it is workrate. He also has excellent aerial ability along with excellent athleticism and covers a lot of distance. A proven goalscorer Cavani also knows Serie A inside out and would help continue the high performance rate that Zlatan could leave Milan

Drawback of Cavani is his his huge salary request. If anything a transfer broke down after his requests were considered excessive. Cavani is 33 years old and once again only be a short-term answer to Milan’s striker requirements. There are also questions raised about Cavani’s fitness as he featured very little games for PSG last season

Cavani’s pedigree is not to be questioned. He would bring a winning mentality but the cost could deter Milan

CONCLUSION

So we have listed 5 strikers who could replace Ibrahimovic. Who do you think would be the best fit for the role ? Do you think there is someone outside of our recommendations? Let us know in the comments section.

As announced on the club’s official website Milan have completed the signing of Brahim Diaz on loan from Real Madrid.

Milan is Diaz’s 3^rd club after Manchester City and Real Madrid. Here is a scouting analysis on what Milan Fans can expect from their latest recruit

PROFILE

Name: Brahim Diaz

Parent club: Real Madrid

Height: 1.71 metres

Foot: Both

BACKSTORY

Brahim Abdelkadir Diaz is a Spanish football player born in Malaga to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother. An academy product of Malaga he played there until 16 until the allure of playing for a big club and a convincing talk with Pep Guardiola took him to Manchester City for €230,000. He made his first start against Leicester in the EFL cup and got his first start in the Champions league against Feynoord.

However he exploded for Spain U-17 in the Euro 2016 and made the world take notice. Lack of first team minutes and a yearning to go back to his hometown saw him go back to Spain in the form Real Madrid who paid €18 Million despite the objection of pep who wanted to keep the player.

He is dubbed as the Messi of Malaga by those who saw his game back in his hometown

PLAYING STYLE

With an extremely short stature Brahim Diaz is a nightmare for defenders. His low centre of gravity makes him extremely quick and difficult to catch for defenders. He is able to make quick shifts of direction and beat defenders 1v1.

Brahim Diaz has the ability to accelerate very quickly but his top speed is not may not be as explosive as some wingers. Brahim Diaz is a wiz with the ball at his feet as he shows excellent close control while dribbling and has a very good first touch. This facet helps him break lines of the opposition defenders helping to advance the attack. Diaz unlike traditional wingers does not stay wide and drifts infield to help with the buildup. He has an uncanny ability to use his dribbling as a potent weapon to break out of tight spaces. Add this to the fact that he is very ambitious and takes on shots from distance and slides in through passes often unlocking defenses.  

Diaz is very cautious in possession and waits for the right opening to advance the attack. Often he tends to be the center of attack and this draws defenders out of position to try and dispossess him. This helps other defenders to run into the space vacated by the opposition defender.

Another very modern-but-rare feature of Diaz is his ability to use both feet. He is seen dribbling predominantly with his left foot but takes shots using both feet

Playing in Manchester City Diaz is often encouraged to press in the youth setup as well as in the senior team as Guardiola often likes to press his opponents high up the pitch. With his agility Diaz presses the player closest to him as a way off blocking off a passing lane. He tries to hound the player in possession into making a mistake and conceding possession. Many times Diaz is the player who initiates the press

The only thing to be concerned about Diaz is his lack of experience in the top flight division. Playing for 2 giant clubs Diaz has found playtime to be very scarce.

DEAL OR NO DEAL

Milan have secured the services of the player from Real Madrid on a dry loan with a gentleman’s agreement that they would meet later. As a backup for  Hakan Calhanoglu Milan have found a cheap backup to rotate considering they will be playing in 3 competitions this summer. Given his ambidexterity and his versatile game he can play in any area of the pitch.

Brahim Diaz, in theory, seems an extremely combustible as well as technical midfielder that can add an extra dimension to Milan’s game.  With teams in Serie A approaching a more defensive approach it would be handy to have a player like Diaz who knows to work his way out of corners and tight situations. Also given how Milan have evolved under Pioli into a more pressing side could use the talent of Diaz to close down players and win the ball back quickly

Milan have certainly got a talent on their hands and possibly if things work out a future star to look forward it

Transfer Rating: 7/10

INTRODUCTION

If there was any team that represented Italian football and took it to heights never seen before, it would be none other than our beloved club A.C.Milan. If anything Milan was the first team to bring the European honors home and set of a tactical revolution in the form of Catenaccio that set of Italian football’s success in the 60’s with the Grande Inter side and Nereo Rocco’s Milan.

However Catenaccio had run its course and Italian football was waning. Milan had undergone a takeover from media moghul Silvio Berlusconi and he wanted to bring success to the red and black of Milan.

After losing to a small Parma side over 2 legs in the cup, Berlusconi appointed Arrigo Sacchi as the coach of Milan. It shocked everyone in the press as Sacchi had no great prior experience as a player or a coach to which he retorted “I never knew to be a jockey you needed to be a horse”

Sacchi was hugely influenced by Rinus Michel’s and Johan Cryuff’s passing football as well as the great Brazilian teams over the years. He wanted his teams not just to win but to entertain the fans which was against the grain of Italian football in the 80’s which was immersed in Helenio Herrera’s idea of defensive Catenaccio.

In this article, we have a comprehensive look at the tactics and training methods of “prophet of fusignano” with which he won 1 Serie A, 2 European Cups and 2 Intercontinental trophies.

Even today his theories and his ideologies have application in the form of Klopp, Rangnick, Flick and Nagglesman.

TACTICAL ANALYSIS

As mentioned earlier, Italian football was rife with Catenaccio whose powers were slowly waning as coaches from other parts of Europe had found the solution to break the notorious tactic.

Catenaccio was a system that used heavy man-to-man marking and full back came into the back therefore out-numbering the opposition team’s attackers. And there would be a spare defender called a Sweeper or Libero. Milan had the famous Cesare Madlini play as the sweeper and for Inter it was Armando Picchi. The formation for Catenaccio was 1-3-3-3 or a 1-4-3-2. The team would man mark the player win the ball back and counter attack quickly which usually depended on an intelligent #10 such as Italian Golden boy Gianni Rivera.

Sacchi came to management with a totally different perspective. Having been influenced by Rinus Michels, Ernst Happel and Brazilian football he wanted to bring a chance. In 1987 when he was appointed the coach of Milan he brought in Ancelotti from Roma, Ruud Gullit from PSV and Van Basten from Ajax. To understand his style of play it can be broken down into facets.

Formation

Under Sacchi Milan preffered a 4-4-2 system which was until then very rare in Serie A. If Catenaccio was all about man-marking, Sacchi’s system was all about Zonal marking where players are asked to mark a particular zone rather than a player. This is done to squeeze the space between the lines and win the ball back as quickly as possible. With this system the role of a Libero was eliminated and Baresi was seen more as a pro-active defender snuffing out attacks before they became dangerous.

Pressing and Compactness

With Milan preferring to use zonal marking than man-marking it was essential that they learn how to defend using cover shadows or as it is now called cutting out passing lanes for the player in possession.  When Sacchi had his charges trained in shadow play in the training field it was to teach these players to press structurally as a team by cutting off passing channels and make the player in possession make a mistake and give possession away.

One of the initiators of this press was Carlo Ancelotti who Sacchi described as not the most physically exhilarating but played football in his head. Ancelotti often initiated the press when the ball was in midfield and with a few tactical tweaks it benefited Milan. Ancelotti would leave his position and press the player in possession and baresi would often step out of possession to aid Ancelotti’s movements.

To keep the defensive shape of the team and to initiate quick counters Sacchi demanded high workrate from his widemen in Donadoni and Colombo.

One of the most important factors to play this press while maintain a high line was that the team had to be compact on the pitch. There was not supposed to be not more than 15-20 metres between the 3 lines of players.

However Milan were having issues to adapt to Sacchi’s ideas as it was a relatively new concept in Italian football and with Ancelotti in midfield he was sometimes getting outnumbered or even was getting bypassed. Milan was knocked out of European Cup by Espanyol

The signing of Frank Rjikaard

The now famous moniker 3 dutchmenwas completed when Milan signed Frank Rjikaard in the summer of 1988. Frank Rjikaard was the physical presence Milan Sacchi missed to comlete his side.

Rjikaard acted as a cover to Ancelotti. He could win tackles, press with high intensity, act as a shield to the back 4 and even make runs and act as a third man in the front. His signing reduced defensive burden of Ancelotti and he was free to pick defenses with his passes. This also meant that Baresi did not have to step out of the defence to help Ancelotti and there for closes any gaps present in defence

The signing of Rjikaard also gave Milan the ability to press horizontally and press the wide-players or wingers using the touchline as an extra man. Rjikaard would cover the space left by Ancelotti to press the wideman. Van Basten and Gullit would cover a back pass and Donadoni would prevent a switch of flanks.

The Offside Trap

Another weapon in Sacchi’s arsenal was the offside trap. To prevent teams from advancing Sacchi took advantage off the offside rules prevalent in those times. Milan’s last line of defense as a whole would advance forward catching the opposition offside. Now this is a risky tactic as it needed a lot of co-ordination between the players in the last line of defense because even if it is not executed perfectly the opposition strikers are put clean through on goal.  

Attacking phase

As Sacchi wanted his teams to play good as well as entertaining football he had his teams score goals galore.

Initially in the 1987-88 season Carlo Ancelotti was the one who initiated the build-up play once Milan regained possession of the ball.

Ruud Gullit was the vital cog in Milan’s attacks acting as the linkup between attack and defense. Once Milan won the ball they would find him with a vertical pass. He would drop into space or between the lines no matters how compact the opposition defense was and teammates did not have a problem in finding him. Such was the quality of the player.

Once Milan signed Frank Rjikaard it freed Carlo Ancelotti from defensive duties. Carlo would move further left from the centre while Maldini pushed up as an advancing full back to become a passing option while Colombo and Donadoni would keep moving infield into the half spaces while width was mostly provided by Donadoni or Maldini

Milan barely wasted time on the ball. They always tried to make their attack productive rather than play unproductive passes. With Carlo Ancelotti carrying out attacks Milan would play quick one-touch vertical passes often forming passing various passing combinations and passing triangles. Width and crosses was provided by Maldini or by Donadoni.

Overtime with developing team chemistry and fluid play Milan became unplayable and whenever Van Basten was Injury free he would pierce opposition defenders with his deep runs or make space for team-mates with off the ball runs.

TRAINING METHODS

What Sacchi was attempting was a total revolution in the way players understood football. He, therefore needed to design training methods which were unique and fester fluidity and understanding. One such method was shadow play where players trained without a football. Sacchi would tell which position the ball was and players would align themselves as per the movement required to press or pass as per the movement practice.

Another method was to play with a numerical disadvantage which would make the players train extra hard. The best part of it all was that the players were extremely intelligent and physically able as well as willing learners who practiced the movements to perfection

CONCLUSION

When Bayern pipped PSG to win the UEFA Champions League 2020, you could see Bayern applying various concepts that Sacchi immortalized through his Milan towards the end of the 80’s and beginning of 90’s. With Sports medicine and training facilities not as advanced as modern day equipments, his physically demanding style of football took its toll on the players.

Sacchi left A.C.Milan for the Italian national team in 1991 and almost replicated the success of Milan with Italian National team in the 94 world cup only to be denied with Roberto Baggio missing his penalty. Sacchi did come back to coaching Milan in to coach for Milan 6 months in 1997 but he could replicate his earlier success with the club. This followed a stint in Atletico Madrid where he was unsuccessful. But Sacchi had already written his legend in the annals of football and modern managers such as Klopp, Flick, Nagglesman, Tuchel can be seen using his ideology to win matches

INTRODUCTION

With strong commercialization of the game, the money involved has increased. TV rights, endorsements, matchday income, apparels etc has increased revenue of the club nearly 4 fold. Accordingly transfer fees and wage demands of players has increased accordingly. Until 2009 Zidane’s 69 Million transfer from Juventus to Madrid was a world record until Madrid smashed it with a 90 Million transfer for Ronaldo. We then had the 100 Million record breached with bale and then PSG sending shockwaves with 222 Million for Neymar.

Clubs that cannot match the economic outlay of the big spenders therefore need a alternative to attract top talent and therefore they rely on their scouting and academy structure. Teams like Ajax, Benifica, Porto, River Plate, Dortmund rely a lot on their scouting to compete ultimately with the players moving on to bigger clubs for huge sums and hence giving money to re-invest.

One such club who have relied solely on their scouting is RB Salzburg. Responsible for the production of Haaland, Mane, Naby keita, Szoboszlai, Upamecano, Haidara, Samassekou they focus on a lot on their academy to power them through. In this piece we take a look at why Salzburg academies are one of the best in the world

BASIC INFORMATION

The Salzburg academy is based on near the Salzburg River on a structure which covers 12000 metres which has 6 football pitches, a football /dining hall, weights room, an athletics room and an outdoor fitness area. The academy’s boarding school has 88 double rooms to house in-mates. All areas are equipped with motion sensors which are analyzed by computer specialists.

The Academy houses 200 players from 7 countries trained by 120 specialist. According to CEO Manfred Pamminger “ The game and the training philosophy. It’s set in stone with us. Every single coach, every single employee and every single player operates according to the idea. That’s the key to our success”. He is of course talking about the playing style employed by all red bull clubs instituted by previous technical director Ralf Rangnick. The vision of the academy is not a season or 2 but it is for 2025.
Pamminger said “It’s the pressing, counter-pressing and quick switching that becomes a part of every player’s psyche, but also the passion shared by everyone on and off the pitch and a philosophy brought to life with state-of-the-art technology”
However the success has been instant. The Salzburg U-19 team was the 2017 Uefa Youth league champions and 2018 Europa league finalists eventually losing to Marsillie.
Let us take a look at the state of the art equipment used in Salzburg academy

The Athletics Room

The athletics room is to test the speed of the players at various levels of resistance and pressure. A sort of belt is fitted to the player’s waist with a electrical cord which sends data to computers and a programmer analyses the speed of the runs at various pressure situations which can be maximized or minimized via the computer. It helps the analyst and the player to under what stress conditions he is able to hit top speed. Speed is an important aspect that is required for the Salzburg’s game.

Hi-Tech Gymnasium

Players need gymnasium’s to keep up their fitness but different players have different requirements. Players are analyzed via analysis done through motion sensors and before entering the gym the player has to log into the tablet and download the program designed for him.
There are 13 workstations in the gym for the players to work out. They can compare their performances. Motion sensors capture their performances in watts toanalyse the power applied to the various dumb-bells and barbells

Anti-Gravity Running track

The Anti-gravity running track
In a contact sport like football Injuries are part of the game and a team must be prepared for Injuries, The Anti-gravity running track helps players recover faster from their injuries. This was originally used for astronauts to keep up their fitness now it is used to help athletes recover.
“On the track, the player wears airtight trousers with an air chamber that reaches to the hips. A blower creates pressure in it, which reduces the body weight up to by 80%.”

As much as there are many modern facilities inside the academy there are a lot of disciplinary procedures as well. No hats or sunglasses are allowed inside the academy. Internet access is switched off after 10 pm. Only Senior players are allowed to have TV inside their rooms but with certain restrictions.

Soccerbot

Due to its circular nature the football would bounce back from the panel to the player waiting in the centre.  The structure is equipped with motion sensors and high speed cameras. This helps the coach and his training staff to collect data regarding the player. They allow them to understand which foot the player used to complete the training assignment. The inbuilt system analyses the processing time the and ball contorlling foot. Some of the drills inside the Soccerbot include “Find and hit the shown target” or “Hit as fast as possible a flashing square”.

LPM INDOOR

An LPN systen collects positional data of players inside the football hall. The accurate motion sensors are close to 5-10 centimetres and are stationed at 8 different locations.  The system also gives passing accuracy, touches taken and the amount of time ball posession is kept

CONCLUSION

A thorough investigation of this behemoth of football development makes one wonder how football has changed from a team sport to that of individual attention. Everybody in this facility are given utmost care and attention and this is making RB Salzburg academy a attractive prospect for players to play in.

“This piece is based on an an article in http://www.redbull.com in their Salzburg academy”

INTRODUCTION

Matias Zaracho is a player that Milan have been linked to since the 2019 summer transfer window. With the agent of the player the same as that of Angel Correa and Rodrigo De Paul rumors have been awash of Milan making a bid for the player.

With Milan looking for value for money signings adding this certain midfield dynamo would help the team to shore up its quality. Matias Zaracho would represent a cheap signing from the Argentinian league and would add quality like how cross town rivals got lautaro Martinez for.  Here is a tactical analysis of the Zaracho as to why he would be a good addition for Milan.

PROFILE

Club: Racing Club

Height: 1.71 metres

Foot: Right

Transfermarkt Value: €15.5 M

POSITIONING

To highlight Zaracho’s versatility his role is a big indicator. In their previous season Racing played in a 4-1-3-2 formation which shifted into a 4-2-3-1 formation times. Zaracho was deployed in a variety of the attacking 3 but mostly he has played on the right.

Under new coach Sebastin Becacecce who play a 4-4-1-1 which changes to a 4-3-3 Zaracho occupies an inside forward role  or that of a right forward role.

STYLE OF PLAY

Having started his career as a right back Zaracho was then moved into advanced positions due to his performances by various coaches. Zaracho is an intelligent ball-playing midfielder that can play as a makeshift right winger or as an attacking midfielder. His tactical discipline and his intelligence makes him a successful in whichever part of the field he is deployed.

He is a player that has unbridled bounds of energy in reserves and hence brings a lot of box-to-box running and has exceptional endurance and stamina. He is described as a 60 kg tractor as he can be seen physically wrestling balls of the opposition players. A player like Zaracho can be a blessing for any manager as it gives him a lot of options.

ATTACKING FACETS

Being an attacking midfielder the most important trait is their passing. Zaracho has a pass completion of 87% in the average 38 games he plays per game of which 7.56 are forward passes. For as often as someone who plays a lot in the opposition’s final third. These passes include short passes, long vertical passes to start counter attacks and distribution of balls and switch of play. Playing as winger, Zaracho also has good crossing ability to fund his teammates.

Zaracho also has the ability to slide defence splitting through balls to his forward players. Now while he is in opposition final third Zaracho makes very few mistakes due to his superior decision making. He also position himself into areas that gives him an advantage to score. He provides as a good cutback option when the ball is in the flanks. Zaracho has good close control and carries the ball and has the ability to beat  his man in 1v1. He also has the ability to play balls through the lines

DEFENSIVE FACETS

Zaracho is a very tenacious player that whenever Racing lose the ball he is one of the first players to try and win the ball back. He often wins a lot of tackles in the opponents half and is not afraid to press the opponent. He averages around 7.29 recoveries per game and as he wins a lot of tackles in the opponent’s final third, helps to break into counter attacks.

AREAS TO IMPROVE

Matias Zaracho lacks a lot in aerial ability due to his short frame. He does win headers but he does not dominate aerially like other players. Zaracho also has to fine-tune the physical side of the game as he can be seen going into challenges a bit to aggressively and giving away fouls. He also needs to up his pass completions and give less mispasses.

CONCLUSION

Zaracho is one of the most upcoming talents in Argentina and with a release clause of only €25 Million he is a target for many clubs other than Milan. Shifting from Argentina to Italian Serie A would be a real task at hand but if he settles like lautaro has at inter Milan will have a versatile midfielder in their ranks for years to come

In this article we look at why Nandez would be a sensible transfer for A.C.Milan. Please note there is no rumour or inside information and is based on players suitability to the tactics.

In November, Cagilari were achieving dizzy heights.  The Club was in 4^th place in the standings and were even in the running for a European spot. Their rise to the top was mostly in part to their dynamic 3 man midfield in the form of Radja Niangollan, Marco Rog and Nahitan  Nandez in a 3-5-2 often playing in a 3-4-1-2 formation with Niangollan playing as a makeshift trequartista.

One of the finds of the season in Serie A has to be Cagilari’s Nahitan  Nandez. If Niangollan was the aggressor and Rog was the Defensive cover, Nandez was the engine in the middle. Tireless running combined with technique and aggression Nandez kept the midfield ticking and helped transition from midfield to defense.  

With modern game involving a lot of pressing and quick transitions from offense to defense midfielders require a lot of energy and Nandez brings bundles and bundles of them to the team. With modern football all about fluid attacking football managers want versatile players who can shift positions. Nandez can play as a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder, a box-to-box player or even as a right midfielder (mezalla). The player also has to nick to pick put a pass and to get in good positions hence it’s a very important part of his game.

When Cagilari are transitioning from defense to offense Nandez shifts into a trequartista role behind the strikers to supply them with passes. With his speed he is able to play with the attacking midfielder inorder to create overloads and put numbers into attack. He also brings the ball out from the back and helpds to launch quickfire counter attacking chances

We can understand that Nandez is a very aggressive player who brings in energy. This makes him a threat to teams that are in possession. He will press the player relentlessly and his tackles are very clean and well-timed giving away very less fouls. Another important part of his game is the fact that he intercepts passes quite well by reading various contextual clues of the opposition players such as body posture, direction of his gaze.

CONCLUSION

Nandez presents a really good opportunity for Milan to find an upgrade in the field and given his versatility he can play anywhere.

The major hiccups us the €38m release clause that he has in his contract when he recently signed an extension with Cagilari. In terms of interests Nandez has no drawn any interest from any big team except Inter

We all know the charisma that is Ibrahimoviç. A player that holds himself in the highest esteem, works extra extra hard and demands the same from his teammates. It is no doubt that Ibrahimoviç is the catalyst for the change of our fortunes. But Ibrahimoviç brings much more than just leadership skills. He has brought about a dynamicism, more movement and infact a total change in tactics.

With this write-up let us look at the changes Ibrahimoviç brought into the team from someone like Krystoff Piatek

1. The Height advantage

Ibrahimoviç  is 1.95m tall (6ft 5 inches). This against Piatek’s 1.83m (6ft 0 inches). It gives a very big height significance and an aerial threat in the box which make defenders stay on their toes. Very few defenders in Serie A are as tall as Ibrahimoviç is and they cannot cope when crosses are put into the box by our midfielders/wingers.

Check out his headed assist for Hakan against Sampdoria. He used his aerial ability to head the ball into the path of Hakan’s run from deep.

2. Physicality and Hold up play

With his huge frame and super strength,  Ibrahimovic is like a wall for the opposition players. When ball is played to him he easily shields the defender behind up and can hold on to the ball till one of Milan’s player had made a run. Piatek did not possess this kind of attribute and hence it restricted Milan’s attacking play

Against Cagilari Ibra holds the defender off to give Leao space

3. Off the ball moevement and Ball playing ability

Now this is the most impeccable attribute of the big Swede. With all of his physical attributes Zlatan Ibrahimoviç is also a top ball playing striker with high in-game intelligence.

Piatek in his stint for Milan often looked to make deep runs by staying on the shoulder of the last defender and wanted balls being fed to him. Once defenders and coaches analysed his game they neutralised him and was isolated.

Ibrahimoviç drops in deep and pulls defenders out of position. And with his superior technique he is able to play quick passes or through balls through the space which results in a clear chance created.

Against Bologna for the third goal Ibrahimovic makes a decoy run on the right wing with Rebic moving in. This confused the Bologna defenders with Danilo running to cover Ibrahimoviç and Denswil covering up the space left by Danilo and to to mark Rebic this left a huge gap between the LCB and the LB. Hakan who had the ball played a horizontal pass to Bennacer who ran into the gap left by the defender and scored.

Another example of Ibra’s play is this chance he created for Hakan. He pushes horizontally and reciveres a pass from Rebic. To cover Ibra, Toloi tries to close him down. Hakan runs into the space left by Toloi and Ibra completed the passing triangle with a swift turn and pass. Hakan was offside though.

Many experts and fans had doubted the ability of the swede at the age of 38. But Ibra being Ibra proved all of his doubters wrong with 11 and 5 assists in all competitions. Never make the mistake of Under-estimating Zlatan again.

In the summer of 2019 Milan paid Lille 23 Million for the transfer of Rafael Leao after selling cult hero Patrick Cutrone to Wolves for 22 Million. A player who had a good start to his senior career with Lille, Milan saw a lot of potential in Leao and saw his transfer in line with the vision of the club “Young talented players to take the club forward”

Leao made quite the splash in a sub appearence vs Feronikeli in a season friendly. His explosive pace combined with his slick dribbling skills dazzled fans. Marco Giampaolo gave him his first start vs Inter in the derby. Although he did give trouble to veteran Diego Godin, Godins’s experience kept him quiet but it was his goal against Fiorentina that fans really saw aproductive output. 

But since then Leao has been blowing hot and cold. With the coming of Zlatan and Leao publically professing his admiration for Zlatan and his desire to work under the great, the revival of Rebic relegated Leao to the bench with Pioli opting for quick results instead of patient team building approach.

In this article, I aim to make a case for the young lad with an analysis on his strentghs and weakness and style of play. He seems to be a real promising player if given the right direction and patience.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Foot: Right
Height: 6ft 2 inches (1.88 metres)

STYLE OF PLAY

Attacking the spaces

Rafael Leão has keen sense as a striker. A very important aspect for any striker of his style is the attack the space left by momentary disorganisation of the opposite team and this is a very important aspect for any playing in Serie A.

In this counter attacking sequence you can see how Rugani who foulded Rebic left his position to attack disposess Rebic and leaves space on that Right side. The ball is loose and Rafael Leão (collects the ball from point 1) attacks the space and as we all know he scores a wonderful goal

Positioning

Leao always looks to position himself closer to the last man’s shoulders. This enables him to use his pace and get past his last man. This is effective especially during counter attacks

In this picture you can see how he is close to the shoulder of the last man as Calabria plays a vertical pass and Leao collects it and turns with a bit of skill to put it into the path of the onrushing Calabria for the goal against Bologna.

Link up play

Rafael Leão also has good ball playing abilities along with his skill and often drops deeper to participate in build up play often becoming the 3rd option for the player in posession to pass to. In this example below he drops deeper (from Point 1 to Point 2) allwoimg Theo to make a overlapping run drawing the defender out of position and giving space for theo to make the run. He uses Theo as a decoy to put in a diagonal ball for Zlatan who missed a goal by inches.

In the same you can see how Samu and Leao (who recived the ball from Ibra)  link up play for trying to cut open Cagilari’s resolute defence.

Making Intelligent runs

Leão makes intelligent quick runs to catch defenders unaware which brings about unpredictablity in attacking play. You can see below as to how Leao caught Cagilari’s defence out when samu was taking a set piece. He spotted Leao making the run and put a vertical pass which Leão scored

AREAS TO IMPROVE

Hold-Up Play

A prime reason for Milan to improve their attack this seaosn has been hold up play from Ibrahimoviç. With his huge frame and physique, Zlatan has the technique as well to hold the ball until one of Milan’s other attackers have made runs. If Leao can improve on that aspect which can make him more and more of a complete striker.

Aerial Ability

Leão has good height for a striker. 6ft 2 inches at 21 years of age should.make him bit more dominant in the air. He has recently showed improvement but is yet to be an imminent threat from Set pieces.

Defensive work-rate

As a unit, Leao should show a bit more work-rate to help his teammates out in defence to press effectively and start quick counters.

CONCLUSION

Leao is only 21 years old. He is hungry for success and has showing impatience. He needs to emulate work ethic of his idol  Zlatan and be patient. Because if he keeps going at this rate and works hard he will definetly be the best striker in Milan and definetly be the future of Milan.

“Attack is the best form of defence” they said and modern football has been nothing but a living football. You can see how coaches especially Pep focus on possession football and attacking the opposition which automatically implies that the opposite team do not get the ball to attack their opponents.

And with video analysis and so much data, Coaches and technicians are always at their wits end to keep things fresh and unpredictable. This is where flank play and inverted wingers have become more of a trend like how Robben cutting in to his left foot to score.

Traditionally known for the 4-3-1-2 formation Milan slowly shifted to a 4-2-3-1 formation in Allegri’s last season at Milan. Seedorf and Inzaghi brought out various versions of it with Inzaghi even playing a 4-3-3 with Cerci, Honda and El Sharaawy (when fit). Mihaljovic played a 4-4-2 before Montella used it as his prime formation with Suso as the right winger and Niang later Deulofeu playing as the Left Winger. Since then we had Gattuso carrying it forward and while Giampaolo reverted back to a 4-3-3 in his tenure, Pioli has Milan back to a 4-3-3/ 4-2-3-1.

Ever since Montella’s first season Suso has been a major part of Milan’s plans as he broke through under Montella. Suso recorded 7 Goals and 11 assists that season and followed it up with performances in 2017/18 season and 2018/19 season.  Milan never signed a proper left winger to complement Suso on the left flank for 2 seasons. The Right wing with Suso was never a concern for Milan with Leonardo signing Samu Castillejo as a backup for Suso.

 But chinks in the armor were going unnoticed. Suso, for example, was turning up for a long time in the season which was not being reflected his statistics. It split open in the 2019/20 season however. Milan had finally signed Ante Rebic, a player who was a Left Winger for Eintracht Frankfurt. But Suso capitulated this season with 1 goal and 2 Assists in 16 games before he was moved on to Sevilla for a fee of 24 Million. Milan signed Saelemaekers from Anderlecht for a fee of 7 Million and awarded Samu Castillejo the starting position.

This has improved us in terms of overall play where Milan have scored 39 goals in 19 games including 28 games in 10 games post lockdown. In total Milan have scored 56 goals this season let us take a look at the contribution of the 3 players played at right wing (minimum 10 games at right wing)

In total Milan’s 3 right wingers have contributed only a total of 4 goals and 7 assists all season.  Now let us compare this number to some of the other wingers playing in the right wing

You can see how Each player has individually amassed more goals and assists than the sum total of our 3 right wing players. These numbers are a  MAJOR CONCERN for a team aiming to qualify for Champions league next season and Stefano Pioli would definetly need a reinforcement on that side if he is to find success.

We at SempreMilan  have shortlisted 5 potential candidates for the role that Milan should/could look at.

HOMEGROWN OPTIONS

Often players take time to get used to the defensive nature of Serie A and hence teams often look to players within the league to avoid the risks. Here are 2 options from Serie A

Domenico Berardi

Age:26
Foot: Left
Transfermarkt Value: €19M

Milan fans have known Domenico Berardi since a long time. A player who always turned up against us to score goals is still at Sassuolo despite being consistent despite his injuries at Sassuolo. How he is a Sassuolo player is still a wonder for ardent Calcio fans

A left footed Right winger Berardi is a pacy wideman who often moves wide but then drifts inside into shooting positions unmarked by full backs or centre backs. A player with pace entwined with good passing ability and vision is a quality that Milan could use in their right side. While he is not a fancy dribbler his disadvantage is his ability to hold the ball. He could also do with improving his defensive workrate. Also something that has prevented from taking the next step is his injury problems.

Ricardo Orsolini

Age:23
Foot: Left
Transfermarkt Value: €20M

A name Milan missed out on in the winter of 2017 preferring to go for Deulofeu and Ocampos, Orsolini was picked up by Juventus and was loaned to Atalanta and Bologna before his transfer was made permanent at Bologna where he has grown. He is a prodigy from the Ascoli academy.

Orsolini can play as an out-and-out wide player in a 4-3-3 or as an inverted winger in a 4-2-3-1 although he prefers the inverted winger role preferring to cut on his favoured left foot. He usually starts out wide hugging the touchline and then uses his dribbling prowess to get to a crossing position or to get into a shooting position with his left foot. He is ambidextrous and does not hesitate to use his right foot.  Physically he is 6 ft tall and has some explosive pace to beat opposition defenders. He also makes intelligent off the ball movement and likes to take on defenders.

His main advantage is his excellent first touch and his ball control. He has room to improve his passing as well as creativity including passing and crossing.

FOREIGN OPTIONS

With Italian league not doing as well as the days of Calcio 90, teams often look to bring players from outside to give an exrta dimension to their teams. Here are 3 options analysed

Angel Correa

Age:25
Foot: Right
Transfermarkt Value: €32M

Milan had an entire month worth of saga thanks to Angel Correa after following the player for one month and coming up short. An inspiring player who can play in multiple positions Angel Correa presents the perfect blend of young and experience.

Correa is a real box of tricks. Having a low center of gravity he possess particular bursts of pace and beat defenders. A good first touch, excellent close control and high in-game intelligence Correa has the ability to find space sometimes even the ability to create it for himself. He also has a strong personality overcoming a heart surgery and personal losses which has made him carry on despite setbacks. Drilled under Simeone’s grueling defensive football with bouts of pressing and quick counters Correa has the versatility to play out wide as well as in the forward role A major disadvantage is his height as he is only 1.74 meters which does not make him strong in aerial duels. He also has fatigue issues due to his heart surgery but this season he has become Simeone’s main man. Atletico are a very difficult club to negotiate with.

Krepin Diatta

Age:21
Foot: Right
Transfermarkt Value: €19M

Of Senegalese nationality, Diatta comes from the golden age of Senegal national tema which has seen the likes of Kouilybaly and Sadio Mane. He is a 21 year old winger who plays for Club Brugge in Belgium and has put some performances in this year’s UCL. He plays as a Right winger but can also fill in Right wing back in a 3 at the back formation.

Diatta is a strong runner with the ball. He combines great bursts of pace with quick feet to beat defenders. Diatta is a player that prefers to cut inside and shoot instead of trying to pass or cross. He averages 2.12 shots per 90 minutes this season. His success rate for crosses is 25.71% and he needs a lot of working on it.

Victor Tsygankov

Age:22
Foot: Left
Transfermarkt Value: €16M

The hottest prospect from Ukraine, Tsygankov has been attracting interest from many clubs. Playing for Dynamo Kiev at 22 years old Tsygankov is a Dynamo academy product.

A left footed Right winger Tsygankov is ambidextrous and he often dribbles withhis right foot from the right wing. He often makes deep runs into the penalty box on the right hand channel. Tsygankov has raw pace that with nurturing can be made into effective acceleration. Another strong aspect of his game is his set piece taking. Tsygankov takes good corners and is a free kick expert.

CONCLUSION

A right winger for Milan is important. Milan need a fast dynamic player to avoided being lopsided last the last few years where all the attack was from the right through Suso and now a lot of attacks are from the left from Rebic. Of course, one article is not enough to cover a lot of options there like Chiesa, Malcolm, Politano etc. But in the end let’s hope Milan support Pioli with a good signing