After a loss to Sampdoria, it is obviously vitally important that AC Milan re-address the way they are going to approach the season.
People have been angry at the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, purely for monetary gain.
They’re supposed replacements, Francesco Acerbi or Cristian Zapata for Silva and Pazzini for Ibrahimovic, are no where near the calibre of players that have left and few of them have room to grow into the legends that were lost.
Many people would have seen Ibrahimovic’s departure as expected, he has never been truly comfortable at a club and there was always a sense of tension with him in the team. Silva, however, was a complete shock.
Many would have expected him to stay at Milan, having reached his prime. He has left Milan without any suitable centre backs, with Alessandro Nesta joining MLS team Montreal Impact.
With these guys gone and several other veterans leaving, here is what Milan must do to rebuild their squad and reputation:
THE SQUAD
To figure out where signings need to be made, we need to look at what is lacking in the squad. Abbiati and Amelia are getting on in age, but Gabriel is a young and promising goalkeeper who will certainly be the future shot-stopper. As far as goalkeepers, Milan is okay.
De Sciglio and Abate still have a lot of growth to go and will be the ultimate wing attack that could be the re-incarnations of Mauro Tassotti and Paulo Maldini. However, in the centre Milan looks more like a Serie B team.
Zapata is probably the best defender Milan’s got and Yepes is not a player who can play 38 games a season. Bonera showed why its time for him to move on this weekend and Mexes is constantly injured and getting older. Milan’s purchase of Acerbi was strange and he failed to impress in the pre-season.
The left-hand side of Milan is looking poor. Antonini and Mesbah are not first team players yet they manage to play there because there is no one else. Maybe it is time to let Didac Vila show what he can do?
In the midfield, Montolivo and Nocerino are of the ideal standard. Flamini is only slightly off the pace and with Emanuelson only just off the pace, their starting formation is set. Replacements are a bit lacking, however.
Constant and Traore are not world-class players and Ambrosini has lost the form we may have seen from him a few years ago. When Muntari returns and the younger players like Carmona and Valoti start getting some first team action, we will be slightly safer.
The front-line is also interesting. The trequartista position will be dominated by Kevin-Prince Boateng as he continues to churn out impressive form. El Shaarawy and Pato are looking good for the next generation whilst Pazzini and Robinho hold the fort for now. If Pato recovers from his current injury quickly, he could prove deadly this season.
THE SIGNINGS
Now that we know where the gaps are, we can start to look for signings, something Milan should have done. The goalkeepers Milan has currently are more than ideal and maybe Milan should think of calling up one of their Primavera goalkeepers for cup matches.
The centre back and left back positions are certainly in need of replacement. Midfield may need some younger back up players whilst the forward line could use either a veteran or a young gun.
Centre backs:
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa would be a fantastic acquisition for Milan and he is keen to come. A young player who is already experienced will be perfect for Milan. Complimenting him, either Bruno Uvini or Rolando would also be ideal to strengthen the Milanese defence.
Left backs:
Although it has never come up, Davide Santon could be an ideal left-back for Milan. Emanuelson could be known to drop back and play there and Didac Vila could be given a chance.
Midfield:
A quick signing of Kevin Strootman would complete the team and there was interest for the midfielder there, earlier in the transfer market. Kaka would almost certainly boost fan numbers as well as provide a great option for playmaking.
Forwards:
If the deal with M’Baye Niang does fall through, then Balotelli should be signed. Milan may be the team to turn around his stubborn behaviour.
THE LAY-OFFS
With all these players potentially coming in, there are a few players Milan needs to get rid of. Mesbah can leave. He is not the player Milan needs and he isn’t getting any better.
Bonera is surplus to requirements and nothing more than a liability every time he plays. Ambrosini should be gotten rid of. Yes, he has been there for a long time but he really has nothing more to offer the team and will see little game time this year.
Robinho could be gotten rid of if his season is not an improvement on last season. He would bring in money and allow squad space.
THE PLAYERS
The players are going to have to work hard for their Scudetto chance. It will come from a solid formation, utilising four backs, a midfielder playing slightly deeper with two other central midfielders. After that, a trequartista supporting two strikers.
The ideal formation, including bought players would look something like this. Yanga-Mbiwa and Zapata bring the defensive standards back up while Vila and Abate assist and go forward.
Kevin Strootman suits the defensive midfielder role well and would support Montolivo and Nocerino well. Kaka plays well in the trequartista position whilst Pato and Pazzini play well out the front.
THE FUTURE
Milan has said that their idea is to build a squad from their youth ranks, similarly to how Barcelona did. In the early 2000s Barcelona’s consistency was poor but after a major investment in youth, they have turned their squad around. Milan wish to do the same and a dramatic drop I squad age proves it.
Milan needs to play their youth though. It has been a long time since a goalkeeper came through the youth ranks and got an appearance for Milan and one doesn’t need to come through immediately thanks to Gabriel but soon, a replacement for Abbiati will be needed and it should come from the youth ranks.
The defence can surely be built from the best of Primavera players. Abate and De Sciglio are products of the Milan youth sector and are performing brilliantly. Its time another young star came through and hopefully we might see some goals being stopped.
In the midfield, Milan has Valoti, Carmona and Strasser. They are all young and all ready to prove their place in the team. Hopefully their season isn’t indicative of the no appearance season Valoti had last year.
No primavera players are on the forward line but Kingsley Boateng is likely to be a first team member in the future. Apart from that, as long as Milan keep bringing through quality Primavera players, the future will be safe.
THE BELIEF
The final thing that is going to help Milan is their belief in themselves. A first game defeat to a newly promoted club is not a dream start in anyone’s books, but Milan need to believe that they have a strong enough squad to win.
They must believe in themselves and the Scudetto will land safely in their hands.
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