Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, is a proponent of the 4-3-1-2. It is a distinctly narrow formation with little to no room for wingers. The uncompromising emphasis on the formation forced Stephan El Shaarawy out of the club, as he was reportedly unwilling to adapt his game to play in central midfield. The team, in an instant, lost a player who might have become the fulcrum of Milan’s attack for many a year.
Pre-season friendlies, press conferences and rumour mills gave no indication of the training staff attempting to trial him in the newly revised front-three. Traditionally a wing-forward, El Shaarawy possessed the attributes to be a successful second-striker. Alas, he shall ply his trade at AS Monaco this season.
Bacca and Adriano are differently gifted when compared to Alexandre Pato and Robinho, who were members of the squad under Massimiliano Allegri. Both newcomers have predominantly played as primary strikers in their respective careers. They have a similar skill-set and score a whopping majority of their goals from inside the box. Their strengths are not complimentary, but are far too similar to form an instinctive partnership.
His role enabled him to drop deeper and link-up play, allowing Kevin-Prince Boateng (a number 10 playing as a forward-destroyer) to make surging runs into the box. Tactically, it was a simple swap between the two during the attacking phases of play.
Their position on the pitch also creates a gigantic hole between the midfield and the attack, which would typically be exploited by a hard-working support striker or a dynamic number 10. In the absence of such a player, Mihaljovic’s model of an intense, energetic team might fall through even before the ball is kicked.
Several other teams that play with two strikers often pair forwards with complementary skills. Nabil Fekir plays off Alexandre Lacazette at Lyon, Carlos Tevez ran the miles while Alvaro Morata or Fernando Llorente led the line at Juventus, Antoine Griezmann floated behind Mario Mandzukic at Atletico Madrid and Rodrigo Palacio supplemented Mauro Icardi at Inter Milan, enabling the youngster to bag 22 goals last season. There is a science that justifies striking partnerships.
Milan has players in Jeremy Menez and Alessio Cerci who are capable of playing as support strikers. That being said, their best position is out wide, where they are most lethal. M’Baye Niang too has shown, on multiple occasions, that his best position is as a number 9, making him excess to requirements.
His agent admitted that the management rejected offers from Italy, Spain and England in order to keep him at the club. The stance on retaining the French forward is baffling, given the team’s expensive resources in that position.
Mihajlovic might still get Bacca and Adriano to play together. However, the chances of them understanding each other and altering their style are rather remote, as both these players are in their late twenties and in their peaks as footballers. The myopic attitude of the management could yet see Milan being dysfunctional this season, particularly in attack.
This article has been contributed by a member of the SK Featured Bloggers Club. It was originally published on the ‘Milan and Me’ blog here.
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