Why AC Milan Will Be a Better Team When Mario Balotelli Returns from Injury

Last Sunday was positive for both AC Milan and Mario Balotelli.

The team got back to winning ways in Serie A action by defeating Fiorentina 2-0 at San Siro, while the player returned from injury to make his first appearance for the club since September.

The sight of Balotelli coming off the bench was a relief for Milan, who have struggled in his absence. While other factors undoubtedly played a part in those struggles, the player’s unavailability was noticeable.

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The 25-year-old suffered a groin injury in the aftermath of the Rossoneri’s 1-0 loss to Genoa on 27 September 2015. He was kept on the sidelines for over three months, denying Sinisa Mihajlovic one of his most influential attacking players for a significant time period.

While Balotelli was on the treatment table, Milan suffered from a lack of inventiveness in the final third, particularly when faced with opposition whose primary ambition was to remain defensively compact.

This issue was glaringly evident on three separate occasions in recent months: away to Carpi and at home to Verona in December and at home to Bologna on the first game back following the winter break.

According to statistics provided by WhoScored.com, Milan dominated the ball in all of these games, yet failed to utilise this successfully to their own ends. Against Carpi, Verona and Bologna respectively, Mihajlovic’s men enjoyed 61, 54 and 58 per cent of possession. They also attempted far more shots while completing more dribbles in each match.

However, Milan picked up just two points from a possible nine in these three games combined, all of which they were expected to win.

What this showed was an inability to break down deep-lying defences. All of Carpi, Verona and Bologna sat back before counter-attacking. Milan couldn’t open up their opposition, scoring just once in these three fixtures despite their greater possession.

In these situations, Balotelli’s audacious trickery and unpredictability would have aided Milan in cutting through packed defensive lines. Per Squawka.com, the striker makes more key passes per 90 minutes than any of his team-mates. Without his creativity, Milan were often rendered toothless by relatively weak opponents.

Tactically, Mihajlovic has tried to combat this in a variety of different ways. After beginning the season in a 4-3-1-2 system, the coach implemented a 4-3-3 before eventually settling on a 4-4-2 shape toward the end of last year.

The switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 was done to bring about additional attacking outlets, but Milan have often found it difficult to combine solid defence with creative forward play within this system.

Following the win over Fiorentina, Mihajlovic spoke openly about his designs on altering the way his side were set up once more, telling Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia): “When we get [Kevin-Prince] Boateng, Jeremy Menez and Balotelli back to full fitness, my idea is to play 4-3-1-2."

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While Balotelli could probably play in the hole behind the two strikers in this system, he is much better suited to a more advanced role, where there is less pressure on him to perform defensive duties. As such, when he is fully fit, it is a real possibility that Mihajlovic will field him alongside Carlos Bacca up front.

Bacca has been ruthless during his debut campaign with Milan. Against Fiorentina, he “found his 9th Serie A goal … with his 19th shot on target," per Opta Paolo. His clinical streak would only be abetted by a technical, deeper-lying foil such as Balotelli.

Furthermore, Bacca is in need of support not just in a tactical sense but in a more personal sense. He has scored one-third of all Milan’s league goals, with the second highest scorer being Giacomo Bonaventura with four. The reliability the team places on the Colombian poacher is unhealthy.

Recently, it became apparent that Luiz Adriano is on the verge of leaving Milan, with Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) reporting that the Brazilian “is all set for a €14m transfer to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning."

Adriano was one of Bacca's main strike partners, and his departure only increases Balotelli's importance to the team as one of their few remaining striking options. 

As well as offering extra attacking choice, Balotelli fits Mihajlovic’s tactical preferences, and his presence brings much needed ingenuity to Milan’s attack. Once back to full fitness, he can play a vital role in the second half of the Rossoneri’s season.