AC Milan: Full Report Card for Every Position for October
Milan have gotten off to an up-and-down start to life under coach Filippo Inzaghi. The new coach has done well to get the squad to buy into his theories, but there still isn’t really a set style of play.
While the coach wants champagne football, a lack of creativity in the midfield has put a cork in the bottle, and hasn’t allowed the squad to really start playing the brand of football they want.
The following grading will take place on a school-like A-F scale, with A being excellent and F being a massive fail.
Without further ado, here's a positional report card for Milan so far this season in the last month of October:
Coach: B
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Filippo Inzaghi was put in charge this past summer after Clarence Seedorf was fired after only being employed for six months.
Inzaghi’s only experience running a team was with Milan’s youth setup, where he did a good job and played an attacking brand of football.
With Milan, he changed the formation from an unbalanced 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3. He urges the midfielders to get forward and join the attack, which has either worked or left the defense exposed.
He still has plenty to learn, but has shown promising signs, especially after going toe-to-toe with Juventus and only losing by a 1-0 scoreline. His team is now coming off a 1-1 draw with Cagliari.
The question will be whether or not he'll be given the reigns to choose players in the transfer market, and the necessary time to truly make his mark.
Goalkeeper: B
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Key Players: Christian Abbiati, Diego Lopez.
The goalkeeping position for Milan hasn’t been one of the strong suits in quite some time.
Bringing in Diego Lopez was supposed to strengthen the position, but a freak injury after a terrible goalkeeping blunder in the match vs. Parma put him out of action and thrust Christian Abbiati in the lineup.
So far, Abbiati has been great.
His performance against Hellas Verona was sensational, and there are whispers that Lopez might not be able to get his spot back as long as Abbiati keeps up this form. As a matter of fact, his performance was so strong in that match that it probably gifted Milan the extra two points.
Either way, Milan have some depth at the position, and Diego Lopez is still one of the better in his position across Europe. Now let’s see if he’ll play a match any time soon.
Full-Back: B
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Key Players: Ignazio Abate, Mattia De Sciglio, Pablo Armero.
The two most used full-backs so far have been Ignazio Abate. While Abate deserves an A, and is having the best season of his career, the young Mattia De Sciglio has undergone a worrying involution and has only been mediocre at best.
Abate always had olympic speed, but his delivery on the final ball has been much more accurate than in the past. Abate has the acceleration to blow by defenders, and has been able to accurately cross the ball to find a teammate.
De Sciglio on the other hand, has really regressed after being considered one of the finest up-and-coming full-backs in world football. His touch going forward is clumsy, and he isn’t playing with confidence at the moment.
Fans still haven’t seen much of Pablo Armero. The Colombian was brought in to compete for a spot but has hardly found time under Inzaghi.
Center-Back: C+
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Key Players: Adil Rami, Alex, Cristian Zapata, Daniele Bonera.
It has been a revolving door at the back for the Rossoneri.
While Daniele Bonera was used in the beginning, he has since made way for the likes of Cristian Zapata, Adil Rami and Alex. This has gone over well with nearly everyone, as Bonera was borderline diabolical during his first few matches.
Alex and Rami seem to be the preferred pairing so far, but they have hardly been able to keep a clean sheet. The unit have conceded 12 goals so far in the first nine matchdays, putting more pressure on the strikers to turn most games into shootouts.
Hopefully, Inzaghi does decide on a starting pair so they can start building some chemistry together. Rami and Alex look like the first choice, but they are both similar in ways. Both are strong in the air but lack much pace, which is Zapata's strongest attribute.
The biggest question is if Milan can really go far with the current defense. Alex is the most experienced out of the bunch, but he has yet to form a truly solid partnership with anyone else at the back.
Midfield: C+
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Key Players: Nigel De Jong, Sulley Muntari, Andrea Poli.
The three-man midfield unit has been subpar other than Nigel De Jong, who has been one of the best performers for the Rossoneri.
De Jong has taken up the most defensive role in the 4-3-3, often playing right in front of the defensive line and trying to read the opposition's passing lanes.
He has also given his squad an unexpected scoring touch, netting twice this season.
However, the real problem doesn't lie with the Dutchman.
Sulley Muntari and Andrea Poli just haven’t been able to keep possession, and they frequently have been dispossessed in their own half, which has led to very dangerous counterattacks.
Inzaghi has now tried Giacomo Bonaventura slightly out of position as a midfielder to give more of an offensive spark. Keep in mind that Riccardo Montolivo is still injured, and he's an unquestioned starter once healthy, as he can finally provide that much-needed long pass.
Wingers: A-
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Key Players: Keisuke Honda, Jeremy Menez, Stephan El Shaarawy, Giacomo Bonaventura.
The wing positions have been taken up primarily by Keisuke Honda, Jeremy Menez and Stephan El Shaarawy.
While El Shaarawy still needs to find his form, the other two have really stood out so far this campaign. El Shaarawy has shown the necessary work rate to get back and help with the defending as well, but he hasn't scored a domestic goal in more than 600 minutes of action.
Menez and Honda have combined for nine goals so far, with the Japanese international having scored six of them.
Up front is where Inzaghi has the least of his worries. All these players are versatile and can fit a number of positions based on the opposition. Menez has even succeeded as a false No. 9 when Fernando Torres hasn't been used.
The biggest story though, remains Keisuke Honda. After really playing poorly last season, he has finally shown what he's capable of when he's in form, adding a scoring and creative touch to Milan's front line.
Striker: C
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Key Players: Fernando Torres, Jeremy Menez, Giampaolo Pazzini.
Milan's biggest problem has been finding a No. 9 to consistently lead the line after Mario Balotelli left to Liverpool.
Inzaghi had the idea a few times to include Jeremy Menez as a false No. 9, but it seems that the coach would prefer having a more traditional striker to fill the role.
So far, that traditional striker has been Fernando Torres. The Spaniard who joined Milan from Chelsea on a two-year loan this summer has only scored once, putting in a host of anonymous performances which might see his job come into question.
Torres has had his moments, but has ultimately not been enough of a factor in front of goal, showing only rare glimpses of the form which made him a hot commodity at Liverpool.
Unfortunately, the only like-for-like replacement for Torres is Giampaolo Pazzini. Pazzini is a different type of player who is more of a poacher and cannot really create much for himself with the ball at his feet.
Don't be surprised to see a few changes coming in January with this department of the squad.
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