Pablo Armero Deserves a Chance at Left-Back for AC Milan

It is hard to blame Pablo Armero. He didn't come to AC Milan to sit on the bench. He was made promises. And yet he has played just 14 minutes of competitive football for the club.

"I didn’t ask to go to Milan," the Colombian told El Universal (h/t Rossoneri Blog), "I asked to go to a team where I could be a leader."

It was coach Pippo Inzaghi who called over the 28-year-old left-back from Udinese. Armero was signed only on a loan deal. Nothing is permanent. But there is still a sense of deceit in the air at Milan.

"It was Inzaghi who called and asked me to go to Milan, because he said he was depending on me," Armero said, "but so far I haven’t found room in the Italian league."

There is no obvious reason why Armero is out of the squad. Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio do occupy the starting spots on either flank, and that is fair enough. But Armero did not even get to play when injuries mounted.

Instead, in the past game against Sampdoria, Inzaghi chose Daniele Bonera—barely a capable centre-back on the best of days—over the Colombian. Bonera received a red card for his troubles.

Armero, meanwhile, continues to start at left-back for the Colombian national team, and he is called up regularly. Usually he shines, and usually he justifies himself, but on Friday he was trending for the wrong reasons.

On the same day those quotes hit the internet, Armero handled the ball in the penalty box and conceded a penalty to the United States. Colombia still won the friendly, and Armero has not lost any self-belief.

“Milan know that when I get on the pitch I am strong, so when I am on the pitch there is more chance for me to demonstrate what I can do and what the team can do,” Armero told Goal.com after the friendly on Friday.

Armero looks like a great character. He scored the first World Cup goal for Colombia within minutes of their opener against Greece, and Armero duly led one of the celebrations of the tournament. He was the centre of that great show of pride.

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Armero thought he could build on that World Cup showing, too. Except Inzaghi has barely given him a chance to build his own confidence in club football after a tough year with Napoli and West Ham. 

Neither team redeemed his rights after the 2013-14 season, and he was not particularly reliable for either squad. But Inzaghi has shown that he will give second chances (playing Paris Saint-Germain reject Jeremy Menez as a false nine). Armero should be no different. 

The man playing ahead of Armero is not necessarily owning the left-back position anyway. De Sciglio is weak on the ball and showing few (if any) signs of improvement. 

If either De Sciglio or Abate are not ready for the derby with Inter next weekend, it is time to give Armero a go. Bonera is suspended, and it is ridiculous to even consider playing a slow and error-prone player like Michael Essien, even though he has played as a full-back under Jose Mourinho before.

Armero trusted Inzaghi, but the opposite is not true. For a coach who prides himself on the team's harmony and spirit, there is little evidence of that here.