Keys for Mattia Destro Making the Grade at Milan

Mattia Destro, the marquee signing of the January window, sat out most of the game last weekend against Hellas Verona. AC Milan had brought him in to fill a specific hole in the line-up: to serve as a traditional striker and a solid presence at the tip of the attack.

The reason for the benching was not immediately clear. Destro has only scored once for Milan since the move and has struggled to make an impact in his five appearances thus far, only registering seven shots in that time.

He told reporters in February (h/t Football Italia) that he is the one who has to adapt. He believes in his abilities; they are just not showing.

Like the rest of the Milan squad, Destro needs consistency. He did not have it at Roma and has not enjoyed any of it so far at his new club. He came to Milan to play every game. That has to happen.

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Manager Filippo Inzaghi tends to tinker with the starting formation too much, and Destro was the victim of that last Sunday against Verona. A few minutes in garbage time at the end of the match does nothing to boost the confidence of a striker. It's almost a slap in the face. Inzaghi did it to Alessio Cerci and then to Destro.

The 23-year-old needs more support in almost every aspect of the game. On several occasions, Destro has raced back into Milan's third of the pitch to defend and get involved in the play. If not, he risks being a passenger.

He does not have to adapt so much as get the ball. The onus rests on free-roaming players such as Jeremy Menez and Cerci to supply their new No. 9 with the chances inside the danger areas. They are the ones who actually need to change the way they play if Milan are going to achieve any success with a classic centre-forward.

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After all, this is a loan deal. Destro may not stay with Milan in the long term if they decide not to pay the buy-out clause in the summer, which makes these last 12 Serie A matches even more important. The Rossoneri have to see if they even want to keep the striker or look elsewhere to replace him. Sitting Destro in favour of a players such as Giampaolo Pazzini, whose Milan contract expires in June, makes no sense: The future has to take precedence.

Plus, Destro is the kind of player who takes his chances when he gets them. He was not a bona fide starter for Roma over the past one-and-a-half seasons, and yet he still scored 18 goals in Serie A during that time. This guy knows where to find the net if he has a chance to see it.

The next couple of months are crucial for Milan. They are 10th right now. If they want to claim a European spot, they have to catch up to the rest—and fast.

More importantly, Destro has to play a part.