Why the Defence Is the Biggest Issue Facing AC Milan Ahead of the New Season

AC Milan have addressed almost every immediate need this off-season—except the defence.

Unfortunately, it’s the most urgent.

The back line has suffered ever since the departures of Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta in 2012. The two were ultimate complements to each other: young and old, student and master. They made up one of the best partnerships in Italy.

So, of course, they left a massive void, and Milan filled it with stopgaps: Philippe Mexes, Alex and Adil Rami, who has since left the club. There was never really a plan in place to replace a budding talent like Thiago Silva and a veteran like Nesta.

Again this summer, even after spending €58 million in transfer fees, the defence is the last thing on their mind.

Salvatore Laporta/Associated Press

But Milan appear to have identified their primary target: AS Roma’s Alessio Romagnoli, the 20-year-old centre-back who played under new Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic at Sampdoria last season.

The Rossoneri have for the moment stopped their bidding at €25 million, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). It’s beginning to look like an arms race for Romagnoli, with Chelsea and Napoli also in contention as the market for young, promising centre-backs continues to shrink.

The effort alone to sign a defender for the future is a change of pace for Milan. They are finally thinking about the position.

And they really have no choice: They conceded 50 goals in Serie A last season. Milan hadn't allowed that many goals since 1949, according to Football Italia.

The defence was totally abandoned. There was no strategy. Bad habits became normal. Milan could not defend against set pieces or fend off headers. They lacked the height and agility to combat big and fleet strikers. Former coach Filippo Inzaghi could not correct any of it. Training was fruitless.

The atmosphere around the team last year did not help. There were reports of a rift between Inzaghi and the players, with the 41-year-old deeming his squad to be “unworthy” of the shirt, according to Italian media (h/t Rossoneri Blog).

There was a lack of trust, and without that, everything else—including the defence—falls apart.

Defence requires the most discipline, and Milan had very little of it in recent years. That’s why the environment had to change and Mihajlovic was hired.

Mihajlovic has already created a culture of accountability at Milanello. He has put his players through double training sessions and rewarded them with a full team dinner on him.

Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

The defenders Milan already have—Gabriel Paletta, Mexes, Cristian Zapata—are more than decent on their best days. Paletta and Mexes can clear the ball effectively, and Zapata can make a last-ditch tackle. But they don't provide consistent results. It’s sometimes scary to watch.

These players need the right mentality to succeed, and that is the biggest test for Mihajlovic: not revving up his attack but reinforcing his defence.

They cannot have an episode like last season, when Mexes lost his mind and tried to strangle Lazio's Stefano Mauri. They need composure.

Signing Romagnoli would be the easy way out. It'd lump a lot of pressure on a kid who has just a few dozen games of professional experience. Milan did it to Stephan El Shaarawy early in his career, and look what happened to him: spent after one breakout season, out injured and ultimately sold abroad.

What Milan need is a climate in which to thrive. Mihajlovic has to keep his defenders on alert. He has to educate them, emphasize the basics and limit the mistakes. This team has to be professional again.