AC Milan: Player-by-Player Guide to Their 2015-16 Serie A Squad
After almost three months of waiting, the Serie A season is about to begin. The new season kicks off this Saturday, and the next day AC Milan will start what they hope is the road back to their customary spot in the upper reaches of the table.
The 18-time league champions have gone through a trying period. Financial issues saw world-class players sold off and replaced with inferior talent. The team's performance began to slip, and the coaches were blamed. After Massimiliano Allegri finally lost one too many games in 2013, the manager's office was occupied by Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi—both Milan legends but also novice coaches.
Now the club has a fast-rising new boss in Sinisa Mihajlovic and a rebuilt roster fueled by some timely outside investment. The hope is that this new squad will be able to arrest Milan's fall down the standings and get the Rossoneri back into European competition.
Who are the men who will look to get it done? Here is a look at Mihajlovic's core squad and what can be expected of it this season.
All statistics from WhoScored.com unless otherwise specified.
Diego Lopez
1 of 25
Squad Number: 1
Position: Goalkeeper
Signed In: 2014, from Real Madrid
Diego Lopez was without question Milan's best player last season.
It's unfortunate that fans had to see just how good he was. Lopez was absolutely peppered with shots as the subpar defense in front of him was repeatedly shredded. He was forced into a whopping 85 saves last year.
Milan rewarded his incredible performance with the No. 1 shirt. Now he'll be tasked with leading a (hopefully) improved defense that will likely include a pair of very young center backs.
The goalkeeper has a much bigger role in defense than just stopping shots. The keeper is the conductor in the back, positioning his defenders and generally marshaling his team's defensive effort. It's a hugely important but hugely underrated responsibility. The very best, like Gianluigi Buffon, do it so well that they hardly ever have to actually face many shots.
Last year, Milan's defensive unit was so bad that it's unfair to judge this ability. He's shown well previously in his career, though, and if the defenders in front of him come anywhere close to quality, he'll have the opportunity to truly prove it.
Christian Abbiati
2 of 25
Squad Number: 32
Position: Goalkeeper
Signed In: 1998, from Monza
The longest-serving player on the roster, Abbiati has been with Milan for 17 years now. His playing time has always been up-and-down, and he's been loaned out on three separate occasions. But he's always been a loyal soldier and will again lock down Milan's backup spot in goal.
Abbiati played more often than expected last year, starting 10 times and coming in as a sub on one other occasion. Unless Lopez gets hurt or suspended, though, the 38-year-old will be sitting on the bench.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
3 of 25
Squad Number: 99
Position: Goalkeeper
Signed In: Youth system player
It's a little bit surprising that Milan opted for this move, but young Gianluigi Donnarumma is a truly exciting prospect.
The 16-year-old was promoted from the youth system this summer and saw extensive action in preseason friendlies. He even stonewalled World Cup winner Toni Kroos in a shootout during the International Champions Cup.
Sinisa Mihajlovic has a history of giving youth a chance, but don't expect to see Donnarumma on the field this season. The only way he'll get competitive minutes is if both men above him are incapacitated in some way. His job this year is to tag along and learn from Lopez and Abbiati while he prepares to take his place as Milan's future in goal several years down the line.
Mattia De Sciglio
4 of 25
Squad Number: 2
Position: Full-back
Signed In: Youth system player
What a difference a few years makes.
A few seasons ago, Mattia De Sciglio was a surefire star. He was readily compared to the legendary Paolo Maldini and was tipped to anchor the flanks of both the Rossoneri and the national team for years to come.
Since then, he's fallen apart.
It certainly hasn't helped him that he's been bounced from left to right incessantly since he became a regular in Milan's first team. He's naturally right-sided but can play the left at pretty much the same level, but that versatility became a curse. With Ignazio Abate entrenched in his natural position on the right, he has often played on the left, only to be shifted to the right if Abate became unavailable.
Much like a baseball pitcher who is constantly shifted between the starting rotation and the bullpen, De Sciglio has been unable to settle into a rhythm on either side and has thus suffered.
He certainly didn't do much last year to earn himself starting time last season. He was often out of position and was beaten far too often. He was also sent off twice last year. One of those reds came 45 seconds into Milan's May 3 contest against Napoli—a game that they went on to lose, 3-0.
This season will be about picking up the pieces. If he can settle in and gain some momentum, he could displace either of the starting full-backs, who are solid but not particularly special.
Philippe Mexes
5 of 25
Squad Number: 5
Position: Center back
Signed In: 2011, from Roma
Milan fans breathed a sigh of relief when Philippe Mexes' contract expired at the end of June...and tore their hair out when it was announced a week later that he had signed a new one-year deal.
According to Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Football Italia), it was team owner Silvio Berlusconi who was behind the renewal—reportedly over the objection of Mihajlovic.
As discussed in this previous column, Mexes is the most frustrating player on Milan's roster. When he's on, he can be a very good defender, and he's prone to the occasional wondergoal, like this one in the International Champions Cup against Inter.
But when he's off, he becomes a red card waiting to happen. His inexcusable attack on Lazio's Stefano Mauri in January was the latest in a number of incidents that have driven fans nuts.
Fortunately, from the way things are looking, Mexes will be little more than a squad player this year while younger players man the middle of defense. If he is pressed into extended action, fans will be holding their collective breath to see which version of Mexes takes the field.
Alessio Romagnoli
6 of 25
Squad Number: 13
Position: Center back
Signed In: 2015, from Roma
One of the most protracted transfer sagas of the summer is now over, and Milan has the player they hope will be the cornerstone of a rebuilt defensive line.
Milan and Roma danced for the better part of a month before Romagnoli finally signed last week. The 20-year-old was identified as a target early on once Mihajlovic was hired to replace Pippo Inzaghi.
Last season, the youngster was under the watchful eye of the Serbian coach after being loaned from Roma to Sampdoria. All he did was play 30 games (28 starts) and lead Samp to their best finish in the league since their Champions League days of the mid-2000s. He also earned a spot on the Azzurrini for the Under-21 European Championships, where he started the last two games of the group stage.
Romagnoli isn't a volume tackler. He averaged only 1.7 per match last season. His style of defending is more reminiscent of Paolo Maldini than Claudio Gentile. He relies on his positioning and awareness to press the opponents into less threatening positions or intercept the ball before it gets there. He's also a good on the ball—last year he completed 82.9 percent of his passes and notched a pair of assists from central defense.
Mihajlovic is known for throwing young players into the fray, and Romagnoli is Exhibit A. He's going to be a first XI player from the get-go. Fans now have to wait and see if he can hold up against that pressure—especially after being assigned the No. 13 shirt most readily associated with the legendary Alessandro Nesta.
Rodrigo Ely
7 of 25
Squad Number: 15
Position: Center back
Signed In: 2012, as youth player from Gremio
In all likelihood, the combined age of Milan's top defensive pairing is going to be only five years younger than the age of their coach.
Twenty-one-year-old Brazilian Rodrigo Ely has been brought back to Milan after a good year on loan at Avellino. Mihajlovic has installed him as a starter from day one of the preseason. He hasn't done anything spectacular but hasn't made any calamitous errors, either. If he can keep that kind of consistency going he'll be a valuable piece moving forward.
There are still some concerns here. A probable partnership with Romagnoli (only 20) would be long on talent but short on experience. Experienced and talented forwards like Antonio Di Natale or Mario Mandzukic could take advantage of the latter.
Ely has also shown a distressing propensity for racking up cards during his adventures in the lower leagues. If he starts getting suspended with frequency, it could be disruptive to team continuity. He's going to have to keep the referee's notebook away if he wants to reach another level.
Ignazio Abate
8 of 25
Squad Number: 20
Position: Right back
Signed In: 2009, from Torino
Ignazio Abate has been a fixture on the right flank for five seasons now. He even wore the captain's armband several times this season.
Like the team in general, Abate started last season like gangbusters. By the end of October he had racked up five assists from the flank and shined in games like Milan's 2-0 win over Chievo on October 4. Also like the team in general, he hit the skids as the season went on.
Much of that had to do with injuries. Cumulatively, he missed about three months in two large chunks, the first spanning from the beginning of November to the end of the winter break and the second encompassing the month of February.
He was never the same after returning and only notched one assist the rest of the year. It was a disappointing end to a season that had started excellently.
The expectation here is for Abate to be a steady hand on the flank and try to overlap with the attackers to provide the width that Mihajlovic's 4-3-1-2 needs. If he regains the attacking form that he enjoyed at the beginning of the year, it will be icing on the cake.
Luca Antonelli
9 of 25
Squad Number: 31
Position: Left back
Signed In: 2015, from Genoa
Originally a product of Milan's youth system, Antonelli was unable to break into the successful Milan sides of the late '00s. He moved on to Parma and then Genoa, where he displaced Domenico Criscito and became the Griffone's starting left-back for three-and-a-half years.
Milan refocused on him last January when they were desperately seeking defensive reinforcements. Antonelli immediately slotted into the starting left-back role and instantly became one of the best players in the team.
He announced himself immediately, scoring an equalizing goal on his debut against the champions at Juventus Stadium. It proved a futile effort—Juve controlled the second half and recorded an easy 3-1 win—but it was more life than Milan had seen out of its back line in some time.
The 28-year-old missed the last few weeks of the season with an injury but on the whole may have been the best player on the team this side of Diego Lopez, despite only being there for half a season.
The left-back spot is his for now, and a good season can go a long way toward making a case to go to France with the national team next summer. Expect unspectacular but steady play.
Alex
10 of 25
Squad Number: 33
Position: Center back
Signed In: 2014, from PSG
Alex proved himself last year to be a steady, reliable center back—something Milan has sorely lacked the last few years.
Still, the Brazilian isn't perfect. The 33-year-old is severely lacking in pace, and if a fast player gets in behind him, he's not going to have any chance of recovering in time. But as long as he keeps play in front of him, he's very difficult to break down.
He's also a very good distributor from the back—he completed 89.6 percent of his passes a year ago.
Injuries kept him off the field for a significant chunk of the year, but by season's end he was a mainstay of the team's starting XI. The arrival of Ely and Romagnoli will likely relegate him to a backup role this season, but his experience will be valuable in mentoring the two youngsters while occasionally spelling them.
Davide Calabria
11 of 25
Squad Number: 96
Position: Full-back
Signed In: Youth system player
The second of three teenagers in the first team, Davide Calabria has been one of the pleasant surprises of the summer.
Initially considered a preseason body, Calabria impressed every time he saw the field and on both flanks.
It's unlikely that he's going to get significant playing time this year, but keep an eye on him. By the time he hits his prime, Abate and Antonelli will be closing in on the end phases of their careers. If De Sciglio continues to disappoint, he may even usurp his fellow academy product as Milan's full-back of the future.
Jose Mauri
12 of 25
Squad Number: 4
Position: Midfield
Signed In: 2015, from Parma
The jewel in the flotsam that was cast off when Parma went bust, Jose Mauri was sought by several clubs but ended up settling on a four-year deal with the Rossoneri.
The young Argentine is far from a finished product but has a lot of potential as an attacking midfielder. If older players fail to establish themselves in the role, Mauri has a chance to play his way into the lineup. But unless something strange happens, the 19-year-old will likely play more of a reserve role as he watches, learns and physically matures.
Suso
13 of 25
Squad Number: 8
Position: Attacking midfield/Second striker
Signed In: 2015, from Liverpool
It took a long time for Suso to settle into a role when he arrived from Liverpool in January. Unfortunately, it looks like the story will be the same for him after the arrival of Mihajlovic.
Last year, Suso, an attacking midfielder by trade, had to shoehorn himself into a system that didn't use one. He eventually broke onto the field as a winger on the right-hand side. He put in some impressive performances but never really fully adapted.
Now he's going to have to turn his attention back to the middle of the field. The young Spaniard has been played both as an attacking midfielder and as a striker in preseason but hasn't gained much traction.
He has Keisuke Honda and Giacomo Bonaventura likely ahead of him in the trequartista spot. If neither of them get a grip on the position, he could work his way into the rotation. Otherwise, he may wind up another in a line of young Milan players who get buried on the squad.
Keisuke Honda
14 of 25
Squad Number: 10
Position: Attacking midfielder
Signed In: 2014, from CSKA Moscow
Keisuke Honda's arrival at Milan in the winter of 2014 on a Bosman came at the end of a protracted saga that saw Milan secure a pre-contract agreement with the player but fail to reach an agreement with CSKA Moscow to bring him in earlier.
There is disagreement among fans as to whether Honda is worth it. This was particularly evident last year, when he started like gangbusters by scoring six times and assisting twice by the middle of August.
Unfortunately, that was the best it got. He didn't record another assist until May, and the only goals he scored the rest of the season were on international duty.
In Honda's defense, Pippo Inzaghi did not use an attacking midfielder and forced Honda to play out of position as a winger last season. Now that he can play in his natural role, Honda may have the chance to flourish.
He didn't play well in preseason but scored Milan's first competitive goal of the year in the Coppa Italia against Perugia on Monday. He should be given every opportunity to seize the trequartista role and make it his own. If he does, Milan's attack could turn scary.
Andrea Poli
15 of 25
Squad Number: 16
Position: Midfield
Signed In: 2013, from Sampdoria
Andrea Poli arrived from Sampdoria in 2013. Last year he was a mainstay in the midfield, starting 23 games and subbing in for 10 more.
Poli is the definition of steady but unspectacular. He completes his passes (89.2 percent last year) but isn't particularly creative with them. He can tackle in midfield, but he's no Allan or Arturo Vidal. He'll unleash the occasional shot, but he's not a goalscorer.
Probably the biggest thing he's done to stand out was publicly criticize former manager Clarence Seedorf after he was sacked last summer.
At an ideal Milan, Poli would be a squad player. He may find some starts here and there, but this year he won't get as many as last year.
Riccardo Montolivo
16 of 25
Squad Number: 18
Position: Midfield
Signed In: 2012, from Fiorentina
Riccardo Montolivo has been another source of exasperation for Milan fans during this difficult period.
Signed on a Bosman in the summer of 2012, Montolivo started out horribly before picking up his play after the winter break and ending the '12-13 season on a high note. Unfortunately, that half-season has been his best in a Milan shirt.
After being named captain before the 2013-14 season, Montolivo had an anonymous season. Picked for the 2014 World Cup despite his poor campaign, he broke his leg in a pre-tournament friendly against Ireland. That injury followed him everywhere this season, limiting him to just 10 games before finally sidelining him for good in February.
Despite his nominal possession of the armband, it's proved difficult for a now-heathy Montolivo to break back into the team. Nigel de Jong has played in the center of the first bank of midfielders for almost the entire preseason and served as captain while Montolivo has watched from the bench.
Mihajlovic explained to reporters after Monday's match against Perugia (h/t Football Italia) that "at the moment De Jong is a lot better than Montolivo. But maybe in a month Montolivo will better than De Jong, and then Montolivo will play."
He may not have that month, at least not in Milan. With both Sky Sport and La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting (h/t Football Italia) that a deal involving Roberto Soriano is in advanced stages, its likely that Milan will move on from one of their other midfielders. With Montolivo's contract up at the end of the year, Calciomercato is suggesting (h/t Football Italia) that the team may cash out rather than lose him the same way they got him.
The way his tenure in Milan has gone, a sale—which would represent pure profit—may be the biggest contribution Montolivo will give to the team.
Giacomo Bonaventura
17 of 25
Squad Number: 28
Position: Midfield/Attacking Midfield
Signed In: 2014, from Atalanta
Amid the chaos of last season, Giacomo Bonaventura quietly had a very impressive year.
He scored seven times and added four assists, numbers all the more impressive considering the fact that Filippo Inzaghi shuffled him around his formation. Bonaventura played in seven different spots in the midfield and on the wing. Most players would find it difficult to remain consistent with that level of change, but the 25-year-old put his head down and played through it all.
He did have some moments that were less than memorable, particularly in a May loss to Sassuolo when he received a second booking for a completely needless handball near the midfield stripe. Milan had been in control of the game at that point, but dismissal completely changed the game, and Domenico Berardi ended up scoring the winner for the Neroverdi.
Bonaventura can play both as a trequartista and in a deeper midfield role. With the attacking midfield spot likely sewn up by Honda, at least for the time being, look for Bonaventura to join De Jong and Andrea Bertolacci as some of the key cogs in the midfield.
Nigel De Jong
18 of 25
Squad Number: 34
Position: Midfield
Signed In: 2012, from Manchester City
It was widely expected that Nigel de Jong was going to leave Milan and seek Champions League competition elsewhere this summer, so his contract renewal came as something of a pleasant surprise.
One of Milan's best in the early going last season, he dropped off a bit toward the end but still put in a very good campaign and added three goals to boot.
De Jong is and shall always remain primarily a destroyer. He will beat the tar out of anyone who comes his way. He's got more technical skill than he's often given credit for and is a very accurate passer (88.3 percent completion), if not a very creative one.
The captain of the team for much of the summer, De Jong's primary responsibility will be to play in front of the defensive line and try to break things. When he does get the ball, look for him to get it quite efficiently to more creative outlets like Honda or Bonaventura.
This was a good renewal that will provide some much-needed steel as well as quality from a defensive perspective.
Andrea Bertolacci
19 of 25
Squad Number: 91
Position: Midfield
Signed In: 2015, from Roma
Another Roma player who was away from the Stadio Olimpico on loan last season, Andrea Bertolacci is going to spend much of the season justifying his price tag.
Adriano Galliani spent €20 million for the 24-year-old, but that price probably better reflected the unfortunate rarity of Italian players of quality these days. While undoubtedly talented, it's hard to convincingly argue that he's a €20 million player.
That said, Bertolacci scored six times and had eight assists last year for Genoa. He was particularly hot in the last six weeks, when he scored four times and assisted twice, being name WhoScored's Man of the Match on three occasions.
There were warts on his season, however. He completed less than 80 percent of his passes and was booked 10 times—nearly a third of his starts. While he was never sent off, he crossed the suspension threshold twice. Milan isn't a hugely deep team and can't afford frequent suspensions to key players.
His price tag almost guarantees he's going to start the season in the starting XI. If he can play the box-to-box role he's been earmarked for in Mihajlovic's 4-3-1-2 well enough, €20 million might not look like such a big number after all.
Jeremy Menez
20 of 25
Squad Number: 7
Position: Striker
Signed In: 2014, from PSG
Jeremy Menez arrived from Paris Saint-Germain on a Bosman last summer. He immediately proved decisive in Milan's opening wins over Lazio and Parma.
The problems began revealing themselves as the season went on. While the Frenchman did lead the team with 16 goals last season, exactly half of them were from the penalty spot, and his selfishness often led to extended dribbles that either saw him forced into bad angles or dispossessed entirely. According to WhoScored's detailed analysis, he was dispossessed 2.7 times a game—not what you need from someone who is going to lead your line.
Indeed, the four games he was suspended for late in the season last year (for insulting an official) saw some of the most flowing attacking football Milan had seen all year. The team may simply function better without him.
Menez has been out with an injury for much of the preseason but did play 20 minutes against Perugia on Monday. He'll have his work cut out for him to get onto the field as one of Mihajlovic's strikers, especially if new arrivals Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano manage to jell. With a glut of forwards and no European competition to justify that type of depth, Milan may look to cash in on him when he's healthy in January.
Luiz Adriano
21 of 25
Squad Number: 9
Position: Striker
Signed In: 2015, from Shakhtar Donetsk
Milan has been in need of a quality goalscorer up front ever since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left the team in 2012. They may have found two this summer.
Luiz Adriano has been a talisman for Shakhtar Donetsk the last few years, consistently placing high in the Ukrainian Premier League goal charts and putting in good showings against the higher competition of the Champions League. He was joint-top scorer of the group stage this year with nine goals, aided mostly by a pair of hat tricks—and seven goals in total—from BATE Borisov.
Adriano is more of a poacher than a dribbler, as shown on Monday when he scored his first goal for Milan by neatly taking a Keisuke Honda pass on the turn and slotting past the keeper. If he dovetails well with Carlos Bacca, the two could form an extremely potent attacking force.
Alessio Cerci
22 of 25
Squad Number: 11
Position: Second striker
Signed In: 2015, on loan from Atletico Madrid
The 2014-15 season was a lost one for Alessio Cerci. On the back of a fantastic season at Torino, during which he racked up 13 goals and 10 assists, he moved to Atletico Madrid and hardly played. After brokering a year-and-a-half-long loan back to Serie A, Inzaghi used him mostly as a substitute, never giving him a chance to gain a rhythm.
It didn't help him that he was played on the wing for much of the time. While brought up as a winger, Cerci's time in Turin under Giampiero Ventura proved that his best position is that of a seconda punta—the second striker who drifts below the primary poacher and looks to both distribute and score.
If he manages to show Mihajlovic enough of himself, Cerci could recreate what he had with Ciro Immobile two years ago with either Luiz Adriano or Carlos Bacca. Even in limited action, after his winter move he provided a goal and four assists. With regular playing time in the hole, he could regain that form and give Milan some truly excellent attacking options.
Alessandro Matri
23 of 25
Squad Number: 21
Position: Striker
Signed In: 2013, from Juventus
Alessandro Matri is still a sore spot for Milan fans. Purchased from Juventus late in the 2013 summer transfer window for €11 million, he scored once in 15 games before being sent on a succession of loan spells. The fact that Juve signed Carlos Tevez that season for €9 million certainly didn't make people any happier.
The first, in the winter of 2014 to Fiorentina, was as unsuccessful as his first half. But his move to Genoa at the beginning of last season sparked a revitalization that saw him score seven and notch five assists in 16 games.
His form caught the attention of his former employers, who arranged for the rest of his season to be spent in Turin. He saw sporadic playing time in the league and even a pair of late-game Champions League cameos. It was his performance in the Coppa Italia, though, that cemented him a further place in Juve's history.
He scored in the second leg of the semifinal against Fiorentina as the Bianconeri turned a 2-1 aggregate deficit into a dominant 4-2 win, then scored the winning goal in extra time at the final against Lazio.
Frankly, its strange that Matri is still with Milan at this point in the season. Rumors of yet another move have cropped up within the last 24 hours. Lazio may have just lost Filip Djordjevic and Miroslav Klose to long-term injuries, leaving the capital club without a center-forward. According to Sky Sport Italia and Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia) Stefano Pioli may turn to Matri to provide relief from this selection crunch.
Given the lack of playing time he's likely to receive in Milan this year, it might be an advantageous move for both sides.
Carlos Bacca
24 of 25
Squad Number: 70
Position: Striker
Signed In: 2015, from Sevilla
Milan's marquee signing of the summer, Carlos Bacca is still rounding into full form after playing in the Copa America for Colombia.
But with every game he's shown improved fitness, and it's clear why Milan spent €30 million to pry him away from two-time Europa League champions Sevilla.
Last year, Bacca scored 20 times in La Liga—good for fifth place on the scoring charts—and added seven in the Europa League, including a brace in the final that included the winner. In both competitions over the last two years combined, he's scored 45 times and recorded 15 assists.
Bacca is more of a poacher than a creative dribbler, but he's not a pure battering ram. He moves well off the ball and can create space for himself if he has to. For a team that hasn't had a true line-leading forward since 2012, if Bacca adapts to life in Italy quickly enough, he could very well score 15-20 goals.
M'Baye Niang
25 of 25
Squad Number: 78
Position: Striker
Signed In: 2012, from Caen
Most Milanisti remember M'Baye Niang as the kid who thumped the post at the Camp Nou in 2013, missing the team's best chance for a game-changing away goal that could very well have dumped Barcelona from the Champions League.
Niang was a teenager then. Now 20, he's been bounced around on winter loans the last two years. It was last season's spell at Genoa, where he scored five goals and notched two assists, that revived his fortunes and convinced Mihajlovic that he may have a place in his side as a seconda punta.
Niang broke a bone in his foot during the Audi Cup earlier in the month and is set to miss the opening phases of the season. Depending on what others do in his absence, the injury might hurt his ability to get onto the field with frequency this season. Mihajlovic should find time for him, though—with all the talent in the world, he might now be able to prove his worth.
.jpg?w=600 "Could Leafs Trade for McDavid in 2027? 🤔")
