Realistic Expectations for Andrea Bertolacci at AC Milan in 2015/16

Andrea Bertolacci is one of an array of new signings to have walked through the doors of Milanello for the first time this summer, arriving at AC Milan for a €20 million transfer fee. He—along with Alessio Romagnoli, Jose Mauri, Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano—is seen as a catalyst for improvement.

Bertolacci joined Milan on the back of a wonderful 2014/15 season with Genoa, where his subtle left foot fit in perfectly with the lustrous passing style proselytized by coach Gian Piero Gasperini. There, he thrived in the centre of what was often a four-man midfield, searching and creating.

Within Gasperini's alternative 3-4-3 system, Bertolacci was the fulcrum. He was the one who, with space tightening and opportunities narrowing, would thread a precisely weighted slide rule pass through the opposition defence to find one of his attacking team-mates.

Genoa had many bright performers last season, but it’s fair to say he was one of the delicate cogs that made the machine function. WhoScored.com rated him behind only the equally ingenious Diego Perotti. It was little surprise teams like Milan were eyeing him up.

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Bertolacci came through Roma’s youth academy and was still part-owned by the Giallorossi while he was opening up defences with Genoa. Roma bought out Genoa’s half of his contract over the summer for €8.5 million before swiftly flipping their homegrown 24-year-old for profit when Milan came calling.

The deal made financial sense to both Genoa and Roma, but what did it do for Milan, a club who so desperately need improvement after a year spent within the confines of mid-table mediocrity?

Milan’s defence went wandering many times last season. A revolving door of central defenders was unable to stymie opposition attackers on a frequent basis, while the centre of midfield lacked any real balance or stability. When under duress, it caved and left an unwieldy defensive line to deal with the mess.

Spending so much on Bertolacci when the defence looked so comically flimsy was a bold move. Perhaps it was Adriano Galliani's way of deflecting attention away from his failure to land Geoffrey Kondogbia, who was Inter-bound instead. Or maybe Milan were spending vast amounts in the wrong areas again.

Milan’s midfield did lack in other ways too, though. For one, it was devoid of inspiration. Not one of Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Poli or Mark van Ginkel was capable of taking a game by the proverbial scruff and seriously influencing its outcome in a positive manner last season.

Bertolacci set up more goals than either Montolivo or Poli, per Squawka. He also made more key passes and created more chances than Poli. Montolivo bettered Bertolacci in those areas, though he had far less game time due to injury.

The statistics suggest that in Bertolacci, Milan have acquired a player capable of conjuring goalscoring chances on a more consistent basis than anyone else in their central midfield ranks. He will lay on opportunities and probably contribute fairly significantly to Milan's "goals for" column.

What the statistics don't illustrate is where and how Bertolacci will fit in for the Rossoneri. Sinisa Mihajlovic has made it abundantly clear that 4-3-1-2 is his system of choice. One of the midfield three will be an enforcer, such as Nigel de Jong, which leaves two vacant spaces for Bertolacci to compete for.

So far, the former Genoa star has played on the right of this three. It hasn't particularly suited him, but it is still early. For brief moments in the Coppa Italia clash with Perugia, he seemed to relish cutting in onto his favoured left foot, though he enjoyed the position far less in his team’s league opening defeat away to Fiorentina.

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While he is a supremely gifted technical footballer, valid questions remain about how important Bertolacci's signature was. With Giacomo Bonaventura and Keisuke Honda present, Milan didn't need a creative midfielder any more than they needed a ball-winning one, so will he be worth the fee paid to bring him to the club?

The answer to that question is undoubtedly yes but only if other things fall into place. Milan must add some defensive nous to their midfield three—playing Bertolacci and Bonaventura there will leave the door to their defence ajar. To allow his more creative players to shine, Mihajlovic must ensure they are balanced out correctly within his system.

If Milan can find that balance, Bertolacci will thrive with greater defensive solidity behind him. While he is a capable all-rounder, his specialism is in creating. He proved that at Genoa, and given time and correct utilisation, he will do so again with Milan.