Mario Balotelli Not an Obvious Fit for AC Milan Attack but Could Prove Important

While huge-money late transfers were being done in the early part of the week across Europe, AC Milan had already sealed a deal that was much-talked about, yet not hugely influential in terms of a star player, an automatic upgrade to their XI or because of big funds being involved.

No, the loan move for Mario Balotelli didn't involve outrageous outlays such as the club had already seen fit to issue for the likes of Carlos Bacca and Andrea Bertolacci, but Mario being the player he is, headlines and discussions were generated regardless.

On the face of it, it's tough to see why Milan wanted him at all: disciplinarian manager, two new direct, pacy strikers costing almost a combined £30 million and, depending on which of the slightly contradictory media reports you believe, no guaranteed option to buy at the end of the season if Balotelli performs particularly well.

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#LFC owed £4m for #Balotelli which Milan have written off. Option to buy figure at £8m. Failed experiment cost #LFC £4m + wages. Not so bad?

— Nik Postinger (@nikpostinger) September 1, 2015"

Two games into the Serie A season, though, the first hints of how No. 45 might fit into the Milan jigsaw have perhaps begun to emerge.

Pre-season saw two combinations in attack utilised, in general: plenty of game time for M'Baye Niang, mainly alongside Alessio Cerci in a bid to get either or both fit and in form—the former is now injured, the latter still woefully short of touch or ideas—and the new duo in tandem, Bacca and Luiz Adriano.

With either partnership, the game plan was fairly obvious. They would use their pace and direct running in the channels to play quickly from defence to attack, letting the creative central midfield player behind them join up and try to fashion chances in the final third.

Elisabetta Baracchi/Associated Press

One of Milan's problems since the season started, though, has been a lack of real direction and control by that playmaker in the middle.

Keisuke Honda and Suso have both had starts in that role, though neither have shone. Honda was subbed before the break against Fiorentina in the restructure to the team after Rodrigo Ely's red card, while Suso lasted only until the 55th minute before being replaced against Empoli. Linking play, never mind chance creation high up the field, has been a problem for both.

With two fast forwards ahead, Milan's attack is starved without early through passes from deep. Bacca's goal against Empoli was a fairly classic example of what he'll bring to the team, but short of that kind of incisive play, the forwards will be somewhat marginalised until Sinisa Mihajlovic gets his side playing with more control, more dominance of territory and possession.

However, while the deeper midfielders aren't really breaking with regularity into the final third and the No. 10 options aren't linking play, they have an obvious problem: How do they ensure the supply line for the strikers, who will already be off and running the channels, when play enters midfield?

Step forward Mario Balotelli.

There's no use pretending his season at Liverpool was anything other than horrendous; he rarely got handed the chance to start with a partner, his attitude in training wavered between questionable and utterly inappropriate and even on the rare occasions he did get a start, the quality in his penalty area play simply wasn't there.

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Mario Balotelli’s last 30 Premier League games by numbers: 62 shots 2 goals 3.2% chance conversion rate 0 assists pic.twitter.com/HBTS6ObTLv

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 27, 2015"

What he likes to do, however, is drop out of the attacking line to find spaces and receive the ball—and in that way is a total departure to the current front two.

Playing Balotelli alongside one of the South American strikers will still leave one in place to stretch the opposition defence and lengthen the field, enabling the likes of Suso or Riccardo Montolivo to play passes from deep, but Balotelli's insistence on dropping deeper will give another build-up option instead of going straight from interception to attack.

He slows the game at times, which doesn't exactly lend itself to Bacca wanting the ball early in the channels, but the non-stop movement of the former Sevilla man will ensure he's ready to go again a few moments later, when it would be hoped that Balotelli's intervention in the build up will give others a chance to offer support from deep and more passing choices will become available to the next player in possession.

BEN STANSALL/Getty Images

It's worth noting that Cerci should be capable of offering something similar, but he had a dreadful 2014-15 season with both Atletico Madrid and then AC Milan, and he still looks nowhere near the threat in the final third that he was at Torino.

B/R's Sam Lopresti has already noted how Balotelli can be an alternative for either of Bacca or Luiz when one is rested, injured or otherwise rotated, but the former Inter and Manchester City forward could also—if his attitude and application in training is shown to be reasonable—be seen as enough of a bridge player between midfield and attack to play with either of the two on a more regular basis.

It's a stretch to think he alone will be able to propel Milan from an uneven start to anywhere near the top three, especially given the many more issues the midfield area in particular seems to have just now.

Balotelli could, however, have the different traits in his locker to complement the team's system, thus helping Milan get the best out of what is an exciting and potentially clinical set of options in attack.

Follow @karlmatchett