4 Areas for AC Milan's Jeremy Menez to Improve on in 2015/16 Season

There isn't much of last year's AC Milan that fans would like to see carry over into this season. From the sieve-like defence to the defeated attitude that characterised the team in the latter weeks of the season.

One thing they may want to keep around is Jeremy Menez. The Frenchman led the team in goals with 16 and was one of the few bright spots in one of the club's darkest years since the mid-1980s.

As good as his numbers looked, though, there is room for improvement moving forward. Menez has always been held back from fulfilling the potential he showed when he became the youngest player to sign a contract for a Ligue 1 side in 2004.

What can he do to finally become that kind of player? Let's break into his game and see what he can do to improve.

Stay on the Field

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Menez has been sidelined since mid-August.

One of Menez's biggest problems towards the end of last year? He wasn't on the field at all.

Menez spent the last month of 2014-15 suspended after insulting an official. He's only played 20 minutes since then after suffering a back injury over the summer.

Staying on the field is crucial for any player to stay in a side, but for Menez getting back on the field carries a particular importance. Filippo Inzaghi's Milan looked disjointed for most of last season, but one of its smoothest periods came during the time the Frenchman was suspended.

If Menez is to improve in any way, he has to earn his place and keep it. If he stays out too long, Sinisa Mihajlovic will have settled his team and his rotation.

Despite Milan only competing on two fronts this season they have a bloated roster, and by the time Menez gets healthy the likes of Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano and Mario Balotelli may have sealed off any access to the forward positions.

Menez's absence was barely felt last year, and his injury is letting the rest of the forwards on the team establish roots that could be very hard to dig up. If he wants to continue on an upwards streak he's going to have to get back out there.

Adapt to New Positions

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AC Milan's midfielder from France Jeremy Menez (L) fights for the ball with Sampdoria's defender Lorenzo De Silvestri during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Sampdoria at San Siro Stadium in Milan on April 12, 2015. AFP PHOTO / GIUS

The change from Inzaghi to Mihajlovic is going to make a big impact on Menez when he does take the field.

Last year Inzaghi played a 4-3-3. Before Mattia Destro arrived in the January, Menez played in the centre of the forward line as a false nine. That was where he found a lot of his success. When Destro did arrive on loan in the winter he was shifted to his natural wing position.

Neither of those two assignments will be an option for Menez this season. Mihajlovic did play with wingers when he began his Sampdoria tenure in 2013, but he has now settled on a 4-3-1-2.

That means Menez is going to have to evolve. If he wants playing time he's going to have to play as either a trequartista or as the second striker in the forward pair.

He hasn't played either of those roles before, and he's going to have to have a quick learning curve. To get to a new level with Milan, he needs to adapt—and fast.

Score from Open Play

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Menez spent a lot of time at the penalty spot last season.

Sixteen goals is an impressive number. But the picture changes when you look a little deeper.

When he was on the field last year Menez was Milan's primary penalty taker. He took a lot of them. In fact, a full half of his goal tally came from the spot.

Eight goals from open play is not as impressive.

Menez needs to be more productive when the ball is moving. He has the tools to do that. According to WhoScored.com he averaged 2.4 shots per game last season—a respectable number and groundwork to build upon.

A look at the site's advanced stats and some quick maths comes to 32 percent accuracy—25 shots on target out of 78 total, plus one off the post.

Menez's problem is where he takes those shots. They tended to be either from long range or acute angles. He needs to work his way into better positions and take higher-percentage shots.

If he does, he could turn into a truly impactful forward.

Pass the Ball

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Menez dribbled himself into a corner far too often last season.

Menez has good pace. He's a dangerous weapon on the break.

The problem? Once he gets into dangerous positions, he runs himself into a wall.

Menez dribbles too much. He gets too fancy and allows himself to get herded down blind alleys. When he finally comes to the moment of truth he's either forced into a near-impossible shot, a bad pass or dispossessed.

Menez has to ditch the showboating. If he doesn't, he'll never influence the game like a top-level forward. It's his single biggest weakness, and the one thing he needs to do more than anything else to take his game up a level.