Ranking AC Milan's Attacking Options on Their Goalscoring Threat
Of the many disappointing aspects of AC Milan last season, the strikers were close to the top of the list. Fernando Torres, Giampaolo Pazzini and Mattia Destro misfired badly, and while Jeremy Menez racked up 16 goals, half of them came from the penalty spot, and his play was frustrating as often as it was brilliant.
That led to a major overhaul of the forward line this summer. In Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca, a pair of high-profile strikers was brought in, along with an improving youth project, M'Baye Niang, and a prodigal son, Mario Balotelli. They combine with Menez and Atletico Madrid loanee Alessio Cerci to make up a unit that looks much different—and on paper, much improved.
But who is the best of the lot? Who is the most deadly?
Our list is based on both raw talent and prior performances. The contenders are those listed on the roster page of AC Milan's official website with two exceptions: Keisuke Honda and Suso are, for some reason, listed as forwards, but they are attacking midfielders and have been classed as such when making this list.
So who is Milan's most dangerous goalscoring threat? Read on to find out.
6. M'Baye Niang
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When M'Baye Niang comes up in conversation, most Milan fans flash back to one moment.
It was March 12, 2013. Three weeks earlier, Milan had pulled one of the bigger upsets in recent Champions League history by beating Barcelona 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 at the San Siro. Giampaolo Pazzini was injured the weekend before the second leg, and Mario Balotelli was cup-tied. Niang—then 18 years old—was forced into the starting lineup for the return leg at Camp Nou.
An early goal from Lionel Messi had given Barcelona momentum. But in the 38th minute Niang was put clean through into a one-on-one with Victor Valdes. The young Frenchman had the entire goal at his mercy for what would have been an away goal that would have changed the nature of the tie.
His shot hit flush against the far post. Less than two minutes later, Messi tied the aggregate. Barca eventually won the game 4-0.
Since then, Niang hasn't gotten much playing time with Milan. According to WhoScored.com he's played just 324 minutes of football in a Milan shirt since the 2013-14 season started. He's been loaned in January in each of the last two campaigns. The first loan, to Montpellier, was nondescript, but he played very well with Genoa last term, scoring five times and assisting twice.
Niang is at the bottom of this list because he hasn't shown the kind of goalscoring touch the rest of Milan's forwards have. He is, of course, absurdly young—he doesn't turn 21 until December—and he could develop into a big-time goalscorer. But right now he's certainly the least threatening of any of the club's forwards.
5. Jeremy Menez
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As mentioned before, Menez scored 16 times last year, but only eight of them came from open play—the rest were penalties.
Before last term, Menez had never scored more than seven times in a season. He's always been known more for selfish play that grinds his team-mates' gears than being a prolific scorer.
Menez is simply not the kind of player who inspires fear in a defense. He's not a No. 1 option on a really good team. When he recovers from his injury, he'll likely be a bit player in this attack unless people higher up the pecking order go down themselves.
4. Alessio Cerci
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Alessio Cerci hasn't had a career to match his talent, which is a sad thing. But when he's put in the right position, he can be deadly.
Never was that more apparent than the 2013-14 season. After a modest resurgence under the tutelage of Torino's Giampiero Ventura the previous season, Cerci was moved from the wing—where he had played for his entire career—to a seconda punta position.
The result was 13 goals and 10 assists—not to mention a role in many of strike partner Ciro Immobile's 22 goals.
Cerci hasn't been deployed in that position since. Both at Atletico Madrid and under Filippo Inzaghi at Milan, he was again deployed out wide. He hasn't come close to matching his 2013-14 production since.
But that one season looked like it was more than a blip. If he moves into a more central role again, he could click with a partner and produce a season to remember. The ability is there, but it's not being properly harnessed.
3. Luiz Adriano
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Luiz Adriano was the less heralded signing of the two big summer purchases at striker.
The product of Internacional's youth system in Brazil, Adriano has spent the balance of his career in the Ukrainian Premier League with Shakhtar Donetsk. That, more than anything else, is why there are questions about him.
It's quite a step up from the Ukrainian Premier League to Serie A. The Italian top flight is the most tactically sophisticated league in the world and stocked with some of the best defenders. There's going to be a major adjustment factor as he gets used to his new surroundings.
How long that adjustment period will last will be key to just how dangerous Adriano is going to be. He has scored two goals so far—one in the Coppa Italia and one in the league—but defenses seem to be cottoning onto him. He hasn't gotten into dangerous areas as much as he did in the first two games, and his finishing hasn't been as crisp. He missed several opportunities against Inter a few weeks ago and was hauled off for Mario Balotelli in the second half against Palermo.
Adriano has a lot to get used to in Italy. He's a serious talent and, at his €8 million cost, could end up being a real steal of a buy. But right now, he's going to have to ride the Serie A learning curve in order to be truly feared.
2. Carlos Bacca
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Why isn't the €30 million buy of the summer top of the list?
We'll get to that in a bit. But let's make it clear: The fact he's No. 2 here is in no way an indictment against his skills.
Bacca is a deadly striker. He's not one to make his own chances, but he works space very well, and when he gets into a goalscoring position, odds are he scores.
Over the last two seasons with Sevilla, he scored 45 times between La Liga and the Europa League—including the winner in last year's final. He's also very good passer in the box, which keeps defenses from collapsing on him.
Bacca is the odds-on favorite to be Milan's top scorer this season, but he isn't Milan's most dangerous man.
1. Mario Balotelli
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This guy is.
All history aside, Mario Balotelli is easily the most talented player in Milan's striker corps. He can dribble, poach and set up his teammates, and when he's in the right state of mind, he can do all those things with ruthless efficiency.
No one has ever doubted Balotelli's ability. Until Domenico Berardi arrived on the scene to provide some competition for the title, he was the most naturally gifted attacker available to the Italy national team by some margin.
The question with Balotelli has always been whether his head has been on straight. When he's focused, he's deadly—the Mario we saw in Italy's 2014 World Cup opener against England. When he's not, he's the Mario we saw in the next two games.
So far this season, Balotelli has shown signs he may have finally gotten over the hump from a maturity standpoint. He has been openly antagonized by opposing players but has so far not reacted. The yellow card he picked up on Tuesday was a weak call, and he has for the most part performed with total focus on the pitch.
It's tough to figure out what brought this new-found focus about. He may have finally realized this could truly be his last chance to prove himself on a high level. It could be that the death of his adoptive father, Francesco Balotelli, who passed away just as his preseason training at Liverpool began after a long illness, has changed him. Or it could be something entirely different.
One thing is for sure: If he can keep himself in this mindset, Balotelli is going to once again turn into one of the most dangerous strikers in Italy. He certainly has the talent to do it.
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