Andrea Bertolacci Is Beginning to Justify His Transfer Fee with AC Milan

In the formative stages of his first season as an AC Milan player, the fee paid to sign him weighed heavily on Andrea Bertolacci’s shoulders. However, with another decent showing during Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo on Wednesday evening, he is beginning to justify his price tag.

Bertolacci joined Milan from Roma in the summer for a hefty €20 million fee and initially seemed to struggle under the pressure of being one of the club’s major new signings.

He, along with Carlos Bacca and Alessio Romagnoli, was one of the most significant outlays the club made during the transfer window in the ambition of returning to the top of Serie A, but his early performances left a lot to be desired.

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After the Rossoneri sunk to a new low by losing 4-0 at home to Napoli, Bertolacci was given time away from the pressures of club life in the form of an international break. Following that time away, he has appeared a rejuvenated force.

Sinisa Mihajlovic switched tactics after that Napoli humbling, going for a 4-3-3 system away to Torino. Bertolacci played on the left of Milan’s midfield three in that game and put in his best performance in a Milan shirt.

Whether it was the tactical modification, the international break or a combination of the two, Bertolacci finally resembled the player he had been for Genoa last season. He made more tackles than any of his teammates as well as two interceptions to pick up WhoScored.com’s man of the match award.

Milan drew 1-1 with Torino to earn a vital point, and Bertolacci’s defensive performance seemed to show a player relishing the challenge of improvement laid before him.

His attacking contribution was crucial, too. While his passing generally remained steady yet unspectacular, it was his cutback that set up Bacca for Milan’s only goal.

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That display was frustratingly followed up by bad news, however. Bertolacci picked up a knee injury in the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy friendly match with Inter, meaning he missed the majority of Milan’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo last weekend.

Thankfully the injury was not as bad as first feared and he was able to resume his role in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s home clash with Chievo, where he once again put in a promising performance.

Winning four tackles, Bertolacci put in another sound defensive display, though his offensive output improved to boot, per WhoScored. His 50 passes was well above his seasonal average, while his 80 percent pass accuracy was also higher than usual. To round things off, he completed two dribbles.

While overshadowed by Juraj Kucka, who rampaged throughout the second half, this match was—on the back of his man of the match performance against Torino—ample evidence to suggest that Bertolacci is settling in at Milan.

The reasons for this are down to mentality as opposed to anything technical or tactical, as Bertolacci himself suggested following Milan’s win over Sassuolo.

Speaking to Milan Channel (h/t Football Italia), he said: “The coach spoke about an organised team which runs a lot, so we’ll try and go out there with the right mindset.”

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His comments are in tune with his recently improved form, which, while lacking in the kind of creative quality evidenced during his time with Genoa, has shown the kind of spirit and purpose needed in hard times.

Per Squawka, his total passes, pass completion and key passes are down on last season, though he is winning a higher percentage of his duels. These statistics show that, while not as effective in attacking situations, he is willing and able to do the dirty work. That in itself is a promising sign.

Should Bertolacci continue to settle and eventually refind the creative capacity that encouraged Milan to spend serious money on his signature, that—along with his improved defensive game—could offer Mihajlovic the complete, all-round midfielder he otherwise lacks.

If Milan are to pull themselves further up the table, they will need their most important players to propel them. If recent matches are anything to go by, Bertolacci could well turn out to be one of those key players.