M'Baye Niang's Switch to Striker Spearheads Dominant Win over Sampdoria

AC Milan went into Saturday's game against Sampdoria hoping for a turnaround after disheartening results either side of the international break. Thanks to a tactical tweak and the long-awaited breakout of a 20-year-old forward, they got exactly that.

Following the October international break, Sinisa Mihajlovic lined the Rossoneri up in a 4-3-3 formation. He had preferred a 4-3-1-2 at the beginning of the season, but when Mario Balotelli suffered a sports hernia in late September, it made playing with a strike pair less appealing. With only two healthy strikers, a pairing would have limited Mihajlovic's ability to make in-game adjustments. A single striker arrangement was much more flexible.

A change was probably necessary even without Balotelli's injury, and after a rough 1-1 draw against Torino in its first test, it began performing quite well, garnering wins against Sassuolo, Chievo and Lazio.

But the magic soon wore off. Injuries to the midfield saw Milan unable to keep possession and get the strikers any service. Moving Giacomo Bonaventura from the wing to a box-to-box role didn't help—it exposed his defensive weakness and removed his creative influence from the front line. Atalanta and Juventus ran over their midfield and totally controlled the game.

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Another change was needed, and Mihajlovic found an old-school way of making it when he reverted to a 4-4-2. He used the same 11 players he did last time out, against Juventus, but he shuffled them around. Bonaventura and Alessio Cerci served as the wide midfielders, and M'Baye Niang—whose previous game action was on the left wing—partnered Carlos Bacca up top.

After his first start against Atalanta on Nov. 7, Niang told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) that he preferred to play as a center-forward, even though he is usually thought of as a wide player. Mihajlovic took him at his word—and reaped the rewards.

The signs came early, when Niang lifted a nice diagonal pass that was just a little bit too far from Bacca five minutes in. Milan's main attacking threat came from Cerci for the next few minutes, but after a quarter of an hour, Niang started his breakout.

It started from an unexpected source: Juraj Kucka. Known more for his hard-nosed play than technical skill, the Slovakian danced through a wall of three Sampdoria defenders and found Cerci, who flipped it to Niang, who was running the channel. Niang fired a hard cross that Bonaventura tapped past a stranded Emiliano Viviano for Milan's first goal of an eventual 4-1 win.

Two minutes later, the young Frenchman burst forward and unleashed a long-range bolt that only missed the post by the width of a ball.

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Milan continued to focus their attacks down the right side, and in the 38th minute, it paid dividends again, this time when Ignazio Abate fired in a cross. Niang missed, but Bonaventura was hauled down trying to get to it. Niang, rather than Bacca, was given the responsibility of the spot-kick, and he dispatched it coolly, high and down the middle past a diving Viviano.

The Frenchman sealed the game shortly after the break. After two previous attempts—including an outrageous backheel effort that was smartly saved by Viviano and a wide shot off the ensuing corner—the youngster was still heading back to his spot when Viviano attempted a short goal kick. Niang cut in front of it. Instantly in a one-on-one situation, he coolly dispatched the chance and sealed the game.

When Daniele Doveri blew for full-time, Niang's stat line, according to WhoScored.com, came out to two goals, an assist, seven shots (three on target) and three key passes. It was a true breakout performance and possibly the start of something big.

Niang has already performed well as a winger, but if he can play at a high level as a central striker it opens up a lot of possibilities for Mihajlovic that weren't there before. He can go back to using a pair up top rather than a single striker. He can continue to use a 4-4-2 until his midfield heals, then potentially switch back to a 4-3-1-2 with Bonaventura as the trequartista.

If a 4-3-3 is considered the best way to go, he can use Niang as either a winger or a striker if Bacca requires a rest. When Balotelli returns, he could form a formidable partnership with him as well.

The predominant memory most Milan fans have of Niang is of his infamous miss in the 2012-13 Champions League round of 16 against Barcelona. If this game is anything to go on, Niang could be well on his way toward making that a simple footnote in his history. Niang's emergence in recent weeks, culminating in Saturday's stellar performance, has given Mihajlovic an exciting new tool to use as the season moves forward.