Giacomo Bonaventura Continues to Struggle in AC Milan's Draw with Chievo

In drawing 0-0 away to Chievo on Sunday, AC Milan fell further behind third-placed Roma and their chances of returning to the Champions League next season were severely dented.

The Rossoneri’s showing in Verona was well below par, a disappointing continuation of their decline in form that began with a 2-0 defeat away to Sassuolo the weekend prior.

Even more worrying than the dip in results is the fact Milan have failed to score in their last two games and have scored just twice in their last four league fixtures. Evidently, putting the ball in the net is becoming an issue, and with M’Baye Niang likely to be out until the end of the season, per the club (h/t Football Italia), it needs to be addressed quickly.

Another factor in the lack of attacking penetration coming from Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side is the form of star player Giacomo Bonaventura.

The elegant attacking midfielder has been Milan’s best player this season, but in his last two appearances he has failed to make an impact. This was a particular problem against Chievo.

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press/Associated Press

Struggling to find pockets of space, Bonaventura was regularly crowded out and failed to take advantage when afforded room. Instead, he was often caught dallying, his passes were consistently cut out and he ended up getting so frustrated he shoved Gialloblu striker Riccardo Meggiorini late in the game.

For that indiscretion, the 26-year-old earned a yellow card for the second consecutive game, an intriguing point of note given he is generally seen as a fairly placid character. Seemingly, something isn’t quite right.

Bonaventura’s difficulties of late are symptomatic of a Milan team that has lacked cohesion under Mihajlovic and is beginning to appear ineffective to boot.

The players work extremely hard off the ball and retain their shape well, traits that proved decisive in their 12-match unbeaten run prior to the Sassuolo loss and are helpful in matches in which they surrender the majority of possession.

However, when there exists an onus on dominating, creating and scoring against lesser opposition, they have frequently been unable to unlock defences.

Bonaventura spoke well of his coach toward the end of last year, telling Premium Sport (h/t Football Italia): “I have a good relationship with him. I may never have had such a rapport with a coach, especially from a human point of view.”

While the silky playmaker may enjoy working with Mihajlovic and has had his finest season yet under the Serbian’s tutelage, his display against Chievo was the latest in a series of outings in which he hasn’t been at the top of his game out on the left side of his coach's preferred midfield four.

Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

Milan mustered just one shot on target in the draw, with Bonaventura completing two dribbles and making zero key passes, per WhoScored.com.

It was the latest example of a match in which the Rossoneri should have had an edge over their opposition yet failed to open them up.

As Milan’s primary creative influence, Bonaventura’s poor performance is disconcerting, particularly given the aforementioned absence of Niang meaning they lack true striking options.

As it stands Mihajlovic has only three out-and-out strikers to call upon in Carlos Bacca, Luiz Adriano and Mario Balotelli. The Colombian has found the net 13 times this season, but the latter two have four league goals between them.

The last thing the club needs when without in-form strikers is a loss of inspiration from its playmakers. As such, it is imperative Bonaventura returns to his sparkling best as soon as possible if they are to seal a top-six finish and ensure that even if the UEFA Champions League is out of reach, the UEFA Europa League is not.

This may require a formation change, something Mihajlovic has done on two occasions already this season.

According to Football Italia, “Milan tested out a 4-3-3 formation...ahead of their trip to Chievo.” This system would see Bonaventura continue playing on the left wing, as he has done in the 4-4-2, albeit in a slightly more advanced position.

Bringing him closer to the front line may be what is needed in order to propel the Italy international back to his dangerous best, allowing him to link up more effectively with Bacca.

TIZIANA FABI/Getty Images

They have tended to work well with each other this season. Indeed, with four assists for the striker, Bonaventura has set up almost one-third of his team-mate's Serie A goals tally.

With just nine games left, Milan are running out of time to find an effective system and style that allows their finest attacking talents to flourish. But with a European spot up for grabs, a possible change in shape should not be ignored out of hand.

If it means getting the best out of Bonaventura again, it could prove the difference between sixth and seventh.