Jose Mauri Makes His Case in AC Milan's Dismal Draw with Carpi

On Thursday night, AC Milan were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Carpi in what was one of the more forgettable games in a season filled with underwhelming performances.

Cristian Brocchi took to the San Siro dugout for the first time in his coaching career for what was his second match in charge of the Rossoneri following on from Sinisa Mihajlovic’s dismissal. However, his team laboured to an insipid draw against a team battling to avoid relegation to Serie B.

The only promising individual performance came from Jose Mauri, a second-half substitute who proved he has what it takes to assume a role of greater importance going forward.

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The 19-year-old came on at 61 minutes as Brocchi looked to add energy and bite to Milan’s midfield, and the youngster didn’t let his coach down, playing with a level of gusto his more experienced team-mates lacked throughout.

Mauri wasn’t able to help in opening up a resolute Carpi defence, but he showed flashes of real promise against the backdrop of a rather uninspiring team performance.

Milan, continuing in the 4-3-1-2 formation Brocchi has favoured since his appointment, were kept at bay by Fabrizio Castori’s side, who—in their 3-5-1-1-cum-5-4-1 system—proved a tough nut to crack. They defended deep, congested space between defence and midfield and made it extremely difficult for the hosts to penetrate the lines.

Carpi’s reactive approach had the effect of stultifying the Rossoneri, who, in spite of having 77 per cent of possession, lacked movement off the ball and were subsequently reduced to playing ineffectual sideways passes.

Mauri livened things up once introduced to the game, attempting four shots on goal—which was more than any other Milan player bar Mario Balotelli. He also completed one tackle and made one key pass, per WhoScored.com, and had a goal ruled out for offside.

All in all, he showed more than enough in his brief outing to make many Milan fans wonder why exactly he had previously made just one prior league appearance for the club since joining on a free transfer last summer.

The Argentinian arrived at Milan full of promise. While still a teenager, he had just completed one full season of Serie A football with Parma, which ultimately ended with the Crociati’s demotion due to financial issues.

But, while the campaign ended disappointingly, Mauri had turned heads with his mature displays at the heart of midfield, even scoring a goal against reigning champions Juventus to secure a memorable victory at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

As such, when he signed for Milan, he was seen as a huge part of the club’s future. He, too, was excited at the prospect of making the step up in his career, something he made clear to reporters, per Goal.

“I can say that a dream has come true,” he said. “Milan are a side that I have followed a lot because of the small rivalry that exists with Boca Juniors. My Milan idol was (Gennaro) Gattuso. The moment Milan are going through pushed me to come here. I need to improve, like Milan, and let’s hope we can achieve this together."

Yet, within six months of those comments, Mauri was being linked with a loan move away after failing to make a single league start for the club. His agent Dino Zampacorta told MilanNews.it (h/t Football Italia) there was “confusion” over his role in the team.

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With older professionals such as Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Bertolacci, Andrea Poli and Juraj Kucka all fighting for a place in the team, it was initially understandable that he took a backseat.

However, with all of the above four, perhaps Kucka aside, lacking form and confidence, it’s time for Mauri to be given more game time.

As Carpi ran incessantly to mark their men and cover ground, Milan needed someone with enthusiasm and verve to up the tempo. They required a player willing to drive at the opposition defence as opposed to passing around in front of it.

Mauri, while occasionally showing some rough edges, did more in this respect than any other Rossoneri midfielder. He has waited patiently for his chance, and he took it on Thursday evening. Now he just needs to be given a start.