Giacomo Bonaventura Shows He Can Be AC Milan's Borja Valero in Chelsea Defeat

Pre-season is an unpredictable time in football. Players aren’t fully fit, teams lack identity, and consequently, friendly performances can differ vastly from one game to the next. So far this summer, AC Milan have been a perfect illustration of this.

After a disastrous collective display against Liverpool last Sunday resulted in a 2-0 defeat, the Rossoneri finished their International Champions Cup schedule in much more positive fashion against Chelsea on Wednesday morning.

The outcome may have been the same—they lost, 3-1—but the overall showing was a far cry from just three days earlier.

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

There were promising shoots of recovery as several aspects of new coach Vincenzo Montella’s tactical ideas appeared to click into gear, with Giacomo Bonaventura in particular impressing from a left-sided central midfield position.

Milan controlled much of the game’s first half, creating several good opportunities in the early going. Juraj Kucka went close with a header after just two minutes, before M’Baye Niang—who looked dangerous throughout with his pace and skill—saw a scuffed left-footed shot from close range touched wide by Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Subsequently, when the London club—who are now managed by former Juventus and Italy boss Antonio Conte—took the lead on 24 minutes, they did so against the run of play. A temporary lapse in concentration from the Rossoneri defence allowed Nemanja Matic too much time and space to receive the ball outside their penalty box from a simple throw-in. The Serbian then found an unmarked Bertrand Traore, who promptly dispatched a firm finish.

Milan continued to dominate the ball and looked very much like a Montella team in style. They built possession effectively from the back through short, one-touch passes and combinations, inviting and often resisting pressure from their opposition. They refused to go long without reason and took the occasional risk in order to bypass Chelsea’s first line of defence.

Bonaventura’s willingness and ability to drop deep was vital to this, offering a good forward option to the back four.

The Rossoneri looked well-organised without the ball at feet, too. They pressed man-to-man high up the pitch, restricting the effectiveness of the movements of Conte’s side and allowing them little time and space to manoeuvre.

They received just rewards for their enterprising play on 38 minutes, as Bonaventura capped a fine individual display with a goal. The 26-year-old, who is generally dangerous from set pieces, stepped up to equalise with a beautifully struck, curling free-kick.

But after continuing to impose themselves upon Chelsea in the period immediately following the half-time break, Milan lost their footing on the game. The Premier League side pushed their full-backs further down the flanks and also pressed with greater intensity higher up the pitch, forcing the Rossoneri back.

Those tactical changes, as well as Conte’s ability to bring on players of high calibre such as Eden Hazard, Michy Batshuayi and N’Golo Kante, saw a huge momentum shift as the second half went on.

Perhaps inevitably, it was one of Chelsea’s substitutes, Brazil international Oscar, who decided the game. The 24-year-old tucked home a penalty following a handball in the penalty box by Andrea Poli, then sealed the win with three minutes of normal time remaining with an accurate finish after a well-executed through ball by Juan Cuadrado.

Despite a disappointing finale and result, Milan could take hope from their performance. Per ESPN FC, they had just as many shots on target as their opponents, enjoyed more possession and forced more saves. Montella rightly commended his team’s efforts, telling reporters (h/t Football Italia):

"

It was the best game in our pre-season, against an opponent of a great level. We controlled the game and we had many chances, I counted four-five clear ones in which we could have scored again.

I'm really pleased with the performance. It's a shame about the score, but the disappointment will be gone tomorrow morning, while the performance remains. I say this with great conviction.

We created very much and held ourselves well on the pitch. For 70 minutes I saw no difference between the two teams, in fact I liked Milan better.

"

One of the problems Montella has had in implementing his possession game is a lack of quality technicians in midfield, and this could have continued to be an issue against Chelsea with the energetic but unrefined Kucka playing at the base of a central three.

The Slovakian was covered and pressured early on, but Bonaventura dropped deeper to ensure this didn’t affect the quality of Milan’s passing. In so doing, he showed he can play an important role for the new coach going forward.

Montella’s longest spell as a head coach came with Fiorentina. The 42-year-old led the club for three seasons between 2012 and 2015, taking them to three consecutive fourth-place finishes in Serie A. Along the way, he earned plaudits for the attractive football with which his side played, something that Borja Valero was integral to.

Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

The cerebral Spanish creator was, and is, the focal point of the Viola midfield. While diminutive in stature, his positional awareness, technique and playmaking enable him to evade opponents and set up team-mates. His productivity on the ball was evidenced by an average of 2.1 key passes per game in Serie A last season, something only five players could better, per WhoScored.com.

Valero’s ability in possession led to rumours that Montella would attempt to reunite with him at Milan. Indeed Gianluca Di Marzio’s site (h/t Football Italia) reported that the Rossoneri were set to vie with Roma for the player.

However, it appears a deal is highly unlikely to happen, with the 31-year-old telling ESPN FC:

"

As for Milan's interest, I know no more than you do. I have no news of any kind. I'd like to pay my compliments to Montella for joining Milan, and I wish him the best. Like every other year, it's nice to hear that people are interested in me. But I have a contract with Fiorentina and I'm happy here.

"

Perhaps the reason behind the lack of contact with Valero is that Montella has realised he already has a quality midfield schemer in Bonaventura.

Comparisons between the two players aren’t without merit.

While the Fiorentina man completed more passes and created more chances last season, per Squawka.com, this is more to do with the overarching style of play at the Viola. With a possession-based style now being put into place at Milan, there is no reason why Bonaventura cannot thrive in the same role.

He, like Valero, tends to relish occupying a more central space on the pitch. In 2015-16, he was shunted to the left wing, a position that only highlighted his lack of pace and reduced his time on the ball. He is more impactful on the outside of a midfield three where he can be involved in building moves at an earlier stage and flit into dangerous areas.

It is no coincidence that the Italy international’s best individual displays in pre-season so far came against Bordeaux and Chelsea, games in which he played in the three-man midfield of Montella’s 4-3-3-cum-4-5-1 formation. It’s also noteworthy that those friendlies happened to yield Milan’s best team performances of the summer.

NICOLAS TUCAT/Getty Images

When asked by Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) about Bonaventura’s best position, the coach stated, rather tellingly: "He is more of a trequartista than an internal midfielder, but he has the characteristics to play more or less everywhere in midfield."

The key for Montella will be finding someone else to perform on the left wing in the wake of Jeremy Menez’s departure for Bordeaux. Niang is far more capable when leading the line through the middle, though his improved outing against Chelsea suggested he is growing used to a wide berth.

If the 21-year-old Frenchman can adjust to the defensive demands of playing on the flank, this would finally free up Bonaventura to take up a central midfield berth.

With repeated delays in takeover talks between current Rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi and a Chinese consortium, the club have been unable to make moves in the transfer market. Consequently, Montella has been forced to work with the existing squad.

Fortunately, it appears the coach has received help from one of his players in solving a midfield problem. Milan may not be able to sign Valero, but now it is clear they don’t need to. As his performance against Chelsea made clear, Bonaventura can do the job.