Mario Pasalic's Time with AC Milan May Be Short, but It Can Still Be Productive

Mario Pasalic’s arrival at AC Milan in August was greeted with a good amount of scepticism. Usually, the addition of a talented 21-year-old midfielder is considered a positive, but in this case, Milanisti had more than enough reason to be pessimistic over the deal.

The young Croat arrived by way of a loan from his Premier League parent club, Chelsea. There was no mention of an option, never mind an obligation, of a permanent deal. As a consequence, the move brought back memories of a similar signing that was struck two years earlier.

Marco van Ginkel was once regarded as one of the more promising midfielders of his generation. The 23-year-old signed for Chelsea in 2013 after impressing for Vitesse Arnhem but failed to make an impression at Stamford Bridge.

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On September 1, 2014, he joined Milan on loan. That same day, the Rossoneri sold one of their brightest prospects, Bryan Cristante, to Benfica on a permanent basis. This sequence of events was met with anger and confusion by fans and neutrals, who couldn’t comprehend the short-termism involved in making such decisions.

Even if Van Ginkel played well for Milan, they would only be developing another team’s player to then watch him leave at the end of his temporary stay. At the same time, it seemed as if the Dutchman’s arrival had in some way smoothed the path for Cristante’s departure.

Furthermore, the loan didn’t seem to enhance the prospects for either the player or the team.

Van Ginkel struggled to impose himself at the San Siro. Indeed, regular opportunities were so hard to come by that two months into his stay, his agent, Karel Jansen, told Fox Sports (h/t Football Italia) that "At the start of the season, being on the bench was understandable. But now Marco still can’t get a game, and we’re not happy. He didn’t come to Milan to sit on the bench."

Eventually, the midfielder forced his way into the side on a more frequent basis, making 17 Serie A appearances all in all before returning to Chelsea. But while the player was handed his chance, the move was deemed ineffective from Milan’s perspective.

Pasalic’s time with the club has mirrored Van Ginkel’s in many respects.

Not only was Pasalic signed on loan, without an option to buy, for one season from Chelsea, but he was also seen as getting in the way of some of Milan’s own young talents, such as the 18-year-old playmaker Manuel Locatelli.

Yet unlike Cristante, Locatelli wasn’t sold. Instead, he has found himself filling in at the base of midfield for injured club captain Riccardo Montolivo. And as the talented Primavera graduate has become the new darling of Milanisti and a symbol of the future, Pasalic has come to represent nothing more than a makeweight.

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By October, his time in Italian football became almost identical to that of Van Ginkel’s, with Mercato365 (h/t Calciomercato) reporting on October 26 that his stay could end prematurely in January, with a move to French club Lille a possibility.

After two auspicious months for the team in which Pasalic didn't feature once for Milan, in the starting lineup or from the substitutes' bench, the initial scepticism that met his loan signing appeared justified. But in late October, his fortunes began to change.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a clash with Pescara, Rossoneri head coach Vincenzo Montella talked of his desire to ensure a longer stay for the Chelsea loanee. "If I could, I would take Pasalic on a permanent deal," the former Fiorentina boss told reporters. "He’s growing and deserves a place in the team."

The next day, as Milan led the Delfini 1-0 at home, Montella looked to his bench in a bid to secure the result. He sent Pasalic on in place of M’Baye Niang, adding fresh legs to the midfield and moving Giacomo Bonaventura to the left wing.

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And in just 28 minutes of action, the substitute showed enough to suggest he could offer more to the team than many first thought.

Per WhoScored.com, Pasalic made one important pass and completed one dribble during his short time on the pitch. Operating on the left-hand side of Montella’s midfield trio within the fluid 4-3-3 shape favoured by the coach, the player put in a controlled display, looking to get forward and support attacks when appropriate.

Afterward, the player told Goal (h/t Calciomercato) of his pleasure at making his first competitive appearance in Milan colours, saying:

"

I am happy for my debut. I think I played well. I came close to scoring twice. I’ve been waiting for this moment for very long time. I am not going to leave the club in January and rumours have not affected me. The way Montella treats me, it’s enough to understand that the club have trust in me. Despite some disappointing results over the last few seasons, AC Milan remain a great club.

"

And Pasalic’s outing against Pescara earned him a starting spot for Milan’s final match before the international break, a trip to face Palermo at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. He put in another competent performance, achieving an impressive 96 per cent pass-completion rate and making three tackles, per WhoScored.com, before Matias Fernandez replaced him on 62 minutes.

Montella’s comments on the midfielder after that 2-1 away win were promising. "Pasalic lost a bit of rhythm, but he is a player who has power, can do more and play in midfield roles," he told the press. "He needs to have the hunger...to stay at these levels."

A strong passer, willing and able to play through the opposition’s lines, Pasalic is also comfortable with both feet. This makes him difficult to predict, less immune to pressure and able to play forward at all times. Yet while these traits make him the ideal player for Montella’s patient, attack-minded possession game, he may be hindered by competition for places.

In terms of style and role, he is very similar to Bonaventura—a forward-thinking central midfielder with a preference for having the ball at feet and playing in more advanced areas. The same could be said of Fernandez and Jose Sosa, who both also joined in the summer transfer window.

Therefore, Milan possess four midfielders of similar attributes and preferences. However, these players are fighting for just one spot.

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Thus far, Montella has tended to utilise Bonaventura in a three-man midfield alongside a deep-lying playmaker and a more combative ball-winner. Montolivo and Locatelli have competed for the deeper role, while Juraj Kucka and Andrea Poli have performed the more destructive role. In addition, it’s worth noting Andrea Bertolacci, who has been absent through injury for much of this campaign, will provide an extra option in this area upon his return.

What was arguably Milan’s weakest area at the start of the season appears packed thanks to the stunning form of Locatelli, which was discussed in a recent post, and the surprising importance of the functional Kucka to the traditionally idealistic Montella’s system. This makes Pasalic’s road to regular game time difficult, but he can still play his part.

The young Croat’s career has been punctuated by ephemeral homes. After breaking through at Hajduk Split, he joined Chelsea in 2014, only to spend the proceeding years in La Liga with Elche and Ligue 1 with AS Monaco before moving to Italy.

However, in his short time on the pitch with Miilan, Pasalic has proved himself to be a player of quality who could slot seamlessly into Montella’s style of play when asked. Even if his time with Milan is as short-lasting as his previous loan spells, it could nonetheless prove productive.