The Underrated Giacomo Bonaventura Plays Key Role in AC Milan's Win over Empoli

AC Milan temporarily moved up the Serie A table to an impressive second place following their 4-1 away victory over Empoli on Saturday night. The win, which was their third in four games, had a lot to do with an enhanced collective resilience. However, praise for the result should also be apportioned to one of the league’s most underrated players.

Giacomo Bonaventura does much of his work away from the limelight. This is strange considering his position; as an attack-minded midfielder who often plays a pivotal role in and around the final third for his team, it would be normal for his name to attract a plethora of headlines. But it doesn’t.

Instead, he exists in a rather unique realm. He is both critical to Milan’s progress and generally underappreciated. He affects games for the better on a consistent basis, yet he fails to garner significant plaudits for doing so. His exceptional talent is only equalled by his performances, and his starring role against Empoli was nothing new.

And yet where Bonaventura is concerned the description of star just doesn’t quite fit. Perhaps this has something to do with the rise of others more suitable for the term.

Twenty-three-year-old Spanish creator Suso, a player whose centre of gravity and serenity unnerves even the toughest of defences, has taken on the mantle of primary attacking outlet, with five goals and six assists to his name this season. And, in more defensive areas, 18-year-old regista Manuel Locatelli and 17-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have played a huge part in Milan’s recent upturn.

These players, along with 21-year-old central defender Alessio Romagnoli, are the freshest, most enthralling prospects in an exciting new era for a team built on youth. However, at 27 years of age, Bonaventura is a little too old to consider himself among such prospects.

And, on top of that, his movements and actions are not quite as explosive. He is lithe, nimble and quick-witted; a thinker, albeit one who is, at times, guilty of over-thinking, or falling in love with the ball at his feet. Every touch he has is considered; even his most adventurous forward surges are imbued with an inherent efficacy, a knowledge of where he will end up and why he wants to get there.

In short, Bonaventura’s moments of brilliance are a shade more subtle. His beauty lies in his intricacy, not in power, pace, agility or audacity. He isn’t always the standout player on a pitch, but he is always one of the best. And Milan needed him at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on Saturday.

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Rossoneri head coach Vincenzo Montella was unhappy with his team’s first-half showing against Empoli, something he discussed in a post-match interview. “The way I saw it was we struggled more than necessary in the first half,” he told reporters (h/t Football Italia). “We were too negative, too lazy, didn’t trust ourselves and the preventative marking was just awful.”

Milan did indeed struggle for much of the opening 45 minutes as Giovanni Martusciello’s side took advantage of sloppy errors from their esteemed visitors.

The Tuscan outfit almost opened the scoring on three minutes after a mistake by Mattia De Sciglio and, after conceding through a well-taken first-time Gianluca Lapadula strike on 15 minutes, they equalised two minutes later. After a poor parry into a dangerous area by Donnarumma, former Rossonero Riccardo Saponara fired home to restore parity for Empoli.

Saponara missed another clear chance before the half-time break, however. After a flowing passing move, he was put through on goal by Guido Marilungo, only to skew his volleyed effort over the bar.

Following the break, Milan slowly began to impose themselves upon the game. Bonaventura, playing on the left wing in a 4-3-3 system, was at the heart of the revival, constantly involving himself, instigating attacks and driving at the home side’s defence.

And, after Suso had found the net from a clever Ignazio Abate pull-back on 61 minutes, the underrated playmaker single-handedly ensured the game was out of reach for Empoli three minutes later.

Receiving the ball on the left flank, Bonaventura drove forcefully infield toward the opposition penalty area, committing desperate defenders along the way. Eschewing the physical challenge of his marker he accelerated into the 18-yard box, where a smooth step-over left another opponent helpless. Attacking the byline, his pull-back was then diverted in by the unfortunately placed Andrea Costa.

With a 3-1 lead, Milan were able to counter-attack a deflated, increasingly tired Empoli side for the remainder of the match. Thus it was no surprise that a fourth goal was added, with Lapadula again the beneficiary of Suso’s work in the build-up, which included a deft turn and run.

While the striker and his supplier were the stars of the show with their creative and clinical capacity having a marked impact, Bonaventura’s presence was at its understated, brilliant best. He completed four dribbles, played seven key passes and three accurate crosses—in each of these categories he produced more than any of his team-mates.

It was the sort of individual performance that Milanisti have come to expect of the player. Perhaps this is another reason for his ability to compete below the radar—he has become so consistently effective, so frequently at the heart of all things good, that displays such as the one he put in against Empoli have come to be the norm.

Certainly, he has relished playing within Montella’s system. The player commented on his appreciation for the new setup when speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) in October. “I like it, because I get on the ball a lot, and I’m an active participant in building play,” he said. “Maybe it’s a less flashy job, but I enjoy it.”

Montella was hired on the grounds that he would not only improve results, but Milan’s style of play. Building cohesive passing patterns has been at the core of his tactical ambitions throughout his post-playing days and elements of this have been seen with the Rossoneri. Bonaventura was always going to be instrumental to this.

Taking on the No. 5 shirt, the attacking midfielder has often played more centrally within the midfield three this season, obtaining much greater influence on the quality of his team’s possession as a consequence. With his dribbles, balance, willingness to drop deep when necessary and desire to progress the ball, he has stood out as Milan’s own Borja Valero—a diminutive, fluid pass-master who proved integral to Montella’s Fiorentina side.

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But, when appropriate, Bonaventura is also used in a higher position. This was the case on Saturday night, where he resumed the left-wing role he took up for much of last season. Here lies another potential reason behind his unsung status—he is extremely versatile.

Montella spoke about the 27-year-old’s flexibility in pre-season, telling Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) that, “He is more of a trequartista than an internal midfielder, but he has the characteristics to play more or less everywhere in midfield.” It could, however, be argued that this ability to rotate positions has harmed the player’s reputation rather than furthered it, causing uncertainty as to where he plays best.

It’s easy to overlook Bonaventura. His nuanced style, lack of real upside, willingness to shift roles to suit the team and reliability do not necessarily correspond with star status. As such he remains underrated. But as he proved again away to Empoli, he also remains crucial to Milan.

All statistics provided by WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated.