Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Not the Answer: AC Milan Have Bigger Issues

In recent weeks there has been increasing speculation that unsettled Barcelona star and former Inter icon, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, may become a Milan player next season. If reports are believed to be true, then apparently both Ronaldinho and Huntelaar will be sold in order to raise the necessary capital to prize Ibra away from the Nou Camp and back to the San Siro.

For Milan, if such a move were to occur, it would be a remarkable mistake.

The first reason is that Milan have bigger issues elsewhere on the park. The midfield. in particular, is in dire need of fresh faces. For Milan, it is the midfield that is the biggest problem. With both a severe lack of depth and quality, why the club is obsessed with signing another striker is inexplicable.

The No. 1 priority for Milan at the moment should be to sign at least one world class midfielder, if not two. Of the current midfielders on the Milan roster, only Andrea Pirlo should be considered to be a midfield starter next season.

Gennaro Gattuso just needs to be sold, Massimo Ambrosini showed last year that he can not last a whole season and therefore needs a replacement, Mathieu Flamini is just a red card waiting to happen and does not offer much offensively, whilst Clarence Seedorf should not be regarded as a starter for next season either.

With such a dearth of quality and depth—along with the fact that all these players, bar Flamini, are beyond the age of 30—then clearly it should be midfielders that Milan should be courting first.

After midfielders, it is full backs that Milan need. Gianluca Zambrotta is at best a bit part player now. He cannot be expected to play a whole season and perform well for its duration. This simply will not happen.

As for Abate, whether or not he has the ability to become a solid full back is a question open for debate. He showed some promise last season, but overall his performances did not show enough promise.

In Antonini, Milan have an effective full back and probably should be the first full back written down to be a starter next season.

Ideally, Milan need one quality full back before there is even mention of a striker.

Only when the issues in midfield and at full back have been properly resolved should there be talk of Milan signing a striker. But, when it comes to the Milan attack, what is more of an issue now that Allegri is coach is who will play the trequartista role.

Ronaldinho is not an option for this role. At the beginning of last season, it was this role that Leonardo wanted him to play. But Ronaldinho failed miserably as Milan made one of the worst starts to the Serie A in living memory.

Aside from Ronaldinho, Pirlo could also be considered for this role. But to push Pirlo forward up the park would only serve to diminish his effectiveness because Pirlo is more effective in his preferred deep-lying playmaker role.

Beyond Ronaldinho and Pirlo, only Clarence Seedorf can fill the void. But, surely, Seedorf, who will turn 35 years of age, cannot be expected to fulfill this most important of roles for a season where Milan will be competing on both a domestic and European front.

Milan need a fantasista. A player whose natural role is to play behind the strikers and create goals. Ronaldinho may have to be sold to fund such a purchase, but given that in Allegri’s 4-3-1-2 system Ronaldinho will be rendered virtually ineffective, then selling the Brazilian presents little trouble.

There are a host of players that Milan could court for this role. The first player that comes to mind is Germany’s Mezut Ozil. For Germany in South Africa, Ozil as been an absolute revelation. He is the perfect No. 10 player, in the traditional sense. He can create goals, score goals, and has the ability to dictate attacking plays and find gaps in the opposition defence.

Another player that would also suit this role perfectly is Inter starlet Mario Balotelli. A Milan fan in his youth, Balotelli is Italy’s hope for the future. A player of immense talent and potential, Balotelli too is comfortable in a creative role, can score goals too, and has incredible technical ability.

With Huntelaar, Borriello, Pato, and Inzaghi as strikers, this is the one area of the park where Milan have the greatest depth. Therefore, there is no great need to bring in another one.

Milan need a trequartista before another striker. Though, it is midfielders and full backs that are really required before any attacking player is brought in.

Lastly, though Ibrahimovic is a supremely talented player, selling both Huntelaar and Ronaldinho to sign him is irrational. For despite his great technical ability, his capacity to create goals and score wonder goals too, Ibra is still a big game flop. In Europe in particular, Ibra has failed to shine. The tall Swede is good, but he is not so good that he is worth the sacrificing of both Huntelaar and Ronaldinho.

Milan need to forget about signing a striker, whether it be Luis Fabiano or Ibrahimovic, and focus on the more pressing need to bring in one or ideally two world class midfielders.