GdS: Pioli precedent and flexibility – why Milan see Milinkovic-Savic as the ideal reinforcement

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·24 May 2023

GdS: Pioli precedent and flexibility – why Milan see Milinkovic-Savic as the ideal reinforcement

La Gazzetta dello Sport have doubled down on their suggestion that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could reunite with Stefano Pioli and join AC Milan.

The paper (as seen below) writes how Milinkovic-Savic has become everything that Pioli – his first coach in Italy – imagined he could be in 2015. He is now a total midfielder, capable of raising the level of play for the entire team, creating danger and scoring goals in any area of the field he is deployed.

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That is also why he is the ideal reinforcement for Milan who have Pioli in mind. There is no negotiation at the moment, but there is a liking. With only one year of contract ahead, the Serbia international’s farewell to Lazio in the summer is more than likely, as Igli Tare suggested.

Milinkovic-Savic made his debut under Pioli at Lazio Champions League preliminaries against Leverkusen and in a short time he would become a staple of Pioli’s 4-3-3, then redesigned into a 4-2-3-1.

Milan’s tactical journey in recent years resembles the one made by Pioli’s Lazio, and that is why the midfielder could follow the same path, becoming a central attacking midfielder in the Rossoneri’s current formation.

For Sergej it would not be new, and not only because he already held that role at the beginning in the Biancoceleste. Playing as a No.10, the is closer to the goal in support of the centre-forward, is his job in the Serbian national team.

It is no coincidence that Pioli went for Calhanoglu and Kessie over Brahim Diaz in the last two seasons, and then Krunic or Bennacer over De Ketelaere and Diaz at times this season.

In terms of his physicality and eye for goal Milinkovic-Savic is the closest to Kessie. With the Serbian Pioli could also go back to his origins and readopt the 4-3-3, provided he has a real right winger in the squad. These are all ideas of course, but they start from the basis of potentially signing a player of real quality.