CM: Why Joao Felix is already causing Milan a headache after arrival from Chelsea | OneFootball

AC Milan are experiencing a complicated period made up of various individual issues, and one of them concerns what to do with Joao Felix.

Milan found themselves distant from the top four places and thus they decided to intervene during the winter transfer window, bringing in Kyle Walker, Santiago Gimenez, Warren Bondo, Riccardo Sottil and of course Felix too.

As Calciomercato.com recall, the Portuguese forward arrived on loan from Chelsea and – despite scoring a goal on his debut in a 3-1 Coppa Italia victory over Roma – the needle on the balance of his time so far remains on the negative side.

After showing what he could do with a dink over Mile Svilar, Felix got lost in the darkness that has fallen on Milan in the recent period. In the games that followed, he lost possession 17, 13, 8, 16 and 18 times against Empoli, Verona, Torino and Feyenoord (first and second leg).

The total is 72 balls lost in just five appearances in all competitions, a disproportionate amount of possible chances never created by the feet of the player who should be the creator in the attacking midfielder role.

There are some mitigating circumstances, as always. The first is that he arrived not in the best physical condition given a lack of regular starts with Chelsea and then played full 90s, while he has not had many ‘normal’ training sessions with the games every three or four days.

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Milan cannot afford to wait: they need to speed up to reach fourth place, before it becomes too late. That objective also passes through the feet of Joao Felix, whose fluctuating performances on the field risk becoming more and more a completely unpleasant habit.

Ever since leaving Benfica, Felix has developed a reputation for being an inconsistent player, a magician capable of lighting up certain matches with his class, before disappearing from the scene for a long time. He can show flashes of genius, but also be incredibly wasteful.

At Atletico Madrid he started with two goals and an assist in the first six games in LaLiga, before a goal drought of four months. At Chelsea he was sent off in his first game, he returned, scored and then only scored one goal in the following 11 matches.

The only hint of consistency came in Barcelona, ​​even though nine matches passed between his first goal and his second in the league. The same thing is happening at Milan: a brilliant debut, before ‘a slow decline into anonymity’.

Despite this, Joao Felix seems to enjoy a different treatment compared to his teammates, also thanks to the trust placed in him by Sergio Conceicao. The 25-year-old has started every game barring his debut because Conceicao is convinced that he can relaunch his talent.

The former Porto boss has seemingly made it his personal mission to improve his compatriot physically and in terms of performance levels, so as to become more effective and decisive on the pitch. This unwavering trust means he does not feel his spot is under threat.

There is another issue too: the arrival of Felix and his role as the No.10 are limiting the range of action of Tijjani Reijnders, the real driving force – also in terms of goals – of the season. The Dutchman is still finding a way to make an impact even from a deeper role, yet he doesn’t have the same freedom.

Beyond the technical-tactical evaluations, the feeling emerging from Milanello is that Conceicao will give up one of the ‘Fab Four’ in favour of the insertion of an extra midfielder, switching to a 4-3-3. Will Joao Felix drop out? No, it seems Rafael Leao – the highest paid player in the squad – will be sacrificed.

This in itself prompts reflections. Is it right to give up on using and potentially developing a player of your own to give prominence to a player who, after all, is not actually a permanent asset for the club? A complex question, with answers to follow on the field in the coming weeks.