GdS: Nobody is safe – Milan planning potential revamp amid dire defensive record

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SempreMilan

·18 maggio 2024

GdS: Nobody is safe – Milan planning potential revamp amid dire defensive record

AC Milan’s defence has been their Achilles heel this season with far too many goals having been let in, and this could reportedly lead to a summer overhaul.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, the injuries only partially explain what has been a disastrous season for Milan when it comes to their defensive record. They have just the seventh-best rearguard in Serie A in terms of goals conceded, and the 15th-best when looking at away games.

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Nobody untouchable

It is an individual and departmental failure from Milan’s defence, which let them down in the decisive moments of the season such as in the Champions League group stages and key stretches in the league.

It is in this context, therefore, that evaluations are and will be made in view of the next season. Unlike other departments, where some untouchables players are present like Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic, for example – there are no players with that status in defence.

This obviously does not mean the elimination of the entire department. The opposite is equally likely, i.e. that no one moves, but any offers deemed appropriate will be evaluated by the club.

New additions

Some new players will arrive to bolster the rearguard. Simon Kjaer’s exit leaves a void, while Mattia Caldara will depart but he was never used by Pioli.

Paradoxically, the player most sage was the last to arrive: Matteo Gabbia was recalled from his loan at Villarreal six months early and he has since gone on to make over 20 appearances. The six months in Spain have helped him grow, and all signs point towards him staying.

Fikayo Tomori is an interesting case (33 appearances, 30 as a starter). He has not had the most positive campaign but the two months spent in the treatment room due to a muscle injury right in the heart of the season did not help.

The need to bounce back

Malick Thiaw took a step backwards after a positive emergence in 2022-23, but again a major physical problem (myotendinous injury) kept him out of action for two and a half months. When he returned, however, there were plenty of mistakes.

Staying on the subject of players whose inadequate performance was due to physical problems, we also find Pierre Kalulu. He was massacred by injuries: first a five-week stoppage, then four months and finally a month. It is difficult, in these conditions, to find consistency.

Theo Hernandez’s stay is anything but a given (45 appearances, 44 as a starter). Of the big players in the squad, he would appear to be the most likely to say goodbye if Milan were to decide to make a Tonali-esque sale.

Finally Davide Calabria, Alessandro Florenzi and Filippo Terracciano: the latter could leave on loan, for the first two it is difficult to imagine any exit movements. The concept remains valid for the entire department: nobody is safe.