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Massimiliano Allegri considers Rafael Leao to be an immovable starter, and that opens up a battle for the remaining spot in the attacking duo.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, without Christian Pulisic – sidelined due to injury – Allegri has tried Santiago Gimenez, Christopher Nkunku and Alexis Saelemaekers in the front two, plus Ruben Loftus-Chee during games.
Pulisic will likely be back for the game against Parma on Saturday night, with Milan hoping to go into the last international break of 2025 with another win. Is it as simple as the American regaining his starting spot? Max has options.
What was planned
The Pulisic-Leao pairing was the first one Allegri experimented with in the summer friendlies, with Rafa as the centre-forward. This solution hasn’t been completely abandoned by Max, although in recent matches it was first Gimenez and then Nkunku who played further forward.
And with the American’s return? In Parma, Pulisic’s condition will need to be assessed, having been out for over two weeks now, so he could start on the bench. Given Leao got a calf issue early on and then returned just as Pulisic was sidelined, they actually haven’t played much together as a duo.
Allegri and the Milan fans are therefore waiting to finally have both stars fit and ready to play. In Max’s mind, these two are the starters. Despite hardly ever playing together (only a handful of minutes against Napoli and Juventus), they are clearly the most productive of the Rossoneri attack.
In the league, 10 of the Rossoneri’s 15 goals have seen one of them be involved with a goal or an assist. That’s why seeing them together again soon is generating a lot of optimism and excitement.
The trident
At Milanello, however, Allegri and his staff have been studying a hyper-attacking version for some time: Nkunku, Pulisic and Leao simultaneously. This idea is currently deemed difficult to implement from the start, but it should be considered during the game, especially when the team is behind.
Max and his men are working on how to get the three to fit. For example, who would play in the middle? Probably Nkunku, as Igli Tare said before the Roma game: “He’s played as a centre-forward in 72% of his career.” This would give Leao and Pulisic more space to run.
The Frenchman got more into the match against the Giallorossi after a decidedly subdued start. If Pulisic isn’t 100% fit, the Frenchman will almost certainly be the one to support Leao at the Tardini against Parma.
Other solutions
Santiago Gimenez is currently on the sidelines with an ankle problem, which could jeopardise his participation in Parma on Saturday. Gimenez is not only the one true centre-forward in the Milan squad, but also the striker with the most minutes in Serie A so far: 627.
Yet, the goalscoring column is still empty, in the league at least. Santiago has often worked hard for his team-mates, doing things that perhaps go unnoticed such as leading the press and creating space. At the same time, he has been glaringly lacking in finishing.
The injury has halted him at a difficult time, but who knows, it might just help him recharge his batteries mentally. Clearly, with everyone available, El Bebote will have fewer opportunities. Meanwhile, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alexis Saelemaekers remain the emergency options up front.
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