GdS: Brains and brawn vs. the ‘Fab Four’ – how the midfield battle could decide Milan-Napoli

Sunday’s game between AC Milan and Napoli will be a real tactical duel knowing the two coaches, and the midfield could be decisive.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write that the midfield battle will be at the heart of Milan-Napoli, where the match could be decided. It’s not just a question of muscle in terms of physical power: it’s also about mental strength, the ability to withstand pressure and read the game with a calm head.

The weight of experience

The Rossoneri’s strength will then come from the talent and intuition of Luka Modric, a fine regista. He carries with him the weight of his successes and vast experience with 34 trophies won. After resting in the Coppa Italia, Luka is ready to reclaim the spotlight.

With him will be Adrien Rabiot, who hasn’t missed a single minute of his first three games at the club. Stamina goes hand in hand with physique, but Adrien is more than just solidity and dynamism: he’s an excellent assistant playmaker, the player Allegri requested more than others.

He balances the department, makes runs, recovers the ball and tries to appear in the opposition penalty area himself. Rabiot is a complete midfielder, and he too has won 21 trophies for club and country. He and Modric are the brawn and the brain.

Who will join them as the third player? Youssouf Fofana should start, with Allegri entrusting him with strictly defensive duties. There is a reinvigorated Ruben Loftus-Cheek too, but the Frenchman is favoured.

The ‘Fab Four’

In the 58th minute of Napoli-Pisa, Antonio Conte sent Lobotka and Anguissa on. There’s the feeling of a finished team, built on a different vision than the past, having moved away from the three-man attack (at least for now) and now pursuing balance in an alternative way.

Conte wants to dominate the middle of the park and he will rely on a four-man line to do that. To Lobotka and the athletic freshness of Anguissa will be added the dazzling talent of De Bruyne and McTominay.

The arrival of De Bruyne forced the tweak to the ‘Fab Four’ – a 4-1-4-1 or something similar – leaving the Belgian and McTominay the freedom and discretion to be guided by their own footballing intelligence.