GdS: ‘Prompt response’ – Allegri to rely on Rabiot again in pursuit of Inter

AC Milan are hoping for another win tonight against Lecce, and Massimiliano Allegri will once again rely on Adrien Rabiot.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write, Inter won yesterday to go six points clear at the top for the time being, after Napoli beat Sassuolo to pull level on points with Milan. A top four spot is the target for Allegri’s side, but for now they want to keep pace at the top.

It’s against teams in the bottom half of the table that the Rossoneri have slowed their pursuit of the top spot. In six previous meetings against Cremonese, Pisa, Parma, Sassuolo, Genoa, and Fiorentina, AC Milan have drawn five times and lost once in their opening game.

Given the stakes and the need to field a team with personality and a recognised leader who can guide those less experienced, Allegri will rely on his first point of contact on the pitch: Adrien Rabiot. Together they have already played 144 games, 128 at Juve and 16 at Milan.

Bargain of the summer

In these 16 games, Milan lost twice in the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, but never in the league. Excluding the five occasions when Adrien was sidelined through injury, in Serie A with the Rossoneri he has collected nine wins and four draws, 2.38 points per game.

Speaking of numbers and growth, Adrien’s also show an evolution: in Como, he scored an away brace for the first time in his career in the top five European leagues. He hadn’t scored more than one goal in a Serie A game since his brace in Juventus-Sampdoria on March 12, 2023.

Rabiot is also one of only three midfielders in the current tournament with at least three goals and three assists, along with Nico Paz and Scott McTominay. He cost just €7m to sign from Marseille in the summer, and has since tripled his value in just a few months to €20m or more.

Luka Modric wants to play and will likely be present in the starting XI, but without the pace he had a few weeks ago. Adrien will therefore be the all-rounder and the champion who brings his mentality and experience to the team.

The Frenchman is also second only to Modric in terms of trophies: the former Real Madrid player has won 34, Rabiot 21. It’s hard for someone like him to get too big for himself after essentially winning Milan’s last match alone, with ​​a penalty won and two goals against Como.

Only through consistency and continuity can you achieve great success, which Adrien has replicated with PSG, Juventus and the French national team. Precisely because of his high-flying nature, he will now have to lead the team and those around him, like Samuele Ricci and Ardon Jashari.