GdS: ‘The indispensables return’ – how Allegri could transform Milan ahead of Inter clash

All of AC Milan’s frailties were on display in the collapse against Parma, but Massimiliano Allegri hopes a couple of returns will help.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, Allegri’s assessment of the game in Parma was that his side lacked an ability to adapt to the various moments of the match, to withstand the pressure from the home side and take the sting out of the game.

They were missing the experience of Adrien Rabiot and the impact of Christian Pulisic, at least during the period in which the team let the two-goal lead slip. With Inter coming up after the derby, Allegri is preparing to welcome both of them fully back.

The ‘indispensables’

Rabiot is 30 years old and has 227 games under his belt for PSG, 56 for the French national team and 212 matches for Juventus. It’s unlikely a midfielder of this maturity would have shied away from the fight, like Milan did in Emilia.

Luka Modric and Rafael Leao were the last to surrender, but the team lacked glue around them to hold everything together. After the goal and the penalty, Alexis Saelemaekers focused more on stylistic exercises, while Youssouf Fofana and Pervis Estupinan made defensive errors.

With Rabiot, Milan have much more balance. With him on the pitch in four league games, they’ve won three, drawn one and most importantly conceded only one goal (a penalty) against Napoli. Before the injury suffered while playing for Italy, Adrien had always been a starter and never been substituted.

He had a total of 450 minutes played, the entire time available, at least until the call-up to the French national team in mid-October and the calf injury that was confirmed only after the player returned to Milanello. Since then, five more games have followed, with much more inconsistent results: two wins, three draws, and six goals conceded.

Rabiot’s contribution is crucial: Modric has a perfect assistant playmaker, but that’s not all. The team have someone with the intelligence, passing and dynamism to impact the game in both phases. He is an all-rounder, and his size certainly helps too in the moments where grit is required.

The ex-PSG man will return to the starting XI in the derby, the match that needs experienced professionals more than any other. Adrien will take advantage of the break to regain his fitness and match rhythm, with Didier Deschamps’ France allowing him to stay at base.

Pulisic faces the same fate, for whom the mediation between the club and the US federation was crucial. Christian was available for Milan last weekend, and therefore theoretically eligible to report for international duty. He will remain with the Rossoneri during the break, seeking peak form.

The American has the technical ability to interact with Leao in attack and the personality to manage the most delicate phases of a match. Fikayo Tomori will return, while Santiago Gimenez and Ardon Jashari will battle for a place too. After all, in the six-pointers, things seem to go better.