GdS: ‘Together, only wins’ – why Rabiot will lead Allegri’s Milan into Juventus battle

AC Milan have gone from losing to a newly-promoted team to beating the champions, and Adrien Rabiot’s arrival has been key in the shift.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, from the defeat to Cremonese on August 23, Milan grew to a point of being able to beat Napoli, outplaying them at first and then digging in a man down. The one difference to the starting line-up between those games? Rabiot.

Adrien was the last-minute signing after the injury to Ardon Jashari, another summer reinforcement for the midfield, and especially after the shock Milan-Cremonese match. It’s possible that without that defeat, the Frenchman would not be here.

Restless

Rabiot arrived from Marseille via Turin, where he will return for the first time as a former player on Sunday evening. The Frenchman – who has played 360 minutes across four appearances since his arrival – is the tireless force in the Rossoneri midfield.

He’s the true replacement for Tijjani Reijnders as the left-sided midfielder: while the latter had achieved international status in Milan, Adrien brought with him a legacy of twenty-one trophies won for club and country.

Reijnders was the top scorer last season at Milan, scoring 10 league goals. Rabiot scored just one less in his last campaign in Ligue 1. While Tijjani was tasked with getting into the mix but with fewer defensive duties, Rabiot is a tireless all-rounder.

Reijnders had his best season with Milan, but the team finished eighth in the league: great numbers but lacking leadership. Rabiot is authoritative; he and Luka Modric have recognised charisma.

Evolution and Allegri

Adrien will return to the Juventus stadium, his first Italian team: a stint spanning 212 games with 22 goals, 16 assists and four trophies (two Coppa Italias, one Supercoppa and one Scudetto). However, Juve never really got anywhere with his renewal, and so he left on a free transfer.

Rabiot has evolved. He’s an even more team-focused midfielder: his average number of passes at Juventus (37.9) has increased at Milan, reaching 40. Adrien is also more involved in duels: an average of 11.4 in matches with Juventus, 13.7 in those with Milan.

His participation in attacking play is also more evident: the average number of side passes has increased significantly (from 0.7 to 2 per match) and the average number of attempted dribbles has increased to a lesser extent.

Rabiot will lead Milan into battle at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, the place he and Allegri struck up their bond. Now they are reunited, and the record so far reads positively: four wins, nine goals scored, one conceded.

After Milan’s home match against Cremonese, discussions intensified and a deal with Marseille was finalised worth €7m, excluding bonuses. This is also the total amount spent on building the current midfield: the ever-present Modric was a free, while Youssouf Fofana already was in the squad.