GdS: Zero goals from Gimenez and Nkunku – Milan’s forwards are missing

Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku have struggled to make an impact so far this season, failing to find the back of the net in Serie A. 

As highlighted by Luca Bianchin of Gazzetta dello Sport, it’s almost as if Milan have been given a challenge for the season: “Try to win Serie A without goals from the strikers”. Since the start of the season, only the other attackers have found the back of the net.

Indeed, there has been nothing from Gimenez and Nkunku in the league. Both of them featured in the game against Pisa last night but didn’t even get one shot on target between them. Gimenez, in particular, watched on as he was very disconnected from the rest of the team.

More than two months into the season, as Bianchin continues, the assessment is clear: It’s not the year of strikers for anyone, but Inter have Bonny, Lautaro, and Thuram with three goals, Napoli have Hojlund with two, Juve have Vlahovic with two, and David with one.

Milan, with their two strikers, are still scoreless.

Gimenez’s struggles continue

So, why isn’t Gimenez scoring? A complex and nuanced answer is required to that question. In the past, it had mainly been due to inaccuracy and bad luck: De Gea miraculously stopped a goal last weekend, and other times efforts have gone just wide of the mark.

Against Pisa, however, it was a different story and Milan’s slow pace is certainly part of the explanation. Santi wasted his time with a Milan side that was often sluggish, slow, and incapable of creating for him.

Photo by AC Milan

Christopher Nkunku, by comparison, has a perfect excuse: he played only 14 minutes plus injury time. In those 14 minutes, he came close to scoring. Picked out by Leao, he at least shot towards goal. Canestrelli, with a sliding tackle, prevented him from celebrating.

The numbers are clear. For Gimenez, in 76 minutes, there were no shots on target, only eight completed passes (one every nine and a half minutes), no assists, no crosses, and only one chance created. For Nkunku, just four passes and nothing beyond that blocked shot. Not enough.