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AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri has suggested that his side could play without anyone in the role of striker, amid doubts about the attack.
Milan have found themselves in a strange situation whereby Christian Pulisic (before his injury) and Rafael Leao are contributing plenty, but Christopher Nkunku and Santiago Gimenez are both yet to score a league goal so far.
This has led to suggestions that the management may intervene when the window reopens to bring in a centre-forward. Paradoxically, though, the 3-5-2 system has Milan playing more with split strikers than with any one focal point.
Allegri answered questions on a variety of topics in his presser on the eve of the game at the Stadio Tardini, from Mike Maignan’s renewal to a possible formation change. He was asked about the composition of the attack on a couple of occasions, with his responses below.
Are you missing a centre-forward?
“We have Gimenez, who can give us a lot. Maybe we can even play without a centre-forward. There are seasons when you can play without a penalty area man. That said, Leao and Nkunku can play as a centre-forward.”
Could you play a 4-3-3 with Pulisic, Leao and Nkunku or Gimenez plus two?
“We’ll see this throughout the season. There are times when you can play with three forwards. It’s a growth the team can make during the season if the need arises and the team can sustain it. It’s not like we’re guaranteed to win if we start with four strikers – there are also substitutions.
“It all depends on the players’ willingness when we don’t have the ball. In today’s football, we can’t afford to defend with seven or eight men. Because then, when you get the ball, those seven defenders aren’t very sharp to attack.”
How many minutes does Pulisic have in his legs? Is Leao still a striker in your eyes?
“Pulisic has had two training sessions with the team. He’s doing well physically, he doesn’t need to work too hard to get back into shape. I don’t know how many minutes he’s got.
“Leao and Nkunku played very well as centre-forwards against Roma. Nkunku isn’t very physically strong, but he held his own against Roma’s defenders. Leao needs to improve his fitness, he’s been out for a long time.
“It’s normal for him to play those games, not for them to be sporadic. And that goes for everyone. Tomorrow we have another match where we need another three points. We need to play well technically and make few mistakes. Against Roma, we made a lot of mistakes in the first half hour.”
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