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AC Milan have been without Adrien Rabiot since the October international break, and the numbers suggest they need him back for the derby.
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. He has plenty of experience under his belt, and the fact he slotted straight into the team days after his arrival in the summer shows how much Massimiliano Allegri values him.
While away with France in October, the midfielder sustained a muscle issue that has so far kept him out for a month. However, all the signs points towards him being back to face Inter on November 23, especially given the fact Les Bleus have not called him up and allowed him to remain at Milanello.
What the numbers say
With Rabiot, Milan have much more balance. With him on the pitch in four league games, they have won three, drawn one and most importantly conceded only one goal (a penalty) against Napoli.
Before the injury suffered while playing for France, Adrien had always been a starter and never been substituted. Alongside Luka Modric – who has started all 11 league matches thus far – they form the brains of the midfield.
Since he sustained his injury with the national team five more games have followed, with much more inconsistent results: two wins, three draws and six goals conceded. Adding the Cremonese defeat in round one into the equation and it becomes 12 points and eight goals conceded in eight games.
Rabiot’s contribution is crucial. With him, 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, like during the collapse in Parma over the weekend. Given the pressure Milan will have to withstand in the derby, his return cannot come soon enough.
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