6 hours ago
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There have been a few questions asked of AC Milan in recent weeks, and it seems they will not be disappearing anytime soon.
Throughout the summer, there has been a lingering feeling of ‘what now?’. Milan have reshaped the midfield and made small movements in other areas. However, the team still feels lacking in some major areas.
Koni De Winter for Malick Thiaw is a debatable upgrade/downgrade; the Belgian will also not transform the defence, or at least this is not massively likely. The big issue, though, is the striker situation.
Dusan Vlahovic has been there, waiting, but the Diavolo have gone elsewhere and taken another risk on a youngster. A model which they did not try in the midfield, really. So, questions arise, understandably.
Vitiello’s criticism
This morning, Antonio Vitiello has written a rather scathing piece for MilanNews about the summer’s activity after the first game and the disappointment of the season.
“We hope it was just a blip, a major slip-up on the opening day of the season, but to be honest, the impression we got at San Siro against Cremonese was truly awful.
“We revisited all the structural problems of last season, both tactical and technical, but also environmental. It was a disturbing evening, which affected both AC Milan fans and the coach.
“It’s no coincidence that the day after the poor showing against Cremonese, a transfer summit was held at the club to try to address the situation. The Tuscan coach asked to improve the squad with a striker, a midfielder, and a defender.
“Let’s not underestimate the lack of a top-notch defender, who isn’t there at the moment. Vlahovic was supposed to be the striker, but due to financial constraints, Conrad Harder, a huge unknown quantity, was brought in.
“He could become a great player, we sincerely hope, but a 20-year-old kid who spent just one season as a reserve at Sporting is arriving at San Siro. Allow us to be concerned.
“In this final week, the team will be improved, but the feeling remains that the transfer market conducted so far hasn’t improved the team compared to last year. Indeed, in some ways, the quality has even declined.
‘The AC Milan player’s only hope may be Max Allegri. The coach, with his experience, will have to make the difference; otherwise, it will be painful.
“Too many gambles, too many unknowns, and too few certainties. The attack has weakened compared to last season, as has the defence, with only a couple of good players added in midfield.
“The first match influenced the assessment, but a team like the Devils can’t show up in this state for the first season of the season, and lose against a newly promoted team that will fight all year to stay up.
“The thought of playing all year with Pavlovic, Tomori, and Estupinan in defence keeps anyone awake at night.
“The match against Lecce will already be an important turning point. The Milan world expects a concrete response, especially from Max Allegri, who has called for greater focus on defence, something that was completely lacking in their Serie A debut.”
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