Hey everyone, this is Lisi’s piece but a quick intro by me, Gillis. These international breaks are too long and too often but at least we have an opportunity for new recurring segments! Starting now we will have a somewhat frequent review of Milan’s stock…and by stock I’m referring mostly about players and coaches but sometimes other things like stadiums, marketing, and management.
We will use the financial market vernacular of Buy, Sell, and Hold for our statuses. Sell is the most straightforward, as in get this guy out of here/don’t want to hold onto any longer. Buy is also somewhat straightforward with buy meaning an enthusiastic keep, an actual buy if we’re looking at Milan targets, or holding onto someone because they’re young and promising or because they provide good quality depth. Hold too can have different meanings, ranging from holding onto someone because they’re the best option at the moment for that position or need, or because we’re unsure of their worth and value to the club – on and off the pitch.
Most importantly, each opinion will be where you read why we feel the way we do about each player/coach/other thing. So, let me hand it off to Lisi and we can get started!
Buy, Sell, or Hold
Keepers
GK Mike Maignan
The best goalkeeper in the world on his day. I honestly wouldn’t trade him for anyone else. No way. Th only issue with him is he always seems to miss some. I’m not talking a game or two like this year. In the past it’s been a month or more at a time? Bad luck? Maybe. Recklessness? A little of that too. At times he reminds me of the baseball player Ken Griffey Junior. Great player. Could do it all. Just had a penchant for the spectacular which sometimes would lead to reckless and violent injuries. It’s in his nature to be aggressive and rocket off his line. You don’t want to see that go. Just take it easy sometimes big fella. Great start to the year. 8 games. 5 clean sheets.
GK Marco Sportiello
Thankfully we finally invested in a really good backup. You know that saying ‘you don’t know what you got til it’s gone’? Well we never really knew what we were missing ’til we had it. Maignan gets hurt or suspended and this guy is like a warm blanket. When word first came of his arrival I was excited. Excited by a backup keeper? Hell yeah. As much as I tried to support Tatarusanu it was hard. REAL HARD. Sportiello has looked solid in both league starts, both wins. He also finished off the Newcastle game and made one spectacular save. No complaints at all. Glad to have him in the fold.
GK Antonio Mirante
Veteran presence so hold for now but quickly moving towards sell. You know what? Sell. Let the Nava kid get some action should it get that far
GK Lapo Nava
Sell but back to the Primarva to log some minutes (so probably more of a hold)
GK Olivier Giroud
Who knew? All I can say is that was some great leadership to grab the gloves and assume responsibility. Class act and a great leader.
Defenders
LB Theo Hernández
Not a bad start overall. His defense has been very good. Something nobody would have said a couple years ago. The runs are there. He’s getting in really dangerous positions going forward. Timing still feels a little off. Probably has to do with a new formation and some new teammates. That will get better over time. The yellow cards have to stop though. 5 in 8 games is crazy? I know he loves being a pain in the ass and all that but save that for the big games. I can live with the antics against Inter. Bologna? Genoa? Torino? Come on man. Against those teams just shut up and go kick ass. The reputation is becoming a problem.
CB Fikayo Tomori
Started good. Solid against Bologna and Torino. Then had a total shit show against Roma. He was kicking Belotti from behind all night and eventually got sent off. Sometimes he just hits that mood and there’s no one that can talk him down. After that has been unreal. We’ve conceded 1 goal in his last 6 starts. Things just kinda clicked after the Inter game and he and Thiaw have been great. It’s easy to forget that he’s still just 25 and in CB terms that’s a toddler. He was the padawan under Kjær and now it’s his turn to be the master and take Thiaw under his wing. So far so good.
CB Malick Thiaw
As odd as it sounds the best thing I can say about him is often times I forget he’s on the field. Typically that’s the highest compliment you can pay a defender. He has assumed the Kjaer role as the stay-at-home guy to Tomori’s more slash and dash style. Unfortunately the one game he was without Tomori turned into a disaster. Lesson learned though. If you thought Tomori was young for a CB this kid is only recently turned 22. The future is bright at CB. Both of them could play for 10 more years. Only negative thought I really have about Thiaw is that header against Dortmund that didn’t quite dip under the bar. Unsellable.
RB Davide Calabria
The definition of steady. Not good. Not bad. Just meh. Can’t think of anything that has really blown me away this year and also can’t think of any mistakes he’s made that pissed me off. Meh.
RB Pierre Kalulu
Played 42 minutes before getting hurt. Thought by now he’d have Calabria’s job. After kind of going sideways last year this just feels like a continuation of that. The plus is once he returns we have a backup that can play in any spot across the back. The worry that is slowly creeping in is that his ceiling is being a backup to any spot. Get healthy kid. We need to see what you can do again. We kinda forgot. Hoping for a healthy second half where he can really push the starters.
CB Simon Kjær
Love him. Will always respect him for his work at Milan. He was one of the cornerstones of the Maldini rebuild and eventual scudetto. It’s over though. Like really over. Maybe a cup game here or there or some late cameos in big wins. Otherwise thanks for the memories Simon. I own a 24 jersey with his name on the back for a reason: I swore I’d never buy a jersey again ’til we had someone worthy of getting their name on the back.
RB Alessandro Florenzi
How many better free kick takers and crossers are there in the league. Dimarco maybe? Anyone else? A punchline for some fans but they are fools. Damn near led us back against Dortmund just by dumping in a few crosses. Still a danger on free kicks. Also just knows how to play the game.
CB Marco Pellegrino
The only reason to hold is because if Milan is thin anywhere it’s at the back. Otherwise it’s sell
LB Davide Bartesaghi
Looked good in the preseason, made the roster and got a few cameos where he didn’t humiliate himself. Will be interesting to see if he gets any cup action. One does not easily make the Milan roster as an Italian defender without carrying the weight of expectation. Good luck kid.
Midfielders
RM Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Fit right in from the get go. Played the whole preseason getting familiar with Reijnders and Krunic. Strong and physical but also calm and relaxed. Only cracks I see in the armor so far is getting a little too high up the pitch and also some sloppy touches here and there. Those sloppy touches lead to him getting tangled up with others which has now led to injury. That was his reputation coming in and here we are. It doesn’t seem like a big deal and he will be back soon. Right now appears to be a steal. His size and athleticism are rare in the midfield, especially in Italy.
LM Tijjani Reijnders
Right off the bat you could tell he had IT. By IT I mean that ability to scan the field and find almost any pass. Long, short and anywhere in between this guy will find you. He already has 2 assists and he’s set up several others. He also has a really nice shot from distance that will pay off in time. The fact he cost 20 million is completely mind-blowing. Like RLC, stepped right in like he’d been here for years and took ownership of his spot. I honestly can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for him.
DM Rade Krunic
THE KING! He’s great at what he does and if you get it then you get it. If you don’t them I’m sorry for your loss. Does a job and doesn’t complain. Won’t complain either when Bennacer returns and his minutes are slashed. Ultimate team guy. Hard to get excited about what may come because we know exactly what that is. That’s ok. Every team needs a Krunic and I’m glad we have one. Just don’t get bent when he starts a big game. Just watch the game and don’t be shocked when we win.
RM Yunus Musah
Great cameos in multiple spots. Attacking mid, right mid, defensive mid… any mid really. Brings that physical edge and strength we’ve sort of missed since we lost Kessie. You’re just not going to knock him off the ball. No way. This will be an interesting year for him as Pioli moves him around in search of the right fit. Think Kalulu year 2 where he bounced around multiple spots before pairing with Tomori for the stretch run. He will compete for every spot across the midfield which will only make us stronger.
LM Tomasso Pobega
I like Pobega. I know most don’t but most of you don’t like Krunic either and that’s fine. That doesn’t mean I think he’s great or should start. He fills a role. On this team when everyone is healthy he’s probably the 5th or 6th choice midfielder. He seems cool with that which is great for a guy that would compete for a starting role on more than a dozen teams across the league. He’s a hold until he wants more playing time elsewhere.
DM/CM Yacine Adli
FINALLY we get to see a little more out of the guy that lit up the preseason LAST YEAR. I swear in every friendly of summer 2022 we scored with him on the field. Then he vanished. Why? Only Pioli knows. Now he looks ready. Really ready. There are still some holes in his game: a little weak for his size and holds onto the ball too long. He’s a deep lying playmaker in a time when that role has all but vanished. Against lesser and mid table teams he will shine. Against the best he will be overwhelmed. Happy to see the second half for him.
DM Ismaël Bennacer
Injured since May. Back in training but probably still a ways away ’til he’s on the field or starting. Once he’s fit though we have the deepest midfield in the league: RLC, Reijnders and Bennacer with Krunic, Adli, Pobega and Musah in reserve. DAMN!!!
BTW their ages? 30, 27, 25, 25, 24, 23 and 20 and they ALL CAN PLAY.
Attackers
LW Rafael Leão
Bro… do I even need to speak here? Unsellable unless we are talking triple digits. World class. Unstoppable 1v1. I really think once this group gets more time together the attack completely explodes. Right now it’s a fair bit of rotation and new faces and the timing is just a bit off. Sometime soon though we are gonna drop 5 or 6 on someone or Leao is gonna pull a Lautaro and drop 3 or 4 in a half. It’s coming. I promise you. Enjoy the waves with this kid.
CF Olivier Giroud
Still holding his own and that’s all we need. Doesn’t have to do great things. Convert a PK. Hold up the ball for the speed that surrounds him. Pick up the gloves if the keeper gets sent off. You know. The usual. Just LEAD my man. Be Zlatan 2.0. Show the kids how it’s done with class and respect. Get out of the way when the kids are at top level. Pick them up when they are down. Score a bicycle kick here and there. Like Zlatan he’s the perfect striker at the perfect time for this group. So far he’s crushing it.
RW/LW Christian Pulisic
Speaking of crushing it. I think all summer we thought he’d be good. This good though? We wondered how he’d fit. His best spot WE THOUGHT was LW. Turns out he’s a damn good RW too. 4 goals and 1 assist. Great wing play. Provides the width and draws the kind of attention that gives everyone else space and more importantly TIME on the ball. His off ball movement is textbook. Never imagined he would have this kind of impact. Long sleeved Pulisic jersey is going on the wishlist for Christmas.
RW Samuel Chukwueze
We knew what we were getting here and so far there have been no surprises. Fast and raw. It will take time for him to learn what Pioli wants but he’s already making progress. Right now he’s spending a ton of energy running around just trying to be in position. Once he gets better at transitioning between attack and defense he will really take off. It always takes time to adjust to a new league of course. The moments are there though. A little more patience on the finishes and he has 2-3 goals already. It’s coming.
LW/CF Noah Okafor
Right now his role is as the pressing #9. While figuring that out and also making some wing appearances already has 2 goals in 254 minutes. Not bad. Like Musah, I think it’s hard to tell right now exactly what spot will be best for him. The flashes and work rate are there though. Like almost all the summer signings he’s already been a win and we’ve only played 10 games. I would never have imagined I’d be this happy with all of them already.
CF Luka Jovic
Yeah, well we gave you a shot here dude annnnnnnnnd you look kinda shitty. Zero chance he sticks around. Can we just UN-LOAN him in January and try out another project? Is Matri available?
RW Luka Romero
This will be Adli 2.0. Great summer. We will see little of him during the season. Then next year I think we see more from him. Funny thing is we are playing so well that folks have mostly forgotten how good he was during the preseason.
LW Chaka Traore
Made the roster. Will get a cameo at some point. Good luck kid.
Coaching
Manager Stefano Pioli
I think Pioli has done a remarkable job of working in all the new pieces while keeping the identity of the group in place. Those new signings, along with Adli, included 4 new attackers and a completely rebuilt midfield have bedded in incredibly well. In 10 games 18 different players have played 200 or more minutes. Of the 9000 available minutes through 10 games the new signings have accounted for 40% (3500) of the total minutes. The defense has remained solid. The Tomori-Thiaw combo have allowed 3 goals in 9 games. The #PioliOut community have been very quiet of late. I have no complaints at all.
Final Thoughts
It’s early but it’s safe to say the summer transfer window was a hit. Almost every player purchase has contributed and there have been no duds at all. Imagine that?
What do you think guys? Any wild thoughts or opinions on who continues do well? Who explodes? Maybe someone you are worried about?
FORZA MILAN!
Lisi