And so, we are off! [Newsletter]

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Jul 31, 2024

The pre-season tour in the United States kicked off with the game against Manchester City in New York. In front of the owner Gerry Cardinale and investors the Yankees, AC Milan prevailed 3-2 after two youngsters made the most of the chance given to them by Paulo Fonseca. Speaking of the manager, we also got to see more signs of how he wants the team to play.

While the friendly against Rapid Wien needed to be viewed with a huge pinch of salt, the game against City offered some more substance in terms of evaluating ‘the new Milan’. Sure, Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven was far from star-studded, but the Rossoneri also lacked some key figures and still looked very comfortable in their way of playing.

Lorenzo Torriani, the youngster in goal, was a huge positive as he not only made some good stops but also looked incredibly good with his feet. Lorenzo Colombo - whose move to Empoli is done - bagged a nice brace and starlet Mattia Liberali showcased great skill in possession. In other words, while Fonseca fielded a strong but far from top XI, it didn’t really matter for the quality of the game.

There were a few key aspects that we could identify from Fonseca’s game and while this is by no means a tactical analysis, Milan clearly had no ‘rush’ in possession. They passed the ball around - albeit quickly - and waited for the right moment, keeping the full-backs and wingers wide while the midfield got support from the centre-forward among others.

It’s not perfect yet, with several things to figure out and evolve still, but it’s promising and the upcoming game against Real Madrid in Chicago will be very interesting. The clash of the Champions League titans is scheduled for 19:30 local time, once again terrible for us Europeans, and a few players have joined the squad for it: Francesco Camarda, Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor and Kevin Zeroli.

We have to put the US tour to the side for a bit, as we would be remiss not to mention the arrival of Strahinja Pavlovic. He underwent his medical tests on Tuesday and will join Milan in a deal worth €18m plus bonuses. The Rossoneri’s perseverance paid off, in other words, as they managed to secure a great deal for a young centre-back with a promising future. And so, we are off!

News Bulletin

➤ Milan Futuro are busy in the summer transfer window, as they are planning a move for Jacopo Sardo - albeit one for the future - and are very close to signing Davide Mastrantonio from Roma. Meanwhile, Mattia Liberali has been praised for his confident performances in preseason.

➤ AC Milan Women and their new coach Suzanne Bakker will immediately be put to the test as they will take on the FC Barcelona Women in the Joan Gamper Trophy. It will take place on Friday 23 August, at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

➤ Milan's summer mercato finally seems to be gathering some momentum. Strahinja Pavlovic did his medical on Tuesday and will join from Red Bull Salzburg, while Emerson Royal also looks set to arrive from Spurs. The pair will cost €20m and €15m respectively.

➤ The reason the management accelerated for Emerson Royal is because Alessandro Florenzi has sadly suffered a serious knee injury and is expected to miss most if not all of the season. Meanwhile, a new deputy goalkeeper is needed because Marco Sportiello has cut his hand and could be out for three months.

➤ More business is expected to be done by Geoffrey Moncada and co., with Youssouf Fofana still a target despite an arduous negotiation, and Lazar Samardzic talks ongoing. The latest name to re-emerge is Tammy Abraham, who Sky claim Paulo Fonseca wants.

➤ Our feature line-up this week includes as case by case look at the players who have a chance to impress in the USA, a scouting report on Alvaro Morata and what he will bring to Milan, and a look at where Milan's squad currently standswith regards to the Serie A and UEFA squad list regulations.