Let's talk about Matteo Gabbia [Newsletter]
A lot can be said about AC Milan’s recent defensive form, and most of it would be negative. However, there is one significant positive that we simply must highlight: Matteo Gabbia. Since his return from Villarreal, the academy product has been consistently great and certainly appears keen on winning over the management ahead of next season.
When Gabbia was sent out on loan to Villarreal, most of us were actually happy. Not because we finally got rid of him or anything like that, but because he would get consistent playing time to continue his development. Although he lacks technical brilliance, he has always been a very promising player since his time with the Primavera side. So the loan seemed like the perfect opportunity.
In the end, we couldn’t really make much of the loan as Villarreal had four (!) different managers during Gabbia’s time at the club. This resulted in sparse playing time in the league, especially towards the end, but he did at least get the chance in every Europa League clash. In other words, the loan wasn’t a complete waste but far from ideal at the same time.
The decision to bring Gabbia back was indeed a forced one, from Milan’s perspective that is, but it was actually the best decision for the player as well. He has looked completely rejuvenated since stepping foot at Milanello again and certainly cannot be blamed for the Rossoneri’s defensive woes lately. If anything, he has rescued them from conceding even more goals (his crucial interceptions against Udinese come to mind)
The equaliser against Frosinone, which helped Milan eventually turn things around, was the icing on the cake and Gabbia will be hoping to continue like this for the rest of the season. Of course, with the likes of Malick Thiaw and Fikayo Tomori potentially returning soon, it will be interesting to see how Stefano Pioli will reason. But Gabbia is playing for his future at the club, and that motivation could be tough for the others to top.
Indeed, Gabbia could struggle to retain a spot with the first team in the summer as Milan are expected to bring in a centre-back. A lot will probably depend on his willingness, given that a backup role will almost certainly be up for grabs with Simon Kjaer likely packing his bags. Having grown up in the Rossoneri’s academy, he might take his chances and opt for the latter, hoping to break into the side with consistent great displays as we have seen lately.
As for Milan, Napoli are up next and the Rossoneri will be out for revenge after the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture. The Partenopei have certainly struggled this season and the home side should be the favourites, but another game with two conceded goals will make a win very difficult indeed.
News bulletin
➤ Milan’s Primavera side returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon as they beat Cagliari 3-1 away from home, while other results meant they jumped above Roma and Torino into second.
➤ Francesco Camarda went viral again for scoring a ridiculous goal and the next step for him and some team-mates could be an U23 team in Serie C, which we wrote about. In the meantime, the striker has one clear target in his mind.
➤ The Milan Women had a mixed few days, starting with a 2-2 draw at home against Fiorentina on Saturday in which they were twice pegged back. However, on Tuesday they finished the job in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals against Sassuolo, winning 3-0 on the day and 6-0 on aggregate.
➤ There continues to be a lot of speculation surrounding Rafael Leao's future. A report from France claimed PSG have a concrete interest and that the winger considers the summer as being the right time to move, but sources in Italy suggest it will take a mega bid to even open talks.
➤ Charles De Ketelaere continues to excel at Atalanta and this week's bonus podcast will take an in-depth look at why things are working so well for him, but in the meantime a report outlined why Milan do not feel any regret about the way things went.
➤ An update arrived regarding the expected returns of Milan's remaining injured players - including the three centre-backs - while a report outlined why there has only been one muscle problem in 2024.
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With Thiaw and Tomori coming back and Gabbia's performance, do you see us moving to a back three ? We did so against Verona and it worked pretty well defensively.
Zlatan once told in an interview that Mbappe had to leave the French league in order to become a super star. I expect he said something similar to Rafa. That's why I'm not too optimistic for PSG to get our man. I wouldn't mind him leaving on a mega bid close to the release clause. We have no reasons to part with him.
Completely unrelated, any chance we get a inside story on the sempre Milan team ? Backgrounds, day in the life, who does what, etc. It'd be nice to know a bit more about you guys.