T-minus five days [Newsletter]
The season opener against Bologna is fast approaching and AC Milan are making the final tactical adjustments at Milanello this week. However, Stefano Pioli already has a pretty good idea of what the starting XI will look like for the game, which we will talk about in this week’s newsletter.
The game is scheduled for Monday evening, more specifically 20:45 CEST, meaning the Rossoneri will have a few more days to prepare compared to their rivals. Inter and Napoli, for example, will play already on Saturday against Monza and Frosinone respectively. At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t matter that much.
Milan have more or less completed the squad thanks to the eight signings that have arrived this summer. There could still be some movement from the Rossoneri, but nothing that will affect the starting XI. Therefore, Stefano Pioli has been able to work a good amount of time with the starting material already.
The pre-season concluded with the friendlies against ES Sahel and Novara, won 4-0 and 4-2 respectively by Milan. Both Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor got to bag their first goals for the club, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked very bright again and bagged a hat-trick in the first game.
In short, Pioli and his men ended the pre-season on a positive note and are currently preparing for the game against Bologna. Although five days still remain, it’s rather obvious which players the manager will field from the first minute. That distinction was already made clear during the pre-season with the two versions of the XI.
Davide Calabria recently returned from an injury and is not expected to play from start, even if he will be a regular starter this season. Pierre Kalulu should take his spot on the right flank and speaking of that side, Christian Pulisic is expected to get the nod ahead of Chukwueze given that he has played a lot more.
Probable Milan XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Kalulu (Calabria), Thiaw, Tomori, Theo Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Krunic, Reijnders; Pulisic, Giroud, Leao.
In the meantime, Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada are working mainly on the outgoing mercato. They need to complete some sales before making the final additions to the squad, such as a centre-back, a left-back and potentially even a back-up striker. Charles De Ketelaere (he’s undergoing medical tests today) and Junior Messias were most recently offloaded and there is more to come.
On a related note, we have now updated the figures in our mercato bonus, including the latest developments such as the sales mentioned above. Check it out here!
News bulletin
➤ De Ketelaere's time at Milan will end after one year, for now. He is undergoing his medical with Atalanta before a €3m loan move which includes a €22-23m option to buy plus €4m in bonuses and a 10% resale clause for the Rossoneri.
➤ Lorenzo Colombo is seemingly keen on another loan spell for the upcoming season and Milan could thus bring in a new third-choice striker. The likes of Armando Broja and Hugo Ekitike have been linked with the club, with the Rossoneri aiming to secure one of them on an initial loan deal.
➤ Something that we have seen Stefano Pioli use more and more is inverted full-backs, a trend that seems to be gripping football. In a recent analysis, we explained how the concept works and what it means for Milan.
➤ Sources in Turkey have doubled down on their claims that Rade Krunic wants to join Fenerbahce by stating that he has asked to leave Milan through submitting a transfer request.
➤ Milan are still in the market for a centre-back and have set their sights on two young players: Marco Pellegrino of Atletico Platense and Konstantinos Koulierakis of PAOK.
➤ The Rossoneri are always looking to improve their youth sector after some difficult years for the Primavera, and they have added David Rodriguez de Prado as a coach. We published a profile on the man inspired by Guardiola and De Zerbi.
In case you missed it
Make sure to check out the latest podcast episode, and our latest bonus podcast in which the lads discuss Musah’s arrival. You can also read our latest bonus article, which reveals the latest on the future of Yacine Adli. Are you interested in a paid subscription? Read all about it here.