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Following the demolition of Real Sociedad, the next Manchester United in the Europa League is a giant of European football, which has had a surprising renaissance this season.
AC Milan have been on the road to recovery for the better part of a decade, with their last Serie A title coming in 2011.
Their last appearance in the Champions League was in 2014, so while Juventus and Inter’s neighbors have been the best, Milan have gone from being experienced operators to former players on the administrative bench, all failing miserably.
In the Stefano Pioli pass at the end of 2019. With Milan reeling in 13th place, they were in their ninth manager in as many years and the Italian, who used to coach his rivals Inter, was greeted by the #PioliOut trend among Milan supporters online.
However, there are not many naysayers now. While recent months have seen a decline, perhaps inevitably, Milan have flourished this season and led the Italian top flight for much of the campaign.
So what has been the secret to your success this season? And how can they cause trouble for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team two games away in this knockout clash of continental heavyweights?
HOW HAVE YOU DONE THIS SEASON?
Very good, well above expectations.
In a league dominated by Juventus for nine seasons, Milan were the fugitive at the top since the start of the season in September.
They won eight of their first 10 league games and did not lose in Serie A until January 6, against Juve.
While doing enough to progress in Europe, Pioli came across a counterattack system in the big games that worked.
Obviously, with the help of a senior manager and each player working hard on their roles individually, Milan fans suddenly had a team they could dare to dream of again.
However, in the last month or so, they have taken off a bit, mostly due to their rivals, Inter.
A stormy Coppa Italia quarter-final, memorable by the clash between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku, ended with a devastating last-minute start.
A 3-0 penalty loss in the league on February 21 was also a significant blow to their title hopes, after a surprise loss to Spezia Calcio.
But they are still inside with a cry, six points from Inter, four from Juve below them.
After sneaking into the Europa League round of 16 against Red Star Belgrade for away goals, is now the time for Pioli to change his focus?
WHO ARE THE STARS?
There is an obvious star in the irrepressible Ibrahimovic, but there is so much more to this efficient team from Milan.
Let’s start with the self-proclaimed lion. Last summer, his future was hazy, amid conversations about retirement. But, persuaded by Pioli to continue, the Swedish star has more than proved his critics wrong. Too old? No way.
He is the team’s top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions and was, during Milan’s pomp this season, the runaway figure at the top of the Serie A standings.
But with Ibrahimovic’s misdemeanors and injuries (he will miss the first leg at Old Trafford), Milan’s excellent form is gone.
Who else? Defensive midfielder Franck Kessie is always present, with the most appearances in the entire team at 38, even ahead of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Ivory Coast international has excellent ability to divide the game through his reading of the game and is also among the goals: 10 this season, his second top scorer.
In other attacking positions, Samu Castillejo, Hakan Calhanoglu and Brahim Diaz have been called up regularly, and Croatian Ante Rebic is also tremendously effective.
Further back, Donnarumma has remained a reliable man between the sticks, while the arrival of Chelsea center Fikayo Tomori in January has revitalized the bottom line alongside captain Alessio Romagnoli.
Full-backs Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez are also key players, more on that later.
WHO IS YOUR MANAGER?
A former Serie A center back himself, the 55-year-old Pioli role at Milan is his fourteenth different managerial position in Italian soccer.
Steps in Bologna, Lazio and Inter, just four years ago, means that he is well used to what is needed from a domestic point of view and, without a doubt, everything has come together for him this season.
He signed a contract extension until 2022 last year and boasts a winning percentage record of over 55 percent in all competitions.
From the disaster he inherited upon his arrival 18 months ago, Pioli should receive enormous credit for the resurgence of the fortunes of this sleeping giant.
HOW ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?
Milan are comfortable with the concept of playing on the fast break: on big occasions, their opponents tend to have more possession.
Particularly on the road, Milan thrives on the counterattack. They are often overloaded across the board to maximize their chances of effective overlapping full backups.
Calabria and Hernández, a prominent performer on the left-back, advance to great effect. Outnumbering opponents across the width forges opportunities in front of goal.
Watch out for former United right-back Diogo Dalot, too, who could appear on the right instead of Calabria or on the left of Hernandez, which is an injury doubt.
It is not the highest-scoring team in the league, as Napoli, sixth, have scored five more goals than the 50 in Serie A.
But they got into the habit early on of scoring wins, often by tight margins, as illustrated by their narrow progression against Red Star last month.
So it sounds perfect for a European race.
CAN THEY CAUSE PROBLEMS IN THE MANCHESTER UNITED?
Absolutely, although this match hit them at a bad time.
Pioli is without a number of key players due to injury at the moment. Ibrahimovic, Rebic, Calhanoglu are set to miss the first leg, while Hernandez’s fitness is up in the air.
Substitute forward Mario Mandzukic, an experienced goal scorer on the European stage, is also out, along with midfielder Ismael Bennacer.
With United having a full enough squad, there’s no question the Red Devils have the upper hand.
With no other option to go to the front, however, Pioli is likely to choose Rafael Leao at the helm, whose raw pace could concern Harry Maguire in particular.
The battle of the fit wingers will also be fascinating to watch, as will Kessie’s role in trying to nullify the threat from Bruno Fernandes.
Tomori, on loan from Chelsea, has also impressed in his two months since moving to Italy. Against Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford, the Englishman will back up his strength and sharpness.
With the second leg back at San Siro, Milan will simply look to make sure the tie stays alive in next week’s reversal. It should be an intriguing clash of two legs.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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