Bennacer finds form to hand Milan major boost at crucial time

   September 29, 2021

Despite the loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week, there were plenty of positives for AC Milan, most notably Ismael Bennacer’s performance.

The Rossoneri dominated the early stages and were on the wrong end of some contentious decisions along the way before suffering a 2-1 defeat to the reigning La Liga champions.

READ MORE: Five key talking points as Milan suffer contentious defeat to Atletico Madrid

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Franck Kessie’s red card in the first half and the decision to award a penalty deep into injury time ultimately ensured that we ended up empty-handed, with the task growing ever more difficult as we bid to advance beyond the group stage.

Nevertheless, Stefano Pioli will take a handful of positives from the game in midweek, and he’ll be delighted to see Bennacer put in a display that suggested he’s close to being back to his best.

The real Bennacer returns as Kessie’s form slumps

It’s been a frustrating 12 months for the 23-year-old, as injuries and fitness woes ensured he made just 21 appearances in Serie A last season having firmly established his position in the starting XI prior to that with consistently top-class performances.

Those issues seemingly continued into this season as he was limited to a bit-part role off the bench early on, but as he begins to find his optimal condition and form, it’s a huge boost for Milan moving forward.

From his energy and tenacity in midfield to provide protection in front of the Milan defence, to his vision, technical quality and distribution in possession, he provides an ideal balance to the side with his all-round ability both defensively and transitioning into attack.

It was a joy to watch him the season before last and even last year at times when fully fit, and it’s hoped that this is now the start of him rediscovering that form.

Further, it comes at an important time too. While Sandro Tonali appears to be taking a major step forward so far this season in terms of evolving and developing into a top player and regular starter for Milan, Kessie’s form has gone in the complete opposition direction.

Whether it’s his own injury troubles that impacted him at the start of the season or his ongoing contract renewal distraction with his current deal set to expire next year, our midfield lynchpin has been nowhere near his best thus far, and following his dismissal in midweek, Pioli may well be tempted to drop him and go with the two midfielders who are in form and full of confidence.

It will be fascinating to see how the Bennacer-Tonali midfield tandem works, as ultimately if Kessie doesn’t sign a contract extension ahead of next summer, it could become the bedrock of the Milan XI for the long-term future too.