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How back-to-back heavy defeats reveal Tomori importance to Milan

Sumeet Paul

As AC Milan look to bounce back in midweek against Genoa after consecutive defeats, Fikayo Tomori’s return from injury will be a huge boost for the Rossoneri.

Unbeaten in Serie A just over a week ago, Milan were in a strong position and looked every bit a Scudetto challenger as our winning mentality and relentlessness were positive early signs.

READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Sassuolo: Bad day for Rossoneri as Romagnoli sees red

However, back-to-back losses have raised question marks once again, as we’ve slipped to three points off the pace at the top of the standings, while the chasing pack have also made up ground.

While it’s certainly no time to panic and consider big changes, one consistent issue across those two games that was evident was the absence of Tomori from the Milan starting line-up.

Tomori set for return, Milan hope to rediscover defensive solidity

It’s worth noting that both Simon Kjaer and Alessio Romagnoli put brilliant performances in against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League in between those two defeats, and so the pair are certainly more than capable of keeping things tight at the back for Milan.

However, Tomori’s aggressiveness, pace and physicality have proven to be absolutely pivotal to the way in which we play, and particularly against the players that we struggled against in the last two outings, namely Dusan Vlahovic and Gianluca Scamacca, there is no doubt that the 23-year-old would have made a vital difference.

Milan conceded seven goals without him in the XI, and so naturally, having been pictured in group training with the rest of the squad on Monday, as per the club’s tweet below, that certainly comes as a welcome boost as we’ll need him now to help us get back on track, which starts with keeping clean sheets and giving our attacking players the foundation to go out and win games.

Sandro Tonali also deserves a mention in this regard too, as he has done a similar job in midfield for us so far this season. It’s hoped that he can have an extended run in the line-up again sooner rather than later, albeit Stefano Pioli will want to rotate to keep his players healthy and fresh. Milan are also missing Davide Calabria to injury, while Mike Maignan only returned this past weekend, and so absences have weighed heavily on us.

With Romagnoli suspended after his red card against Sassuolo, Tomori will be expected to step in and partner Kjaer in the heart of the Milan backline. Provided he is fully fit and hasn’t been rushed back at all, there is little doubt that his presence in the side will be visibly obvious to all watching, such has been the impressive influence he has had on us since joining.

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