AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw has had to be patient as he waited for an opportunity to impress again, but the youngster has grabbed his chance with both hands in recent weeks.
Barring a couple of rare starts in November, the 21-year-old has very much been limited to a bit-part role since arriving last summer, but he has now completed 90 minutes in three consecutive games as he has forced his way into Stefano Pioli’s XI.
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In those three outings, Milan have kept three clean sheets in a row and have won all three games to get ourselves back on track both in Serie A and Europe, and while that’s not to say it’s all down to Thiaw, the energy and freshness that he has brought to a struggling Milan defence has certainly had a big impact.
Against Torino in the first of his three starts, Thiaw made four clearances, four tackles and had one blocked shot and interception apiece. He won eight of 12 duels while having 56 touches and 65 percent passing completion.
In the next game against Tottenham, the German U21 international made two clearances, seven tackles, three interceptions and one blocked shot. He won nine of 13 duels while having 69 touches of the ball and 78 percent passing completion.
Finally, against Monza, the Milan defensive ace registered eight clearances, two tackles and one interception. He won seven of 10 duels, had 38 touches and 72% passing completion while making one key pass.
Those are impressive and consistent numbers, and beyond the figures, his aggressive and physical style has added some impetus to our defensive play and combined with his teammates in a new-look back-three, it has helped us rediscover our defensive solidity and build on that having been a foundation of our previous success.
While Fikayo Tomori is back from injury now and we have the likes of Simon Kjaer, Pierre Kalulu and Matteo Gabbia vying for places, Thiaw has certainly done enough to cement his place in the Milan starting line-up for the foreseeable future, and it’s hoped that he can continue to improve and develop his game to be a mainstay in the backline.
His impact came at a welcome time for us having gone through a dreadful run of two draws and five defeats while conceding 18 goals. Pioli needed others to step up and help drag us out of a deep hole as our season looked to be on the verge of collapsing entirely, and Thiaw has been one player who has been instrumental in the turnaround.
He isn’t the first young player to need time before making his mark under Pioli – albeit it’s questionable as to whether he should have been integrated sooner – but he has followed the likes of Rafael Leao, Kalulu and Sandro Tonali in needing patience before flourishing.
Perhaps others will take inspiration from that and add their own influence to the side in the coming weeks and months too, but there is no doubt that after a slow start as a Milan player, Thiaw is now making an important impact and there is real optimism over his potential long-term influence too.