With Massimiliano Allegri back at the helm at AC Milan, it promises to be a fascinating summer to see how the current squad is moulded into his own.
Supported by newly-appointed sporting director Igli Tare, the Rossoneri have hopefully now got the structure in place to build a more competitive squad, with both incomings and outgoings expected in the coming months.
READ MORE: Talks ongoing as Milan look to bolster Allegri’s midfield options
Albeit we may not like some of the decisions over who leaves amid ongoing speculation linking a string of key individuals with exits, it’s hoped that we end the summer with a competitive group and one that suits the identity and style of play that Allegri is looking to implement.
That is undoubtedly one of the most important challenges facing the Milan boss, as having seen both Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao struggle to develop a clear way of playing, it not only led to disappointing and frustrating performances, but clearly also not the desired results either given how our campaign played out across multiple fronts.
The touted systems below are based on those currently at the club, but with rumours continuing to pair some of these players with a departure this summer, the personnel element of them will no doubt be subject to change.
As per Sky Sport, Allegri could go with either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, but the common ground is that Milan should return to a back-four, having had to adjust and adapt under Conceicao with a back-three to help make us more defensively sound.
It’s hoped that a more conventional back-four will give us better balance, while it remains to be seen if Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez are still with us next season, given their current expiring contract situations.
Similarly, doubts have emerged over Tijjani Reijnders’ future at Milan amid interest from Manchester City, but whether it’s a three-man midfield, or a pivot in front of the backline to give our attacking players freedom and licence to get forward and make the difference in the final third, it’s hoped that Allegri gets the best out of the players and plays them in their more natural roles.
As Sky Sport note in the report above, Reijnders, Maignan and Hernandez face uncertain futures as things stand, while a string of loanees including Kyle Walker and Joao Felix are set to move on with Alessandro Florenzi and Luka Jovic set to see their respective contracts expire. In turn, changes are certainly coming.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it could be the 4-3-3 that’s favoured by Allegri, with by and large the same personnel expected to feature in his plans, pending our expected moves in the transfer market.
While he hasn’t exactly built a reputation on playing expansive and attractive football, what Milan need from Allegri next season is a solid foundation being rebuilt, setting the stage to allow our difference-makers to win games consistently and give us a better balance and consistency in both performances and results.
Depending on who we lose and who is brought in to replace them, it looks like the current squad is well suited to what we might see from the Italian tactician, but that comes with a challenge in itself of getting the best out of those at his disposal, developing them further and ensuring that they deliver week in and week out.
Allegri has shown that he’s a winner given his trophy haul in stints with us and Juventus, but this promises to be the most challenging assignment he has faced yet as we’re not even close to being a contender as things stand, and much work is needed to get us back to that level.
