Loftus-Cheek's first season at Milan was a success, at least personally. Pioli had made him central to his technical project, highlighting his ability to make runs into the penalty area and his bursts of pace in the role of an atypical attacking midfielder.
Ruben also put a lot of effort in, thriving in a tactical situation that suited him in every way: 6 goals in Serie A and 4 in the Europa League is an excellent haul. However, in football, things change quickly, and now the former Chelsea player is entering a completely different vision with the new coach, Fonseca.
Fonseca's system is the same as Pioli's but only in terms of numbers. The Portuguese's 4-2-3-1 has a completely different interpretation compared to his predecessor: the attacking wingers move inside the field with triangulations, looking for one-twos with their teammates. The striker doesn't stay solely in the area but works to support the ball carrier, while the full-backs focus only on the flanks. But the real novelty lies in the role of the attacking midfielder, who must be technical because they create play and need to know how to move and play in tight spaces. Characteristics more akin to Pulisic than Loftus-Cheek. In Fonseca’s ideas, it’s the American who is the potential starter for this role, with Ruben needing to adjust his range of action. More of a defensive midfielder than an attacking midfielder on the trequartista role. At Chelsea, he had played as a central midfielder and sometimes even as a central defender but never as a deep-lying midfielder. A new challenge to try to win in every way.
Loftus-Cheek is a proactive player who has immediately made himself available to Fonseca. With the work ethic, dedication, and seriousness that have always characterized him and led Milan to bet on him. He also had the advantage of working with the new coach from the first day of training. It will take time and patience to assimilate everything, possibly even some so-so performances. Paulo is a coach who wants to enhance his players' characteristics and therefore doesn’t rule out the possibility of Loftus-Cheek in the trequartista role from the start; it will also depend on each match. But generally, the idea is that the starting role will be occupied by his friend Pulisic.
Source: Calciomercato.com
