Strahinja Pavlovic arrived to AC Milan in the previous summer transfer window. He was dubbed as "animal" by Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his strong physique and ferocity for the ball. But, he has been relegated to the bench in the last matches as head coach Paulo Fonseca showed a preference to an in-form Matteo Gabbia and Fikayo Tomori.
By the way, today you can make profitable bets on sports. The online bonus casino gives players a real advantage.
Strahinja Pavlovic has potential and much room for growth. But, what happaned to him?
It's the question many are asking: the former Monaco player hasn't played a full match since Milan-Liverpool on September 17th, a month ago. His last appearance with the team was in the derby, just a handful of minutes at the end, 3 to be exact.
Far too little for a young player who has shown all the technical qualities to play and support Milan's defense alongside the impressive Gabbia (who will soon renew his contract). Especially considering Tomori's inconsistent performances, as for yet another season, he struggles to string together a series of positive games.
For instance, against Fiorentina, the Englishman completely missed a high ball that Moise Kean turned into an assist for Gudmundsson. The result? Milan's second defeat in the league. But what annoyed fans even more was a moment just before Abraham missed his penalty: Tomori gave the ball to his teammate to take the shot instead of letting Pulisic kick.
So, why doesn't Fonseca choose Pavlovic?
The idea of the week might be to deploy the 23-year-old Serbian defender as a left-back in place of the suspended Theo Hernandez, as per sources at MilanPress.
The former Salzburg defender has already played in that position in the past, and given Milan's defensive emergency, he would be perfect for defensive coverage. The only issue would be in the offensive phase: Strahinja isn't very skilled in advancing up the field and attacking spaces.
Moreover, the connection with Leao would need to be built from scratch, though the Portuguese player would have the entire left side to attack without stepping on anyone's toes. The alternative to Pavlovic is Terracciano.
The 2003-born former Verona player is Fonseca's first choice for that role, but he doesn't fully convince. He's easily attacked from behind, which would make the defense fragile once again.
With just a few days left until Milan-Udinese, the Rossoneri are obligated to win against a team that has historically been difficult for them. Hopefully, Fonseca's ideas will lead to positive results.
