If we move the hands of our clock back exactly 365 days, we find ourselves looking at a Milan side that, under the “full-backs” category, featured the following names: Davide Calabria, Emerson Royal, and Pierre Kalulu on the right.
Then, there were Theo Hernandez, Filippo Terracciano, and Alex Jimenez on the left. With Kalulu departing shortly after mid-August, Kyle Walker joined the list in January, replacing Calabria, who moved to Bologna mid-season.
Today, of all those names, the only one still in the squad is Alex Jimenez who, moreover, last season started out as a starter for Milan Futuro. A mini-revolution that represents one of the Rossoneri’s gambles this season.
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New faces and average age:
With the arrival of the Swiss right-back Zachary Athekame, the Rossoneri’s full-back department is now complete. Alongside the ex Young Boys player on the right is Alex Jimenez who, on paper, should be ahead in Massimiliano Allegri’s pecking order.
On the opposite flank, the club will rely on another new face, Pervis Estupiñán, signed from Brighton for just under 20 million euros, and Davide Bartesaghi, this year promoted permanently to the first team, coming from the U-23 side.
For the Rossoneri club, this is a gamble not only because two players will need to adapt and because there’s a Theo legacy to live up to, especially on the left, but also due to the youthfulness of the group. The oldest is Pervis Estupiñán himself, who is 27 years old, the average age of the unit is 22, with the other three all under 21. A double-edged sword: plenty of potential, but the risk of inexperience should not be underestimated.
The gamble
A gamble that Milan has, evidently, calculated. The number one guarantor is none other than Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri who, over the course of his career, has shown he can handle young players with great potential extremely well.
Moreover, the ex Juventus head coach has a strong focus and attention to the tactical construction of his team, and in his formations, full-backs have always played a decisive role. It will be up to Massimiliano Allegri and his technical staff to bring out the best performances from this group of full-backs, who possess a great deal of potential but still need refining in various aspects of their game.
Will Allegri use traditional full-backs or wing-backs in his lineup?
The coach’s initial intention seemed to be to return to a 4-3-3 formation, using traditional full-backs. That formation module is far more balanced and secure than the 4-2-3-1 used in recent seasons, by bolstering the midfield and giving greater protection to the defensive line with a three-man unit in the middle. That system, at least in its clearly recognizable form from the start, was used only against Leeds United; in the other cases, the Italian tactician, Massimiliano Allegri, has set the team up in a fluid and adaptable 3-5-2 (or 3-5-1-1, which focuses on wing-backs). After all, the 58-year-old coach made it clear during his introductory press conference: to get back to competing at the top of the table, the first priority is conceding fewer goals.
Before the win vs Bari 2-0, Milan ended their preparations with a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea. Allegri, however, was not too worried. What did he say?
“The defensive errors? We’ve improved a bit as a team, not just in defence. We must keep working. Conceding a goal after seven minutes from a set piece, and even on the second goal we could have defended better. The boys showed me good spirit. There’s disappointment when you lose, but it doesn’t change the value of the team. The important thing is that nobody got injured. We return to Milan after two games in two days in good condition.”
A scoreline that makes it look like it was a disaster...
“It’s not a disaster. It’s summer football. We need to learn and improve on details like set pieces. I’m happy with the work we’ve done this month; now the season begins, the part that counts, and also the most enjoyable.”
Keeping up with Theo Hernandez's great legacy on the left...
The full-back game may have changed with Theo’s exit. Allegri will not enjoy the Frenchman’s services on the left side. But, he now has Pervis Estupinan. He’s not like the former Real Madrid player who is now plying his trade for Saudi side Al-Hilal. But, he is certainly eager to prove himself and connect with Rafael Leao. Here are his words in a recent press conference:
“We all know Theo is an excellent player, with a fantastic left foot, and he’s left his mark here. I want to congratulate him. Now it’s my turn, I’m really happy and can’t wait to take on that flank. I’ll work hard to repay Milan for the trust they’ve shown me. I can’t wait to make the fans happy. I’ll do my best and I hope to win as many titles as possible with Milan, that’s one of my goals. I’m also happy to wear the number 2, which was worn by a legendary player like Cafu. Connecting with Rafael Leao? I’m totally ready, I can’t wait. We all know Rafa’s technical quality, playing alongside him is hugely motivating. The idea of helping him excites me. From the very start, he greeted me with a big smile, and I immediately understood we could do great things together. Hopefully, we can cause trouble for a lot of teams.”
