After eight league matches, Santiago Gimenez is still scoreless.
And yet, in the Netherlands, Milan’s striker had a great connection with the goal.
When he moved to Italy between late January and early February, Santi brought along the 65 goals he had scored for Feyenoord, promising to score just as many in his new adventure in Milan. Instead, Gimenez has struggled since his arrival and hasn’t yet found the net in Serie A this season.
Despite multiple injuries among his teammates (Leao, Nkunku, Pulisic), he started in seven of the first eight matches. His only goal so far came against Lecce in the Coppa Italia. Too little for a Milan striker.
Allegri wants more from Santiago Gimenez:
Goals aside, the Mexican's recent performances before the match against Pisa were encouraging. He fought well against Juventus, earning the penalty that Pulisic missed, and made an impact off the bench against Fiorentina by winning another penalty, this time converted by Leao. Against Pisa, though, Santi failed badly again, to the point where Massimiliano Allegri shouted at him several times during the 76 minutes he played. The coach lost his voice trying to wake his striker up. "Santiiii, wake up! Are you sleeping?" was Allegri’s go-to line.
Now, he is rethinking his attacking options for tomorrow’s match against Atalanta, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition. Pulisic, as mentioned below, is still unavailable. Nkunku could start alongside Leao, or Allegri could go with a safer setup, Saelemaekers behind Leao, similar to the Fiorentina game. In today’s training, Allegri will check if the Frenchman, recently back from a toe strain, is ready to start and whether Gimenez is mentally handling his goal drought or struggling under pressure. Loftus-Cheek should also return in Bergamo, adding another attacking option behind the striker.
Milan's striker problem
For now, Santi remains the Rossoneri's only true number nine until at least January (and possibly beyond). Nkunku and Leao can adapt to the role, but they aren’t natural center-forwards. That’s why Allegri has to keep Gimenez involved and motivated from one game to the next. Atalanta is only the next stop. Ironically, on the other bench, Juric can choose between Scamacca and Krstovic and still have one as a substitute.
Looking around Serie A, the situation among starting strikers is clearer. Another player still at zero goals is Stulic from Lecce, but they also have Camarda, who has already scored. At Genoa, Colombo lost his spot to young Ekhator, who scored against Napoli. Similar story at Como, where Fabregas rotates between Morata, still goalless, and Douvikas, who already has one goal. In short, you can count the number of starting strikers without a goal on one hand, and based on minutes played, Gimenez leads that group.
What is Santiago Gimenez's future like at AC Milan?
It’s fair to expect more from Santiago, but it’s no secret that he came close to leaving the Rossoneri club in the final days of the summer transfer window. The doubts were already there. Now it’s up to Gimenez to silence them. His work ethic has never been questioned, but at Milan, effort is not enough. The shirt demands more, especially the number 7, once worn by Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian scored 175 goals for the club. Nobody expects that from Santi, but scoring one would help ease the weight of that nagging zero.
