When Massimiliano Allegri talks about the squad he has at Milan, he often distinguishes between players with experience and those who have yet to accumulate significant minutes, whether as professionals or in major stadiums and settings.
For every Rabiot or Modric, players with international pedigree and reliability, there are also players like Bartesaghi, Athekame, or Odogu, who this year are entering professional football at a high level for the first time, with the chance to be involved regularly.
Along with early joys and satisfaction, such as Athekame’s goal against Pisa, come serious challenges: a demanding stadium, tough opponents, or an off day. That is what happened to Bartesaghi during the first half hour of Milan-Roma on Sunday night at San Siro. His start, like some of his teammates’, was disastrous. He lost the ball, made errors in the build-up, and had poor body positioning when receiving passes.
Everything pointed to a rough night. But the 2005-born defender, guided by more experienced teammates like Maignan, who encouraged him several times, managed to stay in the game and grow with the team. Pavlovic’s goal came from his recovery, and minutes later he intercepted a ball in midfield and started the move that led to Fofana’s chance for a potential 2–0. In the second half, he was proactive and raised his performance level.
After the match, Allegri said: "Playing at San Siro is not easy. In these three or four matches, with Pulisic, Rabiot, and tonight Tomori missing, we’ve also had players at San Siro with little experience of this stadium, and they handled it well. Bartesaghi didn’t play well in the first 30 minutes, nor did De Winter, who I think passed every ball backward because he was playing with his back to the opponent. But Bartesaghi then played a good match for 60 minutes. That’s where we must build from. In those first 35 minutes we could have done better, and we did improve."
Bartesaghi working to improve further...
Born in 2005, standing 193 cm tall, with a strong build and good technique, Bartesaghi has been a starter early this season due to Estupiñán's absence. He has already faced Conceição, Dodô, Politano, and Soulé, practically all of the top right wingers in Serie A. These matches have shown that, unlike the few appearances he made last season, he is now able to compete. He could have done better in some moments and was beaten at times, sure, but he showed he belongs in Milan’s squad. We will see how he develops under Allegri, who has always been attentive and willing to give young players a chance, as relayed via Milan News.
