Milan is climbing again, and the turnaround starts from structure. The defensive reset is clear. The next step concerns the striker role, where production, is however, still low.
In fact, since his return to Milanello last July, Massimiliano Allegri had a clear plan. The first tactical job on a Milan hurt by a disastrous season was defensive work. Four months later, you see the effect. The work of the coach and his staff is producing results, more than expected.
Same players, different outcome:
Aside from Thiaw's departure, which weakened the group, Milan is using almost the same players as last season. Matteo Gabbia was there. Strahinja Pavlovic was there. Fikayo Tomori was there, although less often due to injuries. The output is the opposite, and the credit goes to one person, Massimiliano Allegri. The main strength of Milan today, still a work in progress, is the team’s overall balance. The team stays compact and organized.
This was known when the club chose the ex Juventus head coach, who guarantees order on the pitch.
0.55 - Allegri builds the Milan 'wall':
A clear number supports this. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that with the starting trio of Tomori, Gabbia, and Pavlovic, Milan played nine Serie A matches and conceded five goals, an average of 0.55 goals per match. The comparison is striking when at least one of the three did not start. This happened only three times and Milan conceded four goals, an average of 1.3 per match. These numbers are strong and still offer room for growth. They show the value of a coach like Allegri and the improvement potential of this squad.
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This progress shapes the next phase of the project, the focus on the forward line. The need for efficiency in the box becomes the next point on Allegri’s list.
You cannot say Santiago Gimenez has regained the form that once put him on the radar of top European clubs during his Feyenoord period. If there are weak spots in this positive Milan revival, one is the difficulty in handling smaller teams, the other is the lack of output from the Mexican striker, who is now sidelined with an injury. January is approaching and Allegri is pushing to bring in a new goalscorer to raise the level.
AC Milan needs reinforcements:
The goal is to keep a match-by-match focus until January, when the transfer window opens. In that phase, as Tuttosport writes, Massimiliano Allegri wants reinforcements to cover gaps in the squad. The most evident gap, unfortunately for Gimenez, is at centre forward. The Mexican has always worked hard and deserves credit for that, but he has scored only once, in the Coppa Italia. The ex Juventus head coach, who has often praised him, needs a penalty-area striker with size and presence, a profile he has relied on throughout his career.
The link with West Ham:
With this scenario, Santiago Gimenez might rethink his stance of staying at Milan at all costs to try to regain form. The home World Cup is getting closer and the number 7 cannot risk being sidelined at club level. His return from injury, his form after recovery, and then a possible transfer will all be evaluated. Interest is not lacking.
In fact, the daily Turin-based newspaper, Tuttosport, highlights renewed interest from West Ham, who are searching for a striker and had already approached Gimenez in the past. The Hammers will part ways with Niclas Füllkrug, who is of interest to Milan, and they might decide to move for the Mexican.
What are Niclas Fullkrug's numbers?
The 32-year-old German centre-forward is not enjoying his time, one would think, with West Ham at the moment. The player is yet to deliver the goals that fans have expected from him when he arrived from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund where he scored12 goals and provided 8 assists in the league. (In the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons with Werder Bremen, he scored 16 and 19 goals respectively in the league).In this current Premier League season, Fullkrug is yet to put his name on the scoring sheet after 7 appearances. Let's see how the events will unfold in the next weeks and if AC Milan will try to sign the German forward to replace Santiago Gimenez.
