After years spent running up and down the flanks, Alexis Saelemaekers is entering a summer of change. Ruben Amorim does not primarily see him as the right-sided wing-back that, at the start of the year, we all considered his natural position. Instead, he sees him further forward, behind the striker, among the attacking midfielders. And if you are about to ask, "How is that possible?", the answer lies in the long and careful assessment carried out by Amorim and his staff over the past few weeks.
The reason for this positional change lies in Alexis’ natural characteristics. Saelemaekers is a player who really enjoys moving inside, combining with his teammates and attacking the penalty area rather than getting to the byline and delivering cross after cross. We have seen this over the years in a Milan shirt, as well as during his spells at Bologna and Roma, where he has provided 29 assists in all competitions, compared with 27 goals, using the same criteria.
Even last season under Allegri, Alexis often preferred attacking the far post from the opposite flank, while constantly looking for spaces inside when the coach would have preferred him to provide more width. That is why Amorim has considered using him there, in one of the two attacking midfield positions behind Gonçalo Ramos, in an attempt to place him in areas where he appears to be more comfortable.
It is also worth considering that, with Samuel Chukwueze being moved into the wing-back role, Saelemaekers potentially starting as one of the attacking midfielders could also be a way of covering for any defensive shortcomings from Chukwu, as well as the cover that Mario Gila would be expected to provide behind him, as pointed out via Milannews.it. Amorim has a great deal of faith in Saelemaekers, and this positional change could prove to be a turning point in this stage of his career. His versatility should not be overlooked either, as he can still return to playing as a wing-back, on either the right or the left.
