An entire summer spent negotiating with Monaco, then finally, the green light around mid-August, almost as a gift for the holiday: this is how Youssouf Fofana became a new Milan player. A player with his characteristics to place in the midfield was perhaps a priority, second only to the signing of a new striker. With Bennacer's injury, the Frenchman's role is even more crucial.
Fofana in front of the defence
Officially, Milan spent 20 million euros on Fofana so that the midfielder could become the guardian of the Rossoneri defense, as noted by La Gazzetta dello Sport this morning. Last year, under Pioli, the defensive phase was a disaster: Milan finished eleventh in Serie A in terms of goals conceded. After the departures of Kessie and Tonali, it was necessary to find a player who could primarily provide cover for a high-positioned defense and also serve as a shield in front of it. In the past, Bennacer only partially fulfilled this role, and Reijnders, due to his characteristics, cannot be tasked with it. In this regard, Milan can work with Yunus Musah, who has significant physical attributes, as well as Silvano Vos, who has shown excellent vision of the game.
Fofana with a deep playmaker role (regista) in Fonseca's Milan?
This latter aspect is crucial, and Fofana will need to rise to the challenge. With Bennacer sidelined due to injury, the playmaker role falls to the Frenchman, who will need to manage and dictate the tempo of possession. In a two-man midfield, like the one used by Fonseca in recent matches, Fofana's ideal partner seems to be Tijjani Reijnders, although the Dutchman, as confirmed by his two recent games with his national team, prefers to play further forward with more freedom to make attacking runs. This is something he cannot fully exploit if he has only one partner in midfield. The coach’s task will be to find the right balance based on the players he has, trying to make the most of each one's primary strengths, as relayed via Milan News.
