Last night Milan grabbed three important points at San Siro against Bologna. A tight match, with chances on both sides, decided by a certain Modric.
The Croatian, who arrived this summer on a free transfer, has fit perfectly into the Rossoneri setup. Already an idol for many, he has brought class, elegance, and substance.
To understand what class and elegance mean, all you need is to sit at the stadium or on the couch and watch how he paints football with the ball. Substance, on the other hand, was seen in Lecce with the assist for Loftus-Cheek, and again last night with his central run that led to the winning goal from a tireless Saelemaekers assist.
Modric’s stats from last night read: 66 touches, 37 successful passes, 4 tackles won, and 9 recoveries. A complete performance.
Among his 'students' there is certainly Ricci. He came on in the 65th minute for Fofana and is getting more minutes match after match. Ninety minutes on the bench against Cremonese, 15 minutes against Lecce, and yesterday a solid half hour against Bologna, as relayed via Milan Press.
Signed from Torino for about 25 million euros, the 2001-born midfielder is set to become Milan’s starting midfielder in the near future. With only one match a week, Allegri’s plan clearly seems to be to bring the number 4 in step by step and let him grow under Modric’s wing.
Ricci's quality is not in question. He has excellent technique, a great ability to scan the field, and dictate the tempo for an effective play that can catch opponents off guard. When you have a Ballon d’Or winner in the team it is almost natural to lean on him, but Ricci must take advantage of the opportunities Allegri will give him.
For now, Modric is the anchor of Milan’s midfield, but it is clear that Ricci has the potential to become another key presence in the middle of the pitch, perhaps even pushing the Ballon d’Or winner out of the starting lineup.
