No Saelemaekers. The right flexor problem that emerged during international duty will force the Belgian to miss Milan’s match against Fiorentina on Sunday night. The injury has been confirmed, though it is minor. Saelemaekers will be re-evaluated early next week to determine whether he can return for the match against Pisa or later games. In the worst case, he could return either for the midweek fixture against Atalanta on October 28 or for Milan-Roma on November 2. The obvious question now is:
Who will replace Saelemaekers?
Within the Milan squad, the natural alternative to Saelemaekers is Zachary Athekame, who arrived in the summer from Young Boys. Born in 2004, he has been used by Massimiliano Allegri only as a substitute so far this season: 9 minutes in Udine on September 20, 29 minutes in the Coppa Italia against Lecce, and 21 minutes in the big match against Napoli when Milan were down to ten men.
Athekame has never started, but that is more due to Allegri’s strong trust in Saelemaekers, whom he considers the ideal fit for the right wing-back role in his 3-5-2 system. Without the Belgian, Allegri could now hand the Swiss youngster his first start. Athekame was on the bench for 90 minutes yesterday with his national team in the match against Slovenia, his first senior call-up after promotion from the U21s. Allegri already values his pace and initiative, though he knows the player still needs tactical development to adapt to Serie A. This is, after all, Athekame’s first experience in a top-tier league and it has only just begun, as pointed out by La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
Alternatives:
Against Fiorentina, he is still expected to start. With 15 Milan players away on international duty, it is unlikely that Allegri will alter the 3-5-2 formation that restored the team’s balance and stability after last season’s chaos. There is also little time to experiment with role changes. If Saelemaekers’ absence continues and Athekame fails to deliver against Fiorentina, the situation might change. In an ultra-offensive setup, Allegri could use Pulisic or Nkunku as an attacking right wing-back, effectively turning the 3-5-2 into a 4-3-3, with Estupiñán or Bartesaghi dropping back as full-back. In a more defensive approach, the coach could move Tomori or De Winter out wide as a right-sided defender. These are all options that would first need to be tested in training before being used in an official match. Allegri will likely consider them during games or for future fixtures, hoping Saelemaekers recovers soon.
