The international break always brings many thoughts for coaches, especially those of top teams, used to working with half their squad because their best players are away with national teams around the world. If the first match after the break is the Milan derby, we can imagine Massimiliano Allegri’s mind racing with ideas on how to prepare for Inter and, why not, overtake them in the standings.
The day before yesterday, Milan played a friendly against Virtus Entella, a Serie B team. This kind of test match during the break is unusual, but it was strongly requested by the Rossoneri coach to give playing time to those who stayed at Milanello, especially one player: Ardon Jashari.
The Swiss midfielder had played two brief spells against Bari in the Coppa Italia and Cremonese in the league, before suffering a simple fracture of the right fibula after a training clash with Gimenez. He was out for two and a half months and returned to the field two days ago, ready to contribute again to the Rossoneri cause. With the return of the former Brugge player, Adrien Rabiot should also be back. The Frenchman has been out since the October break with a left calf soleus injury, he did not play in the Solbiate Arno friendly as a precaution, and should rejoin the group tomorrow ahead of the derby.
Milan, and now who plays in midfield in view of the derby?
This means that, barring a last-minute absence, Allegri will have all his midfielders available for the first time, players with different characteristics and tendencies, allowing him to choose based on physical condition and the opponent. Luka Modric's role as deep-lying playmaker is assumed, untouchable in the Rossoneri setup, while five players will compete for the two spots alongside the Croatian star, as pointed out by those at Milan Press.
One of these seems reserved for Rabiot, Allegri’s favorite and an automatic starter until his injury; the other spot will likely go to Ricci or Fofana, since Loftus-Cheek is seen more as an attacking midfielder than a central one. While the former Torino player is clearly improving after a season mostly on the bench, the Frenchman is declining, making many mistakes, the latest being in the first goal conceded against Entella. And, as mentioned, Jashari is back, Milan’s most expensive summer signing. What choices will you make, Max?
