Centre-back, wide centre-back, and, when needed, even right-back. Since joining Milan, Mario Gila has revealed another quality: his versatility. It is a trait particularly appreciated by Ruben Amorim, who changed his team’s shape in the final match before the break against Lecce.
AC Milan switched from a back three to a back four. Pervis Estupiñán dropped deeper on the left and the former Lazio defender moved out to the right.
The experiment worked extremely well, although it still needs to be tested against more dangerous opposition, as reported in this morning's print edition of the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Spaniard, in fact, has also quickly won over the San Siro crowd with his composure on the ball: a 91% pass-completion rate from more than 66 passes per game, along with 0.8 key passes per match. Those are hardly typical centre-back numbers, they are closer to those of a midfielder.
Just look at the build-up to Milan’s excellent second goal against Lecce, an attacking move initiated by Gila in combination with Modrić and Chukwueze. Of course, Mario is outstanding first and foremost as a defender. He is difficult to beat for pace, alert to runs in behind, brave in the tackle and strong in one-on-one situations.
The €30 million Milan invested in him during the summer, despite his contract having only one year left to run, no longer seems quite so expensive...
