AC Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao has found himself with an abundance of options, so much so that there are six players fighting for four places.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Youssouf Fofana, Yunus Musah, Alex Jimenez, Christian Pulisic, Joao Felix and Rafa Leao are the players that Conceicao must pick from, and it is up to him to choose the right combination.
February brought big news for Conceiçao: Joao Felix arrived from Chelsea, Jimenez confirmed he is well and ready to play and Fofana was questioned for the first time. There are two untouchables: Reijnders and Gimenez, then three reserves in Tammy Abraham, Riccardo Sottil and Samu Chukwueze.
Felix seems to be Conceiçao’s favourite given that he has virtually always played under him, even when he wasn’t as effective. He is a creative attacking player, a playmaker who looks for the ball and wants to make the difference with an assist and with his technique.
Musah and Pulisic, like Joao Felix, have an advantage: they play in two roles. Musah can move out wide as an atypical winger or play in the middle; Pulisic is a right winger and an attacking midfielder at the same time. They can play together but, with Felix taking the No.10 slot, they risk being alternatives.
Fofana was benched for the first time since August on Tuesday night and is clearly tired, after a season in which he always played in a role that wasn’t completely his. Milan thought long and hard about the possibility of signing a defensive midfielder, to use Fofana and Reijnders as mezzali.
In the end they didn’t and went for Warren Bondo, another box-to-box name. Fofana adapted, he played as a deeper-lying player and he did it well, under Paulo Fonseca very well in fact. It is possible that Conceicao’s style is not the best fit for him, though he needs to recharge his batteries.
Jimenez was one of the best on the field against Verona and there might be some regret he wasn’t able to be used on Tuesday having been left out of the squad list. If he had been on the list, he would have helped with his intensity, his running, his pace.
These are characteristics that very few players in the squad have. The impression is that Jimenez will play a lot between March and May, starting with Torino-Milan: with Walker almost certainly out, he will be the starting right-back.
Last but not least, Leao. The No.10 on paper is the star of Milan, in Conceiçao’s head less so. Against Feyenoord he was devastating in creating superiority, especially in the first half, but never effective with the final pass or shot.
The old feeling of enormous unfulfilled talent, which perhaps will take him away from Milan. Rafa in this ‘six for four shirts’ is at risk, because Pulisic and Felix can also play on the left, but he remains unique in his ability to generate attack from nothing. This also counts.
