For AC Milan, with about halfway through the schedule, the team is already in a rather difficult situation. In the Champions League, Pioli's side is out and has not even qualified for the Europa League. In Serie A, the team has also lost the position of leader, and the point gap between Inter has reached 4 points. You know, just before the two sides met this season, AC Milan still had a fairly obvious point advantage. However, after seven games, the situation between the two sides in the standings has been completely reversed.
Objectively speaking, the injury problem has indeed greatly affected AC Milan's performance this season. In the forward line, Ibrahimovic hung up the exemption card early in the season, and Rebic was once placed in the center position. Rebic has since suffered injuries and his condition has gotten even worse, making only nine league appearances this season and only six starts. The youngster Pellegri also did not surprise the team, not only did not play convincingly on the field, but he also failed to get rid of the continuous injury plague. It looks like it will be difficult for him to stay with the team at the end of the season. In addition, in the midfield position, Kathy, Benacell and other players have also missed many games due to injury problems, which has greatly affected the team's combat effectiveness.
However, due to the team's good staffing in the midfield and forward line, although there have been many injuries, Pioli can still have enough substitutes available. However, in the backline, the injury problems suffered by AC Milan almost made the team hurt. The first is Menion in the goalkeeper position. This season, Menion has performed quite well and has become a key link in the team's defensive system. His excellent ability to save and his ability to pass long passes in attack quickly conquered Pioli. As a result, after Menion's injury, the team's defensive efficiency has clearly declined. As his substitute, the 35-year-old Tatarusanu performed modestly, averaging just 6.56 points per game in six league games. Fortunately, Menion's recovery was faster than expected, which also alleviated the pressure on the team's backline to some extent.
The injury of the main right-back Calabria also had a big impact on the team. Calabria has also performed very well this season, being very solid on both ends of the road, contributing 2 goals and 1 assist in 10 league games. In the game where he can't play due to injury, neither Kalulu nor Florenzi can completely replace his role. With the return date of Calabria undecided, AC Milan will need to continue to be under pressure in this position. Relatively speaking, Kyal's injury is the last thing the team wants to see. In Pioli's tactical system, Kyal is the de facto defensive core of the team. Although he is 32 years old, the Danish centre-back is still in good physical condition, and his excellent defensive prediction ability and tenacious fighting spirit are also crucial to the team. With Kyal unable to play, Pioli could only send Romagnoli. However, the latter's level of performance on the field is far from that of Kyal, and his contract extension with the team has not progressed, and there is a great possibility of leaving the team.
In this case, AC Milan has been looking for the right centre-back player in the transfer market. According to transfer expert Di Marzio, the centre-back players on AC Milan's roster include Lille's Botman, Torino's Bremer and Chelsea's Sal. From the perspective of the difficulty of reinforcements, Botman is undoubtedly the most difficult to operate, because he has received the attention of multiple teams at the same time, and AC Milan has no advantage in terms of team strength or salary packages that can be provided. Sal hasn't had many chances to play this season, and the players themselves seem to have the idea of changing the court. With the right offer available, Chelsea are likely to agree to his departure. However, the 22-year-old French centre-back has never had a high-profile performance in his career and whether he will be able to adapt to Serie A is unknown. Relatively speaking, Bremer is the best choice. The Brazilian has grown to become the top centre-back in Serie A this season, averaging 7.27 points per game at the top of all centre-backs. As the Turin team were interested in Poberga, which owned AC Milan, this helped facilitate the transfer.
At the same time as the reinforcements, AC Milan also hopes to clear up some of the "redundant personnel" in the team, and at the same time free up salary space, they can also get a part of the transfer fee. According to Italian media, the two players who were put on the transfer list by AC Milan were Castilejo and André Conte. Due to the excellent form of Salmachus and Messias, Castilejo has had a hard time continuing to occupy a place. André Conte is also not in Pioli's plans, having yet to make appearances in the league and Champions League this season. It is reported that Salmachus may choose to switch to Genoa, and André Conte's next home may be Empoli. (The picture comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete)