AC Milan is one of the greatest clubs of all time. Since their founding in 1899, AC Milan have won 18 Serie A titles, 5 Uefa Super Cups, 4 FIFA Club World Cups (previously the Intercontinental Cup), and a remarkable 7 Champions League trophies.
They’ve been home to some of the greatest players to ever play the game – Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, and many others. Their legacy is one of the reasons why they are still among the biggest names in the soccer world.
Following the 2013-2014 season, the Rossoneri were forced to wait another 4 years before qualifying for Europe again. While not such a terrible statistic in itself, for a club of the stature of Milan, it signaled disaster. The team was struggling in the league, and the glory days of old had been replaced by the “Banter Era”, as termed by fans.
But after a surprising turn of events and new ownership, Milan look to be getting back on track. Today, I’ll take a look at the Rossoneri’s prospects and see how close they are to returning to the heights they once achieved.
Milan have arguably the best defense in the entire Serie A. Led by Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal – one of the most exciting goalkeeping prospects in the world – Milan’s defense is full of talent.
Ricardo Rodriguez is their left back; he is an excellent crosser and a solid defensive player. Davide Calabria currently occupies the right back position, and while he is prone to making some errors on the defensive side of things, he is a great offensive threat when he’s playing well. Andrea Conti, who is currently injured, provides another flashy talent, capable of playing in both attack and defense, and he looked like one of the best players in the league for Atalanta.
But where Milan truly thrive is in the heart of defense. They have three excellent center backs, two of whom will likely make up Italy’s backfield within the next couple of years.
Mattia Caldara, newly acquired from Juventus, is another thrilling Italian prospect. Caldara was great at breaking up play and preventing goals, but he also provides an exciting threat in attack. Despite playing as a center back, Caldara has scored ten goals in the last two seasons, and he is excellent at positioning himself, both in attack and defense. He and Romagnoli are expected to lead Italy’s backfield, and they’ve already been paired up together in Italy’s Nations League games.
Matteo Musacchio rounds out the trio, and he provides an excellent option for rotation. He is solid in defense, and he is older than his fellow center backs, meaning that he has more experience and can serve as a sort of mentor to his teammates.
Milan’s defense is among the best in the league, and with all of their starters under 26 years of age, Milan looks to be set in the backfield for a long time.
The midfield is Milan’s most glaring weakness. After losing Pirlo, Milan have been unable to find a true regista, and they’ve paid the price in their lack of creativity. Fortunately for Milan, they’ve made some good purchases, and their midfield looks like it’s getting better.
Lucas Biglia occupies the regista role for Milan currently, and while he doesn’t always play to the best of his ability, when he does, he is an absolutely essential player in Milan’s build-up. Biglia was impeccable in the Rossoneri’s triumph over Roma, never misplacing a pass and always keeping the ball moving.
Giacomo Bonaventura is the final player in Milan’s midfield. Jack was one of the few bright spots during Milan’s Banter Era, and while he’s not the most talented player in the world, his love and passion for Milan and the game always shine through in his playing. Bonaventura also provides a very creative outlet in Milan’s midfield, and he’s capable of playing in attack as well – filling in for both positions whenever necessary.
Tiémoué Bakayoko and Alen Halilovic are both new transfers to Milan, and they are both very interesting prospects. Bakayoko is not officially a Milan player; they have the option to purchase him at the end of the season. The Frenchman had a stellar year with Monaco, but he seriously struggled at Chelsea. Bakayoko is a very physical player, and he tends to play as a more defensive type of player – a destroyer in the midfield akin to Gattuso. If he can find the form he found at Monaco, he’d fill an incredibly essential role in Milan’s midfield.
Halilovic, on the other hand, came off a free transfer. While the Croatian failed to live up to expectations with Barcelona, he is still only 22 years old, and he’ll provide some good depth for the Rossoneri. He is great with the ball at his feet and even better at creating chances, many likening him to a young Luka Modric. If he can realize just part of his potential and become a little more consistent, he could be the steal of this year’s transfer window.
Milan’s attack has been a concern for a while. After Nikola Kalinic and Andre Silva failed to deliver last season, Milan were once again left with no true options to lead their front three. But with the new transfer market, the rapid ascension of Patrick Cutrone, and the signing of star striker Gonzalo Higuain, the Rossoneri might finally have fixed their problems.
Hakan Calhanoglu is Milan’s left winger. After a slow start to last year’s season, he has found his form. The Turkish winger is almost impeccable with the ball at his feet, but the thing that makes him truly special is his vision. He is a great passer, and sitting behind Higuain, he’ll create chances almost every time he has the ball. Add to that his incredible free-kick abilities, and you have one of the best players on the Rossoneri.
Samu Castillejo is a newer acquisition, brought in late from Villareal. The Spaniard provides a change of pace in the game; he is incredibly quick, and his runs open up plenty of space for the rest of the Milan attack. Diego Laxalt is another incredibly useful player; playing all along the left side – defense, midfield, attack – he can do it all.
Patrick Cutrone represents Milan’s future in attack. The young forward, also nicknamed Cutrogol, has been excellent for the Rossoneri. He is a clinical finisher, and he positions himself well on the pitch – setting himself up for high quality chances. Cutrone scored 14 goals for Milan last season, and he was by far Milan’s best striker. Under the mentorship of Higuain, the 20 year old Italian could very well become Milan’s next big thing.
Milan’s lineup is among the youngest in the league. Donnarumma, Suso, Romagnoli, Cutrone, Caldara, Calhanoglu, Conti, Calabria, Bakayoko, and Castillejo are all under 24 years of age. When you consider that 9 of those players could very well be starters, Milan’s lineup is insanely young.
While this means that they will be prone to mental lapses and struggles at times, it also means that they have lots of time and room to grow. They have some of the most exciting prospects in the world, and by giving so many of them a chance to compete and play for the first team, they could very well have one of the best teams in the world in a couple of years.
The Rossoneri have an incredibly large pool of young talent at their hands. If they are able to manage it well and help these youngsters flourish, they’ll be in a great position for the future.
Milan is led by Gennaro Gattuso, a former Milan legend himself. While Gattuso is not exactly a tactical mastermind, he brings something to the team that few other coaches have – grit. On the field, Gattuso was an animal – fighting for each and every ball and never failing to play his heart out for the team. He often sacrificed his body for the team, and his work ethic was next to none.
Rino has had some impressive success in his tenure at Milan. Gattuso has averaged 1.8 points per game with the Rossoneri, and considering how sudden his arrival was, his statistics are quite good. Gattuso has created his own version of the Rossoneri, and he’s given them the gift of toughness, heart, and passion.
After Silvio Berlusconi sold Milan to Yonghong Li, the thought of new Chinese ownership certainly excited Milan fans. Last year’s transfer market was thrilling; with close to €200 million spent on new acquisitions, Milan looked to finally have reliable ownership.
But as the year came around, more and more doubts plagued Mr. Li. The loan he acquired from Elliot was not getting paid off, and rumors were starting to circulate that the Chinese ownership could default on their loans. FIFA Fair Play regulations had halted Milan’s transfer market, and after the Rossoneri were barred from participating in the Europa League, it looked like disaster was in store for Milan once again.
The transfer market was unblocked, and new signings started coming in under new leadership – Leonardo and Maldini replacing the former duo of Mirabelli and Fassone. What had once looked like disaster might just have been a blessing in disguise for the Rossoneri. Elliot looks like they truly support Milan’s project, and this could be exactly what Milan need – reliable owners willing to invest the money to allow Milan to return to their former heights.
Unfortunately for Milan, there is still stiff competition in the Serie A. Milan are certainly improving but so are the other top teams. Juventus are still by far the best team in Italy, and they’ve only gotten better with Ronaldo. Inter had a great transfer window, and their team is full of great talent. Napoli has been the only team to challenge Juventus in the scudetto race.
Roma has added some young talent, and they’ve proven their ability in the Champions League. Lazio are still an incredibly solid team, and they’ll prove tough to beat. Behind them, Atalanta and Fiorentina are always dark horses to put in some great performances.
Simply put, Milan’s road to success will not be easy. The Serie A is filled with great players and great teams, and if Milan wish to return to the Champions League, they’ll need to put in the work.
Even after the ownership fiasco, Milan is still left with plenty of uncertainty. Elliot has not been entirely transparent for their plan with the Rossoneri. Do they see Milan as their own team, and are they willing to continue to spend to help Milan grow? Or are the Rossoneri nothing more than another business venture – a means by which to profit off of Yonghong Li’s failure to pay his debts?
Milan’s future is still very uncertain. With Elliot looming over the Rossoneri and their commitment still very much in doubt, Milan are put in an interesting position. Will Milan remain stable? Only time will tell.
While Milan have had some great transfer windows the past couple of years, their spending has come at a cost. They’ve already been punished for FFP infractions, and they were incredibly close to losing out on the Europa League because of it.
Whether you see Milan’s FFP issues as unfair, they are something the management must take into account. They need to make smart purchases, bringing in high quality players without overspending. In today’s market, this is very difficult, but Milan’s financial situation isn’t the best as of right now.
Next year’s transfer window will prove to be a good indicator of the financial status of the club. Depending on how FIFA react to Milan’s financials, the Rossoneri will either be in a position to solidify their team or to keep it relatively similar.
After all this, how close are Milan to becoming a great club yet again? The answer is not entirely clear; Milan is starting to build a good team, but the situation will have to clear up before we can really make a judgment.
Milan has the potential to become the best team in the world; their core is among the youngest in the world, and they have an incredibly talented group of young players. But they are still plagued with uncertainty and issues.
Nevertheless, Milan is certainly on the right track. They have good management, and the Banter Era seems to have finally been put behind them. The Rossoneri are ready to make their mark on the league, and the rest of the Serie A needs to watch out.
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