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Christian Pulisic might be the one stealing the headlines after the first two games of the season, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also deserving of praise.

MilanNews recall the request that Stefano Pioli made to the management before the summer window began: “The requests were to find wingers good in 1v1 situations, from in behind or from receiving the ball at their feet.

“Because last year we lacked in those games where we came up against deep block defences, so those individual plays can solve those situations for you.

“And then penetrating midfielders: we had in mind to build in a certain way and attack in another way, therefore to have a slightly more fluid construction with 5 players and to have slightly more fixed positions with 5 players on the ball.”

Pulisic and Tijjani Reijnders have already stolen the eye, Samuel Chukwueze, Yunus Musah and Noah Okafor will be seen more soon, but Loftus-Cheek has immediately been among the best performers since the start of preseason.

At 1.91m tall and with an imposing physique, the Englishman has shown an ability to play further forward – joining the front three at times – but also to help out in the defensive phase and to cover a lot of the ground in between

Loftus-Cheek is valuable in coverage and in aggression, because when he gets into his stride while carrying the ball opponents tend to just bounce off him. He is perhaps less flashy than Reijnders, but just as concrete when he needs to be.

He had nine successful passes in the attacking third against Bologna, three chances created, two key passes, two successful dribbles (only Leao had better with 3) and of course one assist.

What transpires from the pitch is that we’re really only at the beginning. Pioli asks his players to know how to read the spaces, to occupy them or to leave them free for team-mates, and Loftus-Cheek is ticking all the right boxes.

Against Roma and Inter, two particularly intense and physical teams, he will have to give continuity to this positive start.
 
Following a 2-0 win against Bologna on the road, AC Milan hosted Torino in the second game of their 2023-24 season and the first at the San Siro.

It is a fixture has been favourable for the Rossoneri in recent years, especially at home, and it was no different this time out. In the 33rd minute, Pulisic continued his hot form as he combined with former Chelsea team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek to make it 1-0.

Torino did manage to equalise after just 3 minutes, but that didn’t last long as ten minutes later Milan were awarded a penalty that was converted by Olivier Giroud to double the score, followed by a lovely Theo Hernandez goal to make it 3-1 going into half-time.

In the second half, Milan were awarded another penalty in the 65th minute and Giroud got his brace to round off the scoring. Here are five things we learned from the game…

1. That’s more like it
After a rather underwhelming start to the season against Bologna, Rafael Leao picked up the pace against Torino and played a much better game earning himself the Man of the Match award in our post-game ratings.

The Portuguese winger was much better on the ball and involved himself in a lot of the attacks as well as managing to get an assist on Theo Hernandez’s goal.

It still, however, feels like the winger isn’t at full fitness and his end product wasn’t the greatest but it was much better than against Bologna, and with him sharper and Pulisic on the right Torino were powerless to stop Milan’s attack.

2. Made in Chelsea
Pulisic continued his hot form as he racked up another goal after combining with Loftus-Cheek, who also played a solid game showing off his physicality and ability on the ball as he made a lovely play for the assist.

The duo impressed with their movement on and off the ball and they seemed integrated well within the team as the chemistry looked to be there, especially the Pulisic-Giroud link which didn’t produce a goal on the night but looked dangerous.

Loftus-Cheek is seemingly picking up the pace and it will be exciting to see him in a few weeks time when he has gained a bit more understanding and fitness. The talent is there and Pioli will have to get the best out of the Englishman.


3. Positive inversion
Theo Hernandez played a very good game and managed to get his first goal of the season after a lovely combination with Leao. We saw the trend of inverted full-backs continue, something we analysed recently.

The Frenchman did stay wide a lot of the time trying to exploit his pace, but there were moments where he went inside and that looked dangerous as he combined with Giroud or Reijnders through the middle bringing a lot of sharpness to the attack.

On the right-hand side, Calabria tended to go inside more as he isn’t known for his pace and isn’t as efficient down the flank. Through the middle, however, he combined well with his team-mates and was an extra body to ‘bait Torino up the pitch’, as Pioli said.

The Italian is also still building up the chemistry with Loftus-Cheek and Pulisic, but it’s obvious that being an inverted full-back suits him as he is not afraid to play with the ball and doesn’t have to rely on his pace in that position.

4. Like fine wine
Olivier Giroud got a brace and whilst both goals came from the penalty spot the Frenchman was composed enough to convert them and played a tidy game overall, playing with his back against the goal a lot.

Giroud is turning 37 in a month, but he’s off to a great start with three goals and an assist after just two games. Pioli will be hoping that the Frenchman can be as prolific going forward.

The coach has the depth to allow the striker to rest so hopefully fatigue will not be an issue, and another striker signing could further increase the chance to rotate.


5. Finally competitive
Whilst Milan did manage to win the Scudetto two seasons ago and did fairly well in the Champions League last season, the team were never really that competitive in terms of depth.

A couple of injuries or a suspension was enough to destabilise the team, not to mention there were holes in the starting XI to begin with.

However, this has been addressed during the transfer window after the arrival of multiple key players such as Chukwueze, Okafor, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek and Reijnders to name a few.

Despite the departure of Tonali, the Rossoneri possess a depth they haven’t had in probably a decade or so. It will be up to Pioli to bring everybody up to fitness, but now the Italian has the tools to be competitive on more than one stage.

More Stories / The Match
 
AC Milan will try until the end of the window to agree a deal for Mehdi Taremi with FC Porto but the conditions are not right at present, a report claims.

After being predominantly linked with Taremi a few weeks ago, things went quiet as it seemed Milan were focusing on other areas of the team to strengthen but also other potential striker targets given the cost to sign the 31-year-old.

However, the speculation has been growing in momentum again over the past few days and there has been suggestions from multiple sources that the Rossoneri management will put in an official bid for Taremi.

According to Antonio Vitiello of MilanNews, Milan will ‘try to the end’ to sign Taremi, but the amount requested by Porto will have to go down because the current €20-25m asking price is too high.

Potential sales will also have an impact, because if Milan manage to free up space and save on wages from outgoing players then the end of the mercato could change.
 
AC Milan already have a potential replacement in mind in the event that Fenerbahce come back with an irrefutable offer for Rade Krunic.

According to Niccolò Ceccarini of TMW, Milan is still looking for a player to support Olivier Giroud but the pursuit is not easy given that by now there is very little left until the transfer window closes.

After having tried to understand the margins and terms for Hugo Ekitike and Armanda Broja, the Milan management are also moving on other targets such as Mehdi Taremi of Porto but he is rated at €25m.

Milan are also continuing to block the sale of Krunic, because at the moment there have been no raises from Fenerbahce and therefore there is no news.

In the event of a last minute departure, the first name on the wish list remains Nicolas Dominguez of Bologna, whose contract expires in June 2024.
 
We are only two games into the season, but Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan side have certainly not started with the handbrake on.

As Calciomercato.com write, the summer transfer window has addressed one of the issues that Milan have had for the last few seasons which was an over-dependency on the left side, in particular Rafael Leao.

The signings of Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze were aimed at replacing the already-departed Junior Messias and the now ostracised Alexis Saelemakers, to improve the quality and depth on the other wing.

Has it worked? The pitch is saying yes, given that in the six goals scored by the Rossoneri, Leao has no goals and one assist to his name, which came during the win over Torino last night for Theo Hernandez’s first goal.

Leao is therefore no longer the only source of threat for Milan, given that the ‘chances created’ stat sees the Portuguese at the top with five, but closely followed by Giroud and Loftus Cheek with four, then Reijnders and Pulisic with three.

Analyzing the portions of the pitch occupied by the Rossoneri players in the two matches it clearly emerges how Pioli with his game tends to the left.

The presence of a full-back like Theo Hernandez obviously helps, but Leao attacks the byline much more strongly than Pulisic. Milan are therefore still betting a lot on Leao, and rightly so because of his undoubted quality.
 
With two games under their belt in 2023-24 so far, we can begin to draw some concrete takeaways regarding AC Milan’s set up.

La Gazzetta dello Sport have highlighted the five main changes made by Stefano Pioli and the management have made early in the season from a tactical point of view and with the business they have done.

The first aspect highlighted is the new position of the full-backs. Last year Pioli asked Theo and Calabria to move centrally and assume the positions of a mezzala. The novelty of this season is the frequency with which they are doing it, and sometimes even simultaneously.

The second aspect comes as a consequence of the two full-backs inverted, and it is the fact that the midfielders are freed. In fact, it has been observed that this year they are further up the field, with both Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek making deep runs.

The third feature is verticality, and the new signings have arrived with this in mind. Pulisic’s goal in Bologna and Theo Hernandez’s against Torino show that they will look to go forward at all times rather than side to side, aiming to get a shot on goal as quickly as possible.

Modern football is increasingly decided by individual plays, and one-on-one battles often decide matches. Milan have strengthened themselves a lot in this sense as they have raised the level of quality in some key sectors such as with the two mezzali and the right wing position.

Last but not least is the bench, which over the years has become increasingly decisive thanks to the five substitutions. If you look at Pioli’s changes, you can see that the depth has changed. Now Noah Okafor can enter in Leao’s place, while Samuel Chukwueze is Pulisic’s alternative for now.

Even Luka Romero – who has indisputable technical qualities – is an excellent weapon. In the midfield Yunus Musah is able to make Loftus-Cheek catch his breath, without forgetting that by the end of the year Pioli will have Bennacer again.
 
🚨 Udinese are interested in signing Origi as replacement for Beto who is joining Everton

[@marcoconterio, @TuttoMercatoWeb]
 
🗣️ Juric: "Milan have lost 1 player, but have brought in 5/6 new European-level players. They're stronger than last year."
 
❗️Gerry Cardinale visited Casa Milan today, where he met the management to assess the current situation. Afterwards, he went to the Milan store. @danielfsperanza 🇺🇸🔴⚫️
 
🔵 Pulisic last year at Chelsea

👕 30
⚽️ 01
🎯 02

🔴⚫️ Pulisic with AC Milan

👕 02
⚽️ 02
🎯 00
 
🚨 The two possibilities for Origi are Torino and Burnley

Sheffield United is now a discarded option

[@MatteMoretto]
 
++ 🚨🇮🇷 Nicolo Schira :

▪️ AC Milan reach an agreement with Taremi on a three-year contract with a salary of 3 million + bonuses.

▪️ Milan will make an offer of 18 million euros for Porto in the coming hours, the Portuguese club asking for 25 million.
 
.@_OlivierGiroud_'s goal against Bologna is the first goal scored with his right foot of the 33 netted by the French player for #ACMilan in all competitions.

[via @OptaPaolo]
 
Belgium international forward Divock Origi (28) has been shown the door by AC Milan, according to a report this Monday from Foot Mercato, with Burnley reportedly in the race to sign him.

The former Liverpool FC cult hero has never proved invaluable for the Rossoneri, who landed him as a free agent when his contract expired with the Reds one year ago. Origi only managed to score two goals and register one assist in 36 games with Stefano Pioli’s side. Now, the Serie A side want him out. The outlet understands that the former Lille youth product is training away from Milan’s senior squad.

AC Milan have started strongly in the Serie A, winning their first two league games, against Bologna (2-0) and Torino (4-1). Now, the club’s objective is to offload the players Pioli does not rely on, including Origi, before the end of the summer transfer window on September 1st. Foot Mercato adds that Serie A sides Udinese, Bologna and Torino have shown an interest. The Turin-based side are reportedly in the lead and hope to shake hands with AC Milan over a loan move for Origi. However, Premier League side Burnley are said to still be in the race for the Belgian’s signing.
 
According to SportTime, a Greek sports newspaper, Milan has abandoned the track concerning the defender Kōnstantinos Koulierakis due to the request for 8 million euros plus percentage on the future resale of the PAOK Thessaloniki, considered too high by the Rossoneri club that then turned on Marco Pellegrino.
 
Horncastle on The Athletic says Milan's data team were skeptical of Origi because the player had few minutes in recent years to be judged, but Maldini and Massara pushed to sign him because he was free and therefore low-risk
 
TheAthleticFC - Moncada was against Origi's arrival because he'd played too little to judge but Maldini and Massara were convinced.
 
💪🏼 Milan will try until the end of the transfer market session for Taremi , with the hope that Porto will lower the request.
The AC Milan club is in contact with the player's agents and is preparing a final offer, which should be less than around 20 million. Meanwhile, this evening the Porto will take the field against the RioAve . To be seen if Taremi will be deployed owner

@DiMarzio
 
❗️At the time of his signing, Milan’s data team were unsure about Origi on the basis of the small sample size of minutes on which to judge his performance in recent years, but Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara pushed the deal through anyway. @TheAthleticFC 🤔🇧🇪
 
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