Milan are currently in a very secure third position in the league. Since falling from the top two of the league to this position in November 2023, the team has neither been able to chase the top of the table nor has the Champions League place really threatened by the pursuers behind them. In terms of cups, the team was both out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, and entered the Europa League because of European rules, which is generally a tolerable but definitely not satisfactory half season for Milan fans, and the lack of the team's No.6 position has always been a huge shortcoming of the team. As the winter window approaches, management still has no plans to reinforce.
Milan paid Tonali to Newcastle for a record transfer fee last summer and have since bought three B2B midfielders, Reynders, Loftus-Cheek and Moussa. Despite the depth of the squad that Milan have strengthened, Pioli's use of them looks much the same, with the midfield not becoming more tactically varied as a result of the increase in the number of players.
Both Loftus-Cheek and Reynders have shown what they can do this season: Loftus-Cheek has driven 3 goals per unit of time (every 90 minutes) over the past year72 times (in the top 1% of Europe), 176 (higher than 93% of players in the same position); The Dutch are 258 times (top 12% in Europe) and 127 times (top 80%). This is a very high standard, and it truly reflects their technical and tactical characteristics. However, in terms of defensive statistics, the duo's output can be described as bad: British tanks only make better tackles than the 10% of midfielders in Europe, and interceptions are in the bottom 5%; Reynders is also only better than 18 per cent and 12 per cent of players in the same position. Especially the latter, who is often the team's No. 6 position, this data can only be regarded as better than nothing, and it is difficult to provide midfield protection for the team.
Musa, as a rotation player, is even more unclear. In the 1,344 minutes he has played this season, he has been deployed in a number of different positions: he has played in both wide positions, and he has also tried it in the middle of the midfield, in the back and in the wing. It can be said that in addition to the goalkeeper, central defender, and center forward, the American guy has basically played in any position. Moussa played well in the midfield position of the national team, but his use of him in the Pioli team was not only incomprehensible to the fans, but also the lad himself was often confused. Against Lecce last November, for example, he was deployed at right-back, a position he was extremely bad at, and as a result, he contributed to a disastrous performance. For young players, it's definitely a huge blow on a psychological level.
Back in the summer of 2023, Pioli, who has risen in the transfer market, insisted on not bringing in a destructive midfielder, but forcibly pushed Krunic to the No. 6 position, which led to his poor form, and finally evolved into a master-apprentice rebellion, and the team's low-cost fire sale (of course, theoretically, the Bosnian midfielder is still a Milan player, but on loan); Adley, who is very popular in the team and has a calm mentality, finally got a chance under such a crisis.
The Algerian-descendant French midfielder, who used to be a hybrid of a number 8 + a number 10, has now been transformed into a number six. It can be seen that the lad is playing hard and is actively adapting to this new role. He steals 3 per 90 minutes25 times, much higher than Reynders' 152 times, interceptions (154 times) is also slightly higher than Krunic (14）。But anyone with a discerning eye can clearly see that he is not Milan's defensive gate, and even one of the main targets of the opponent's attack.
Even if Bennacer returns, the Milan No.6 issue will not be resolved. Bennacer has played less than 200 minutes this season due to injury issues. He had another injury at the Africa Cup of Nations, and although it was not a serious injury, the team still cannot overuse him at the moment. Even if he is full of 4, he has never been a defensive giant, and his contribution is more in terms of team grooming and midfield pick-up, and the defense can't be counted on too much.
Stefano Pioli officially dropped the 433 in the second half of December 2023 and returned to his usual 4231, but the double midfielder does not mean that the number 6 is no longer needed, and quite the opposite. Former Bologna midfielder Nicolás Dominguez, who has been scouted by Milan many times, has been acquired by Nottingham Forest for a low price of 10 million euros and has performed well in the Premier League; The legendary son Redondo Jr. is also in a similar price range, but the team has never acted on it.
Now it seems that not only this winter window, which is about to end, but also the summer window of 2024, it seems that the No. 6 position will not be a priority for the team. Centre-backs and Olivier Giroud are the focus of Milan's scoutings, but a defensive midfielder is definitely not a position that should be forgotten.