AC Milan 2-3 Virtus Entella: Three things we learned - Jashari almost there and formation preference

"AC Milan were beaten 3-2 by Virtus Entella today. Whilst it was a fitness test/opportunity, the result certainly was not great. Heading into today's game, a lot of the focus was rightly on the ability of some players to get through 90 minutes. So, the fact that a few first-teamers, as well as the returning Christian Pulisic and Ardon Jashari, got through the game, is only a positive."

"Moving forward, it seems that Ardon Jashari will be the holding midfielder for the long term. In the first half, which was really the true showing of him, he was a class above the opposition, as you would expect, really. It would, perhaps, be a little extreme to compare him to Luka Modric. However, those characteristics were visible, just on a lesser scale, of course. The Swiss midfielder pretty much glided through the first half, and it was a strong performance."

"His second 45 minutes were certainly not as strong. It is his first minutes since a fibula fracture, so we cannot be too critical. Players are normally eased in with cameos, not a 90-minute game, for physical reasons and mental ones, too. It is proof that both elements need match-work before he is ready to start. So, to see him play the full game, with mistakes or not, is a really big thing for the Rossoneri, and perhaps the only thing."

AC Milan lost 3-2 to Virtus Entella in a match used largely as a fitness test, with the result disappointing but expected given the mixed team selection. Several first-team players, including Christian Pulisic and Ardon Jashari, completed 90 minutes, which was the main positive. The defence was mainly composed of Futuro players while the attack remained largely unchanged, so the loss cannot be read as a full-strength defeat. Jashari dominated the first half and displayed characteristics reminiscent of elite midfielders on a smaller scale, but his second half showed understandable fatigue after returning from a fibula fracture. He is not yet ready to start in Serie A, but a targeted return around December 4 offers a pathway to gradually replace Modric when required and accelerate his development.

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