AC Milan's midfielders have struggled to contribute with goals so far this season, despite Massimiliano Allegri mentioning double digits at the start of the campaign. After the defeat against Lazio, speaking to the media, Allegri made it clear that the midfielders haven't contributed enough goals for Milan. When taking a look at the numbers, as highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport (see photo at the bottom) it's hard to disagree. No midfielder, unless you consider Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers, has scored more than one goal this season.
With the Scudetto in sight, AC Milan are expected to make three reinforcements during the January window, as reported by Tuttosport this morning. After 13 games played, Milan are top of the Serie A standings with 28 points. A lot could change in just one round, but it's clear that the Rossoneri can compete for the Scudetto this season, especially since they have done so well in the big clashes.
No, no, that's difficult... (laughs). It will definitely be a special experience for me to set foot in the stadium again. I grew so much there, I met wonderful people, and I also left so many friends behind.
Massimiliano Allegri is gearing up for the clash against Torino on Monday. In the meantime, his employers are evaluating what can be done in January, as highlighted by today's papers. Milan were knocked out of the Coppa Italia on Thursday, losing 1-0 against Lazio, and the defeat has raised questions about the team's depth. In addition to there being a numerical struggles, some of the new signings also haven't taken off.
In the sixth edition of Meeting the Milan Media, we spoke to the brilliant Pietro Mazzara, who is well known for his work with MilanNews and Tuttosport. As one of two leading halves of MilanNews.it, which is undoubtedly the biggest AC Milan news website in Italian, Mazzara has become a staple as far as delivering news to Rossoneri fans goes. However, while some might just know him from the breaking news and columns, there is a lot more work that goes on behind the scenes.
AC Milan are looking to strengthen their rearguard in the January window, and a journalist has claimed that a Brighton defender has been offered. At present, Milan have Strahinja Pavlovic, Matteo Gabbia and Fikayo Tomori as the established starting trio in the three-man defence. Koni De Winter is the back-up in all three positions it seems, with the young David Odogu destined for a loan having featured just once.
Another seasonal commitment came and went for AC Milan on Thursday night, as they exited the Coppa Italia at the last-16 stage. As Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews) write this morning, after a misstep in their first league game against Cremonese in August and a string of consecutive positive results, Massimiliano Allegri's Rossoneri lost to Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico and bowed out of the cup.
The towering 1.94 m goalkeeper has produced moments of excellent shot-stopping and leadership, in fact, he featured prominently in Spurs' 2024-25 Europa League campaign and contributed to their continental success. But a string of recent high-profile errors, including a costly clearance blunder in a 21 home loss to Fulham, have tested both fan patience and the club's confidence in him. The same mistake sparked audible boos from supporters and forced his manager to publicly defend him.
AC Milan could yet receive a sizeable cash injection from the sales of players that are currently out on loan, though some are more likely than others. As Calciomercato.com recall, Milan sent a number of players out on loan during the summer transfer window, and many of them included options or even obligations to buy, meaning the club could cash in down the line.
Marco Palestra's growth has not gone unnoticed in Serie A, and AC Milan are among the teams interested in signing him. The Cagliari full-back is continuing to deliver strong performances and show evident quality, and given that he is just 20 years of age, there is a lot of potential there too. As reported by Corriere della Sera (via Tribuna), all the big Italian clubs are ready to battle for the Italian.
After coming up against his old club Lazio on Saturday night at San Siro, Igli Tare will now return to the Stadio Olimpico. As Corriere dello Sport (via MilanPress) recall, Tare became AC Milan's sporting director earlier this summer having been out of work since he left Lazio, a club that he spent most of his professional life at as a player and then as a director.
Youssouf Fofana has been a mainstay for AC Milan this season, but he will miss the Coppa Italia game tomorrow night with an injury. There has been a lot said about Fofana this season and his performances. However, he has been one of Massimiliano Allegri's most-used players, and the Italian has a lot of trust in the Frenchman, regardless of what others may think.
A sign of fate? Sometimes there are signs that seem like destiny. Konstantinos Karetsas - Genk's talented left-footed forward - hadn't scored this season before the most recent round of the Europa League. He is an attacking midfielder who plays mostly on the right, he's more accustomed to setting up goals than scoring them himself. Assists are his specialty, with nine already in all competitions. The match against Basel, in short, was the classic exception.
It would be fair to say that the Lazio ultras are out for revenge in the Coppa Italia against AC Milan, after Saturday's league defeat. The Serie A match at San Siro was full of controversy, mainly at the end of the game when Lazio believed that they should have had a penalty for a handball against Strahinja Pavlovic. The On-Field Review actually produced a free-kick in favour of Milan, with experts agreeing it wasn't a spot kick.
AC Milan are still looking for a central defender to add to their squad in January, and the option of a return for Thiago Silva has been mentioned again. Milan are playing with three centre-backs in a 3-5-2 system at present, with Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic as the established starting trio. Koni De Winter is the only real back-up, with David Odogu inexperienced and possibly heading out on loan in January.
Chukwueze scored a brace against Manchester City, to help drag his team back into it having been 5-1 down at one point. The game ended 5-4 to Pep Guardiola's side, but many are saying that the Nigerian changed the game. Coming off the bench at the start of the second half, Samu replaced former Torino player Sasa Lukic with Manchester City leading 3-1.
