One-winged AC Milan attack seeks balance

Date: 20th August 2014 at 6:30pm
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AC Milan lose 3-0 to Olympiakos in the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament in America

AC Milan lose 3-0 to Olympiakos in the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament in America

AC Milan’s pre-season has been anything but impressive.

Aside from a 3-0 win against Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara and victories over lower division sides in Italy, the Rossoneri have struggled against the giants of the game.

One of the problems for new AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi is the forward line. Ideally he would like a forward who can play on the right side of a tridente (front-three) in the 4-3-3 formation.

Inzaghi has tried playmaker Keisuke Honda in that role and the experiment failed. He is also not willing to place faith in French winger Jeremy Menez or youngster M’Baye Niang.

The Rossoneri have been linked with a few players who can operate as right-wingers but Adriano Galliani has not been able to negotiate a price for these players.

Torino winger Alessio Cerci has been on AC Milan’s radar for some time but the Rossoneri have not been able to meet the demands of the Granata. Anyone interested in buying Cerci will have to pay €20 million for him, with AC Milan are only willing to pay about half of that amount.

If Cerci managed to play for the Rossoneri, he would be playing alongside fellow Italian internationals Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy. If that front-three could function successfully, it would have benefits for club and country.

Ezequiel Lavezzi PSGAnother striker that has been linked with AC Milan is Argentine international Ezequiel Lavezzi. There are concerns with his high price-tag, his wages and his age; but the Paris Saint-Germain forward has had Serie A experience with Napoli. Adapting to Italian football would not be an issue for him at all.

His pace, work ethic and direct style of play would be ideal for Inzaghi’s attack, especially if the lackadaisical Mario Balotelli does not leave the Rossoneri and stays on this season.

One of the players linked with AC Milan that has not played in Serie A yet is Brazilian attacking midfielder Douglas Costa. Currently playing for Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, he would like to leave Ukraine because of the political situation in the country, just like most of the other foreign players based there.

In 27 Ukrainian Premier Liga matches last season, Costa scored four goals and assisted 11 more. His statistics suggest that he is more of a creator than a goalscorer, and if he joined AC Milan, he could be someone capable supplying Balotelli or Giampaolo Pazzini with scoring opportunities.

His price tag is once again a concern for AC Milan because the Ukrainian giants want at least €25 million for the Brazilian. Costa is only 23-years-old so there are long-term benefits if he were to improve during his time at AC Milan.

Joel Campbell has not played in Serie A either but has the profile of a young star on the rise. Owned by English Premier League club Arsenal, he had an impressive loan spell with Greek giants Olympiakos and he played a starring role for Costa Rica at the 2014 World Cup.

joel campbellCampbell usually operates on the right-wing, he showed at the World Cup that he can also play as a lone striker. At 21-years-old, he has already had experience in big matches and he has shown that he has the pace and skill to play for a big team.

AC Milan only want to bring him on loan but buying him would be an excellent option because of what he could offer in the short term and in the long term.

Finally there is the erratic Queens Park Rangers forward Adel Taarabt. The 25-year-old Moroccan international was impressive during his loan stint with the Rossoneri last season.

Taarabt has not been training with the English club and he wants to move to AC Milan permanently but once again, the Rossoneri have not been able to secure a deal with QPR.

The London-based club wants €8 million for Taarabt but the Milan giants only want to pay around half of that figure.

Buying Taarabt outright should be a good investment for AC Milan. He proved in his loan spell that he is more suited to the more tactical and technical style of Serie A as opposed to the fast and physical nature of the English Premier League.

Inzaghi wants to complete his forward line so it can be more functional and reliable in competitive matches.

The options are there and the player they sign will likely be a good choice. It is up to Galliani and co. to open the wallet and seal a deal as soon as possible.

Follow Vito Doria on Twitter: @VitoCDoria

 

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