AC Milan Club Focus: Mattia De Sciglio and Bryan Cristante to lead the way

Date: 7th October 2012 at 4:26pm
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Patience is a virtue Adriano Galliani is attempting to teach the fans of Milan. The man in charge of transfers has laid importance upon a younger Milan side, a new generation. He understands the significance of biting the bitter pill for a healthy future.

Evidently, his lofty words of praise for Stephan El Shaarawy and Mattia De Sciglio are repeated after every fine performance the nineteen-year olds display on the pitch. Some would say good PR is essential in times like these. I concur.

Milan’s squad has come under heavy abuse from the media and from fans. The likes of James Richardson, who is often quite cautious with his adjectives, wrote off Milan as being ‘rubbish’ in a recent episode of Football Weekly.

However, I think the squad is good, better than most people would like to believe, better than the mediocre image several media outlets are projecting. The youth academy has experienced a period of drought, but recently churned out talent which grabbed the attention of Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona.

Bryan Cristante, a midfielder of the primevera was painfully close to joining Chelsea. De Sciglio is making a strong claim for a permanent position in the first-team. Adria Perez Carmona and Mattia Valoti appeared heavily in Milan’s pre-season friendlies and could be knocking on the door of the first-team on a regular basis.

The starting XI possesses two youth-team products in Luca Antonini and Ignazio Abate. But Mattia De Sciglio is a cut above both these players. Antonini’s crossing and inconsistency is well documented while Abate has only partially succeeded in converting himself from a winger to a fullback, often using his blistering pace to cover for his poor positional sense. He crosses into the universe and exercises very little footballing intelligence. His comrade on the opposite flank exercises very little footballing intelligence too, but along with that, struggles to cope with common-sense at times.

De Sciglio is a fullback, a proper defender equipped to cross, defend and attack. His body strength and his speed are severely underrated, perhaps even underplayed. His demeanour is coy and inhibited, but on the pitch, De Sciglio wears an alternate personality, one contrary to his image. He is authoritative and takes no prisoners with his challenges.

Adept at playing at left back, De Sciglio is primarily a right back. His form had stamped a grim look on Abate’s face earlier in the season. Abate is one of the first names on the team-sheet and to make him doubt his status is a commendable job in itself.

El Shaarawy’s glorious ascent has somewhat dampened the credit De Sciglio would have otherwise received, but the solidity of his individual performances are not being ignored by the Milan hierarchy. Massimiliano Allegri has taken note of him and so has Galliani. With the exception of Chrisitan Abbiati, De Sciglio and El Shaarawy are comfortably Milan’s two best performers thus far. The future is bright, indeed.

Another player who interests me is the aforementioned Cristante. Cristante became the youngest Milan player to feature in a Champions League game, when he replaced Robinho against Viktoria Plzen last season. A central midfielder by trade and right-footed by preference, Cristante is technically superior to most seventeen-year olds in the game, and possesses a physically envious frame.

Some have likened him to Alberto Aquilani, which is probably reflected in his playing style, but Cristante is not infatuated with the physios and holds no affection for the treatment table. He could resolve Milan’s problems in midfield, if not entirely. But patience is a virtue we must exercise, when he enters the grander scheme of things. He may require time, and if afforded, could establish himself as a household name in Milan colours. But, patience is, and will be key.

Follow Rajath Kumar on Twitter @rajathkumar and be sure to check out his AC Milan blog as well.

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2 responses to “AC Milan Club Focus: Mattia De Sciglio and Bryan Cristante to lead the way”

  1. Good site you have here.. It’s hard to find high quality writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!

  2. Rajath Kumar says:

    Thank you. Cheers.