‘Captain. Leader. Legend’. John Terry is often complimented with such lofty praise. However, when I think of Massimo Ambrosini, those words become apt and appropriate. He captains the current side, is a natural leader and could be easily perceived as a club legend. His importance to this team is greater now than ever before.
Daniele Bonera released a statement about himself claiming ‘he has a responsibility towards Milan, having been at the club for seven seasons’. Ambrosini has entered his seventeenth season with the club. Responsibility does not get much bigger, I reckon.
Ambrosini is a leader on and off the pitch. His significance cannot be understated, particularly this season, after the management gutted the team of its soul. He is one of the lone veterans at the club, a player widely recognized as being a representative of Milan.
The Rossoneri are in ‘year zero’ as Massimiliano Allegri likes to call it. The team is young, fresh and in the attempt of forging an identity. But every group needs a leader, a mentor. Allegri, unlike Mourinho, isn’t a player’s coach. His detachment from players is rather evident and recorded in the unkind words of departed footballers. Therein lies the reason and significance of Ambrosini’s role at the club.
Very often we see the blonde-haired midfielder standing in the dug-out, shouting instructions to players, being mentally and emotionally involved in the game. We have seen him scream at referees for bad calls, pat players on their backs for commendable performances and place a hand on their shoulder in gloomy situations. His courage amidst testing circumstances is often overlooked. He delivers his press conferences with overwhelming confidence, as a captain should. Subtle as these might be, they are not inconsequential.
Milan have grown in character over the last few games. The performances signal maturation. I would credit much of this resurgence to Ambrosini’s influence on the dressing room. In the absence of unofficial leaders such as Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf, Ambrosini’s voice and calming presence is key to amalgamate the squad.
As previously mentioned, Ambrosini isn’t merely a mentor in the squad, but a capable player as well. Milan have not lost any of the three games in which he has clocked ninety minutes. His performances as a holding midfielder are statistically superior to those of Nigel De Jong. I am not concocting this from imagination, but these claims are backed by statistics made available on Whoscored.com.
Ambrosini’s form in the last couple of games (Malaga-away, Chievo-home) have been absolutely terrific. He intercepted a number of passes, started counter attacks and also posed an offensive threat from set pieces.
At nearly six feet in height, Ambrosini is more equipped to win aerial battles in midfield, WhoScored suggests he wins 1.8 aerial balls while De Jong wins only 0.5 per game. De Jong’s passing stats are marginally better because he usually passes sideways or backwards. Ambrosini possesses some craft in his passing, often threading a through ball to facilitate an assist.
Ambrosini isn’t necessarily a better player, but a more complete player when compared to De Jong. In the Dutchman’s absence, Ambrosini can comfortably anchor the midfield, liberating Montolivo to unleash his magic. If used sparingly, Ambrosini could become an important player in Allegri’s plan’s and ambitions. Ambrosini often flies under the radar and most of his contributions remain unnoticed. Hopefully, after reading this, we will credit the man for what he brings to the table, appreciating his latency at the Milanello.
Follow Rajath Kumar on twitter @rajathkumar. You can read his AC Milan blog ‘Milan and Me: The Love Affair’.
