Money may not buy happiness but it can certainly get you excitement. Unfortunately for AC Milan supporters, they found themselves at the wrong end of it in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Inter. More frustratingly, the now again free-spending Rossoneri were once more left frustrated by their marquee signing: Leonardo Bonucci.
Milan shelled out €42 million to bring the former Juventus defender to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, and both the fans and the hierarchy alike would have hoped for a better return. Statistically, the difference is not so evident. At this stage of the campaign just 12 months ago, Milan had conceded 10 goals. Following the weekend’s Derby della Madonnina, the Rossoneri have let in 13 in eight Serie A matches.
The nature of Bonucci’s recent performances has been far more alarming than the amount of times Gianluigi Donnarumma has had to pick the ball out of his net however. The Italian came in with big responsibilities, the highest wages at the club and the captain’s armband. For someone with six Scudetti and two Champions League final appearances on his CV, Milan fans would hardly think of the San Siro pressure ever affecting him.
So far however, the 30-year-old looks anything but assured and culpable of some uncharacteristic errors in judgement and positioning. Conversely though, the Juve defence seems to be struggling a bit without him. So which is it? Does Bonucci miss Juve or does the Bianconeri back-line miss him more?
Inter’s first goal on Sunday couldn’t be helped much. However, even if Antonio Candreva’s first-time cross was inch perfect, some will ask why Bonucci was two steps behind the play and thus seen sprawled out on the field desperately trying to cut out the ball at the near post. On the other hand, Inter’s second goal was as inexplicable as it was inexcusable.
Mauro Icardi — who had scored his team’s opener — found himself unmarked just beyond the six-yard box to volley in the ball. At the time Bonucci was caught ball-watching, marking no one and no space in particular, as Ivan Perisic fired in the cross.
Perhaps the bigger issue is that Bonucci is known to have always been more comfortable in a three-man defence. Being the marquee player, it is obvious that Vincenzo Montella will feel pressured to play him and put him in the best disposition possible. The problem is that the rest of the team seems better suited to a different system.
Suso does not have a natural position in a 3-5-2, scoring his goal and looking brighter once Montella moved him to a wider role. The Rossoneri looked much more positive in the second half and after the switch to the 4-2-3-1 , which led to their second equaliser — incidentally with Giacomo Bonaventura also benefiting from coming from wider areas and being more of a goal threat.
It will be up to the coach to figure out the Bonucci conundrum, as pressure mounts on the Milan tactician following a third consecutive league defeat. After all, the Rossoneri have not yet shown to be consistent enough in the final third over a full 90 minutes to afford lapses in concentration at the back.
Although money may have bought them Bonucci, it hasn’t magically provided Milan with a cohesive back-line… that is Montella’s job.
