Former AC Milan midfielder and captain Massimo Ambrosini offered his thoughts on the team’s performance under new coach Paulo Fonseca to La Gazzetta dello Sport, particularly focusing on the midfield dynamics.
Regarding the partnership of Bennacer and Loftus-Cheek, Ambrosini expressed some reservations: “Not particularly impressive. Especially the Englishman seems limited in a double pivot. Personally, I prefer Loftus as an attacking midfielder, where he can exploit his physicality to be dangerous and has excellent timing for his runs.”
When asked about Pulisic’s role behind the striker, Ambrosini disagreed with critics: “Pulisic is a quality, offensive player, but also generous in his running. Against Torino, he worked hard defensively too. I believe Milan can theoretically afford to have the American as a number 10, but it’s clear that the right collective attitude is needed.”
On the topic of pressing, Ambrosini emphasized the importance of mental predisposition rather than player characteristics: “As a former midfielder, I can say that sometimes it’s not even necessary for the forwards to make extraordinary runs. Just positioning their body in a certain way, closing passing lanes to opposing defenders, helped me a lot in understanding how to react in turn.”
Ambrosini also shared his thoughts on new signing Fofana: “He’s a good addition because he’s skilled at reading the trajectories of opponents’ passes and knows how to occupy spaces well. When you play with a two-man midfield, the midfielders are asked to cover a lot of ground, and he can do that.”
Regarding potential tactical changes, Ambrosini sees a 4-3-3 formation as a viable option for Milan: “I’m sure it will be an option, both from the start and during the game: Reijnders with Fofana and Loftus, not bad, eh?”
