‘We will definitely miss him’ – Milan hoping to avoid familiar slump without Theo

AC Milan will be missing one of their most important players tonight given that Theo Hernandez will not be available due to suspension, and the record without him is worrying.

As Calciomercato.com recall, even head coach Stefano Pioli could not hide the importance of Theo during his pre-match press conference yesterday.

“We will definitely miss him. We will play with different characteristics and exploit the qualities of Florenzi which are different from those of Theo,” he stated.

Translated: Milan loses a fundamental resource these days for the attacking phase, but could at the same time benefit from a defensively more effective solution to face Vincenzo Italiano’s dangerous wingers thanks to Florenzi’s well-known tactical intelligence.

In the last two seasons, the Rossoneri have had to do without the French full-back on 10 occasions and only in two cases have they won. One was back in September against Hellas Verona (1-0, goal by Leao) and the other was the Empoli match last seaosn (1-3.

In the remaining eight matches there were three draws and five consecutive knockouts, the most recent against Juventus and Udinese at San Siro in the current season.

Theo has been a starter in the 26 games played this year in Serie A, and he has five goals and three assists in the league. Florenzi, in a season of newfound physical efficiency, has made 32 appearances in all competitions (including 24 in Serie A), registering five assists in total.

However, this is not the only option for the Milan coach to make up for the absence of the Frenchman, who will be available again for the next league match against Lecce on Saturday 6 April.

From the Primavera team and after good performances with the Under 19 national team (fresh from qualifying for the European Championship), Davide Bartesaghi was again added to the first team squad. Filippo Terracciano should not be forgotten either, even if he has struggled for minutes.