Pioli expects more from Reijnders – the background on his exclusion vs. Atalanta

Tijjani Reijnders seemed to be an untouchable part of the starting line-up, but the last two Serie A games have caused some surprise in that sense.

As Calciomercato.com report, Reijnders was one of the quickest to adapt to Stefano Pioli’s schemes out of the 10 summer signings that arrived and he didn’t take long to nail down a starting spot.

However, the Dutch international alternated high-level performances with others that were not quite as good, and he has gone 10 games without finding the back of the net while his last assist dates back to the home victory against Roma on 14 January.

In the last two league outings against Monza and Atalanta, Pioli preferred to field Yacine Adli from the first minute and not Reijnders. Above all, the latest exclusion caused some surprise because the former AZ Alkmaar man seemed a better fit to face La Dea.

Instead, Reijnders was not included in the starting XI and it was not because he was due rest or was carrying a knock, it was purely down to a tactical choice, a sign of how the coaching staff clearly noticed a drop in performance.

On Friday evening against Lazio, Reijnders should have a new opportunity from the first minute, at least these are the current indications based on the first training session of the week.

The final choice regarding who will start between he and Adli will only come in tomorrow’s final session before the trip to Rome, but Reijnders is certainly ahead. However, Milan expect a leap in quality in terms of consistency, output and leadership.