Valuable minutes to evaluate the future: Stefano Pioli’s final duty to Milan

Jan-Carlo Simic

We have already seen Simic in action for the senior team this season at a time when there was a crisis in the rearguard, and it would be fair to say that he did well given the circumstances.

Simic has four Serie A appearances and one goal to his name and he has come across like a very mature defender when given minutes, something that seems to have transitioned into his leader status with Ignazio Abate’s side.

For various reasons, Milan are not going to drastically transform into a defensive juggernaut in the final 270+ minutes of the campaign. However, what they can do is give the Serbian some playing time to evaluate if he could be a rotation option next season, or if a loan is needed.

One could also make a very strong argument that Simic should have remained with the senior side and got minutes over Kjaer, given he is more athletic and conducive to playing the high line that was exposed in games like the Sassuolo draw.

Pierre Kalulu

Now that Kalulu has returned following a second spell on the sidelines due to injury, this really is the moment to try an evaluate him at haste in view of an important summer.

Coming back from the latest knee setback is a big boost because it helps replenish the defensive department, but above all the former Lyon man is eager to regain a leading role and regular playing time.

As mentioned Milan will say goodbye to Kjaer and they are expected to sign a central defender during the summer window. If Kalulu can return to the levels seen in the Scudetto run-in of 2021-22, they would have an added certainty.

The doubts surrounding Kalulu concern his position more than anything and whether he can be a back-up in a particular role, based on what the management have planned for the summer mercato.

There is the desire both to aim for a right-back capable of challenging for Davide Calabria’s starting spot (Tiago Santos of Lille, as we reported) and a left-footed central defender like Alessandro Buongiorno of Torino or Lilian Brassier of Brest.

Where does Kalulu fit into the plans? Only by seeing what level he is at after his most recent spell on the sidelines can help us understand.

Malick Thiaw

A lot of the same points apply to Thiaw as they do to Kalulu. He is a player who has shown some brilliant signs but has been impacted quite heavily by injuries this season.

Above all with the German it seems that there was a mental and physical hangover from spending so many weeks out, and this was reflection in his error-laden performances after coming back.

The only way that he will get over these is by playing more and more games, otherwise Milan might as well give up on Thiaw as a lost cause and put him on the market.

He excelled in the new-look three-man defence last season, and there have been enough positives that he has even drawn links with sides like Real Madrid.

Milan’s defensive department looks a lot stronger with Thiaw and Kalulu as reliable options and it reduces the task at hand for the summer. That is why giving them opportunities should be of paramount importance.

Filippo Terracciano

Terracciano was Milan’s only signing of the January transfer window as he arrived from Hellas Verona for around €4.5m, but not much has been seen from him recently.

The 20-year-old is considered above all as a wild card. He can play on the right, it is his natural role, but he is not yet first or second choice given his young age.

The Italian has so far amassed 21 minutes in the Europa League, 10 in the league and 28 in the Coppa Italia, against Atalanta. His last appearance dates back to 6 April against Lecce when he got seven minutes on the pitch.

He is essentially competing with Alessandro Florenzi for the position of back-up left-back and right-back, yet because he has barely played it is not yet known if he can realistically challenge.

Of course Pioli is within his rights to pick the more experienced players in the big games because of they assurances they (should) give, but now is the time to see if Terracciano can do a job next season or if he needs a loan.

Yunus Musah

Musah was one of the later additions in a busy summer transfer window as Milan finally got a deal over the line with Valencia after weeks of talks.

After some encouraging signs up until Christmas, it feels as though the American has fallen by the wayside a bit and it is not yet known what his actual best role is.

A large part of the responsibility for this falls in the shoulders of Pioli who has used him at right-back, wing-back and even as a right winger, which certainly are not his natural positions.

If Musah were to get three starts in a double pivot to see out the campaign we might start to see if he has the capabilities to be that defensive shield that a summer investment is planned for.

It might well also become obvious that the former England youth international is definitely a player with box-to-box characteristics, something that is also useful in making assessments on the midfield.

Yacine Adli

Adli is a similar discussion to Musah in the sense that he has been on the fringes for large parts of the season and has been asked to perform some difficult tasks towards the business end.

The French midfielder has waited for his chance in recent years, even transitioning from being a playmaker to a mezzala and then to a regista, rising to every task Pioli has put forward.

There have been a number of reports suggesting his future at Milan is not certain and that bids would be evaluated, but also that the club could offer him a new contract.

At the moment the overwhelming feeling is that we don’t know what Adli is currently nor what he can be. How can that be fixed? You know the theme by now.

Tommaso Pobega

Pobega has been unlucky more than anything. It was in late December that he got a rare start at left centre-back during the win over Monza, but was brought off after less than 30 minutes.

The club announced that he had undergone an operation – carried out by Surgeon Lasse Lempainen and observed by AC Milan Club doctor Dario Donato – to repair a tendon issue in his hip, with a long recovery process foreseen.

He is now back and available for selection, having returned to the bench for the 3-3 draw against Genoa on Sunday as an unused substitute.

Having a player like Pobega in the squad is useful for the composition of UEFA squad lists due to his status as an academy graduate, yet at 24 there is also the impression that he deserves the best for his career.

It would certainly serve both Milan and Pobega to take a detailed look between now and full-time in the Salernitana game to evaluate where he is at. After all, the Rossoneri stand to make a capital gain if a departure were deemed best.

Noah Okafor

A report from Sky this week was actually what lit the spark to write this particular article, more specifically the revelation that Okafor has started just 14% of games this season.

The Swiss forward arrives from Red Bull Salzburg last summer and although he has had to make do with largely opportunities off the bench he has taken those, with six Serie A goals to his name.

In the most recent game against Genoa, Okafor came off the bench and seemed to provide something that was missing. He is a dynamic, energetic and versatile player that should have seen the field more.

There are still doubts about whether he is seen as a back-up centre-forward or left winger, or if he might only work in a two-striker formation, but the circumstances have presented themselves to experiment a bit.

Unlike some of the other names in this list there is no real talk of a potential sale for Okafor, though he too must be wondering and thinking about if he will ever get a set role nailed down.

Samuel Chukwueze

Chukwueze would be the first to admit (and he was) that his debut season at Milan has had more negative periods than positive, but thankfully he seems to have got stronger as time has gone on.

The 24-year-old arrived after a season in which he amassed 13 goals and 11 assists in 52 appearances for Villarreal, earning him links with teams like Arsenal and Real Madrid, but Milan pushed hard and got their man in late July.

He had the ball in the net twice at the Mapei Stadium during the recent 3-3 draw and then he set up Florenzi for the first equaliser on Sunday. It feels like something is going to happen when the Nigerian gets on the ball, and yet he has started just 28.5% of games this season.

Chukwueze has had more opportunities of late and there is no need to interrupt this run of games while he is in such a confident mood. The temptation will be there for Pioli to revert to playing a more natural attacking midfielder and putting Pulisic back on the right, but he must resist.

Luka Jovic

Finally we come to Jovic, who might just have returned from injury at the perfect time. Milan’s decision on his future is approaching given that his contract expires at the end of the season.

He has not been on the pitch since 18 April, the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final defeat against Roma. Jovic came on at the Olimpico when they had 1- men but was unable to perform any miracles.

However, the Serb did score four days earlier, in the 3-3 draw away to Sassuolo, when he played as a starter. After remaining on the bench in the derby, he suffered muscle fatigue just before the Juventus trip.

Jovic will compete for the place at the centre of the attack with Oliver Giroud, and he hopes for minutes to show that he deserves to stay, as opposed to the Frenchman who is known to be departing the club.

It is known that Milan will invest in a new striker but they must figure out which path to take on Jovic, with three options open: to offer a multi-year renewal, trigger the one-year extension or let him depart for new pastures.

What will impact that decision the most is goals – something he can’t score while sat on the bench – and Jovic is one away from double figures. He has three games to get it and earn his stay.