AC Milan have talented players at every position, so it’s anyone’s guess why they have been playing so poorly this season. Nevertheless, the blame should fall mostly on their coach Stefano Pioli due to his poor utilization of his talent and his misguided lineups. Pioli routinely fails to start Paquetá, Giacomo Bonaventura, and Rafael Leão together, and the word for this is incompetence.
Assuming Milan are smart enough to not sell Paquetá to Paris Saint-Germain, this is how Milan should lineup with Zlatan Ibrahimovic now on the squad for the second time, and it’s really the Front Six that is the most interesting discussion.
Milan already have a world-class striker in Rafael Leão, and they would be wise to start him alongside Ibrahimovic up top. Two striker lineups are rare nowadays, but they didn’t use to be. Since Bonaventura is an excellent playmaker and trequartista, it makes since to start him behind Ibrahimovic and Leão as the team’s trequartista or Number 10.
Ibrahimovic always appreciates having teammates who can play his level of quick combination jogo bonito, and Leão certainly has the creativity, technical ability, and playing style to partner with Ibrahimovic. Frankly, Ibrahimovic is lucky to have Leão whom this writer believes one day will be the best Number 9 in the world. Both strikers play like honorary Brazilians, and it should be exciting to watch them play together, assuming that Pioli actually does it.
Milan are also fortunate enough to have Paquetá who is an outstanding midfielder who qualifies as a fantastista, and he can play as a Number 8 or as a Number 10. Having Paquetá and Bonaventura together on the side should provide plenty of possession, creativity, and service to the forwards. Paquetá’s best position to maximize all of Milan’s talent is in the midfield behind Bonaventura and alongside Frank Kessie, who, while technical, isn’t as creative and skillful as Paquetá and Bonaventura. This leaves Bennacer to anchor the midfield as a regista, which is the position that he plays best in.
Milan’s problem so far has been the player selection of the coach Pioli, and Pioli appears to be a very poor judge of talent so far. Frankly, it’s incredible that coaches like this are allowed to continue to bench their best players without any repercussions from Milan’s higher-ups.