The match between AC Milan and Roma at San Siro on Sunday night is one that Yacine Adli will never forget, given that he opened the scoring in an eventual 3-1 win.
It was a fundamental victory in the race for a Champions League spot, given that Milan are now nine points above the team in fifth place, while the three protagonists where all French.
For Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez – who got the second and third goals – it was somewhat of a return to normality, but the same certainly cannot be said for Adli.
It was his first goal since joining the Rossoneri from Bordeaux in the summer of 2021, and his leap into the air in front of the fans showed just how much it meant.
Stefano Pioli commented on the performance of the 23-year-old midfielder at the end of the match, and he gave a bit of an insight regarding the journey he has been on.
“He did very well, he also got the goal and I’m really happy for him. He is a strong and intelligent boy, I have been saying since September that he is doing great things, he is deserving everything,” he said.
“Adli is winning the gamble, he is the one who agreed to change roles. Both tonight and Empoli are his two best matches. He is giving us good performances. I am very happy with the availability and commitment that he has always put in.”
The change of role
Going into detail, the ‘change of role’ which Pioli is referring to is the retreat of Adli’s area of duty from midfielder/attacking midfielder – his natural role until a few weeks ago – to a deeper role as a regista (deep-lying playmaker).
He is now in a position in front of the defence where he is called to dictate the rhythm of the build-up through quick vertical movement of the ball to free up the box-to-box players either side. Long balls to serve the wingers are also a pre-requisite.
Perhaps the archetypal interpreter of the role is Andrea Pirlo, who was a stand-out player for Milan, Juventus and the Italian national team for 15+ years at the highest level.
The Italian’s ability to dictate the pace of the game, his eye for a pass and his constant search to give his team-mates the best situations to excel were what made him so special.
Pioli spoke of Adli’s exponential growth in the last two league matches against Empoli and Roma, matches that we wanted to analyse to look for confirmations that we promptly found.
The numbers of ‘Il Pittore’
Against both the Tuscans and the Romans the French playmaker had one and two key passes respectively plus 94.8 and 91.8 percentage of passes completed overall, showing he was tidy yet threatening in possession.
He managed to find his team-mates with long balls eight times (four and four in the respective matches) to which must be added four successful dribbles (three against Empoli and one against Roma).
Looking at the defensive phase – which cannot be ignored given how far back he is playing – Adli had his best performance in terms of numbers against Roma, winning three tackles and making two interceptions.
What did our player ratings have to say on the two games? Below are the scores and the assessments.
Empoli (6 out of 10): “In the first half, he was a bit lazy on the ball and had too many misplaced passes. He improved in the second half, without a doubt, but in the end it was nothing more than a standard performance. He can do more, as we saw against Cagliari.”
Roma (7.5 and MOTM): “A lovely first goal for the club and a great hockey assist for the second goal. The MOTM award is indeed justified for the Frenchman, who controlled the midfield well and really showcased his all-round abilities tonight. He just needs to find the consistency moving forward to become a great asset for Milan.”
Winning the gamble
The first to believe in Adli was Adli himself. It is no secret that Pioli communicated to the Frenchman at the beginning of the season that he did not see him having a big role in his squad for the campaign ahead.
It is a decision that the Franco-Algerian did not take as final but instead was interpreted as a challenge. He categorically refused to leave Milan in the summer, with the promise of making the coach back change his mind with his work and his dedication.
Adli himself revealed some background the day after the game against Cagliari in September: “On the first day I spoke with Pioli and he told me that we would change the way we play and that I wasn’t considered. Then Tomori asked me what I would do and I told him: ‘I’ll stay here and you’ll see how I play’.”
His work was seen and rewarded by Pioli, who gave him more opportunities: “When Pioli told me to play in front of the defence, I told him “Let me play where you want me to be.”
And so here we are today, with the image of Adli celebrating his first goal of the season and the much-desired happy ending in front of the San Siro crowd.
