AC Milan host Napoli tonight at San Siro and there will be an interesting duel between two trequartistas who might consider the position to not be their natural one.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) talks about Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the players who are usually a No.8 and a No.7 respectively but will be asked to play as No.10s.
Pioli did not change Loftus-Cheek’s role, because the tactical and philosophical distances between a modern 8 and a 10 are disappearing, so he simply updated his interpretation.
Mazzarri has not yet given a new identity to Kvara but in a desperate search for lost freedom he is moving him towards the midfield of the system, until his probable debut today as a second central striker.
Loftus-Cheek and Kvara are at the center of Milan and Napoli and it will be the battle of a match with a thousand implications. The Rossoneri are chasing Juve, while the Partenopei have not yet abandoned their European dreams.
On the night of Milan-PSG in the Champions League, Pioli saw the Milan of the Scudetto moving elegantly and mentally. The move was Loftus-Cheek behind Giroud, protected by the Reijnders-Musah duo.
The former Chelsea man was powerful, vertical, aggressive, free to move and make runs. Milan often became a 4-2-4 which puts the defences at a disadvantage on a numerical level, and RLC’s four goals in four games last month show it.
From attacking midfielder to second striker, Milan’s mechanisms have changed. Tactical photography frequently shows Loftus-Cheek higher up than Giroud who drops deep, with his back to the goal, to open corridors.
Giroud is great in this forward position. He thus became world champion in 2018: a ‘false 9′ at the centre of Deschamps’ attack, there to take a beating for Mbappé arriving from the right and above all for Griezmann as a No.10.
Looking at Kvaratskhelia, Mazzarri is struggling to find the right system and he looks likely to change from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-1-1 without wingers. Kvara will therefore be behind Simeone, in a free but central role.
A 4-2-3-1 with Lindstrom in the middle and Kvara out wide seemed plausible, given the duo can then alternate, but it seems Mazzarri really is going for a three-man back line.
Since that Champions League win over PSG, Milan have only lost to Atalanta (twice, their kryptonite), Udinese and Borussia, recovering ground in the standings (and getting into the Europa League). Tonight will be another big tactical test.
