In any good side there are players that make that team tick. They dictate the levels they can play at, with game-changing actions and a general performance standard that is higher than others.
For many Milan fans, the judge this player to be Rafael Leao and with good reason. He has become the leader of the attack and he is capable of being a match-winner in the most literal sense of the expression on his day.
Not only that, but his attacking output from a pure number standpoint has improved with each passing season as a Milan player, while his consistency has increased as has his maturity and willingness to go into battle for his team-mates.
There could also be arguments that Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez are two of the players that have an influence above all others on Milan’s fortunes, given how important they are in keeping goals out but also creating attacking actions, and they are truly elite players in their position.
However, we now have enough evidence to put forward the following notion: this current Milan team will go as far as Fikayo Tomori takes them.
Tomori will be the first to admit that he was not up to his usual levels in the 2022-23 campaign and is was a down season by his standards, and what happened speaks volumes pertaining to the statement prior.
Milan struggled for consistency domestically and had a horrible January and March in particular where they lost all defensive solidity, something Tomori’s dip in form was largely responsible for.
The Scudetto defence never really got going as a result, while Stefano Pioli’s men were dumped out of the Coppa Italia at the first hurdle and lost 3-0 in the Supercoppa, another game where the Englishman wasn’t up to scratch.
In the Champions League – a competition much more geared around one-off games and performing on the biggest occasion – the story was different.
A run to the semi-finals in the tournament was beyond the dreams of many fans and it was thanks to the rearguard resilience, with just one goal conceded in four knockout games prior to the semis against Inter.
Tomori spoke during an interview with Sky Italia from Milanello back in July, and he began by reflecting on the post-Scudetto season and why it didn’t go to plan.
“We are happy, excited. I am excited for my third season, my position is as a leader, someone who talks a lot on and off the field. I have been here for three years and I’m almost a veteran,” he said.
“I feel the responsibility [to win], but like all my team-mates we want to win. Last year in January we had 3-4 games that changed the season. We want to win, it’s the first team goal team and this group.
“It will be more difficult than in previous years. We are trying to do something different, as the coach wants. We are proud to play for Milan and we want to demonstrate it on the pitch. This year we hope to have a season to remember.”
Tomori was therefore approaching a very important season in 2023-24 and with more responsibility comes more pressure, something Tomori acknowledged.
“It will be more difficult than in previous years. We are trying to do something different, as the coach wants. We are proud to play for Milan and we want to demonstrate it on the pitch. This year we hope to have a season to remember.”
The precursor to the struggles of last season was what set the standard very high for the former Chelsea academy man. The quality of play we saw from Tomori during the season that Milan won their 19th league title was something that hadn’t been seen for some time at a club known for having had some of the world’s best centre-backs.
Having had a successful initial loan spell in the second half of 2020-21 buying him permanently for close to €30m became obvious after initially seeming like too high a fee for an ownership closely watching the pursestrings.
Tomori revolutionised the way that Milan played by facilitating the ability to use a higher line, which in turn made the team compact and aided Pioli’s newly implemented press-heavy style.
During the Scudetto win, he and Pierre Kalulu were fantastic as a pairing and Milan conceded just twice in their final 11 league games of the season to win the title, and many believe that defensive effort is what sealed the deal.
The comparison of the numbers between Tomori’s first full season (2021-22) and last season show the drop-off in performances.
In defensive categories, he went from 2.4 tackles per 90 minutes to 2.1 (in Serie A), from 1.5 interceptions to 0.9, from 0.6 fouls to 0.9, from 2.5 clearances to 2.3 and from 0.3 times dribbled past to 0.4.
It seemed as though costly mistakes crept into his game, perhaps due to a lack of concentration, tactical changes, fatigue or a combination of factors, which led to a loss in confidence.
What must also be factored in is how much the line-up was rotated and how little the same team/back four actually played together, something we analysed in a feature early in the campaign.
We all knew from previous evidence that Tomori is one of the best defenders in the league when he has confidence and some stability around him, which made the upcoming season a crucial one.
So far, he has passed virtually every test. The summer friendlies were used to iron out some of those mistakes that had persisted, and from then on the 25-year-old has been pretty much lights out.
A part of that has been the fact he has been able to play alongside a partner consistently in Malick Thiaw, with Theo Hernandez on his left continuing his defensive improvement and Mike Maignan behind. That certainly helps familiarity.
Having some extra protection from the midfield is key, too. For all the defence were directly blamed last season, they were exposed time and time again in transition – particularly during the January crisis – as the double pivot in front failed to protect and a tired team were stretched.
Now everything feels more controlled and composed, something which can only help a player of Tomori’s ilk. The red card against Roma is the only real red mark on his record and it is one it feels difficult to imagine him repeating soon.
On that theme, the two yellow cards versus the Giallorossi forced him to miss the derby, a game in which Thiaw and Simon Kjaer were ruthlessly taken apart and the team lost 5-1. No Tomori, no hope.
Comparing Tomori to his positional peers in the ‘top five’ leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League over the last 365 days shows the areas he excels in.
He is in the top 20 percent among centre-backs in passes completed, passes attempted, pass completion rate, total passing distance, long balls completed and long ball completion percentage.
He is in the 93rd percentile for tackles, the 84th for tackles won, the 91st for tackles in the defensive third, the 85th for dribblers tackled and percentage of dribblers tackled, and the 84th for tackles won.
The ex-Derby loanee is in the 83rd percentile for blocks, 87th for shots blocked and the same for tackles plus interceptions. He is in the 80th percentile for touches, the 91st for touches in the defensive third and 76th for passes received.
This reveals a lot about the way Tomori plays: he is an aggressive and combative centre-back who looks to cut out danger early as a proactive defender rather than a reactive one. He is eager to get on the ball and start the build-up of attacks too.
With Tomori on the pitch, Milan have an average of 2.2 points per game in Serie A, whereas they have an average of just 1.1 points without him. Furthermore, the Rossoneri’s win percentage is 66.7% with the Englishman and just 26.7% without him.
In many ways Tomori is Milan’s metronome and barometer. While Leao may control the chances created and taken, there is now a more spread attacking threat and contribution from midfield to back it up.
On the defensive end Tomori is benefitting hugely from a blossoming partnership with Thiaw and from the ever-developing chemistry he has with the other members of the rearguard, however it is he who on his day has the biggest say on if Milan concede goals or not.
If the Rossoneri keep a clean sheet, Tomori has likely had a big hand presuming he is on the field. If they keep a clean sheet, they are likely to win for a number of reasons.
The recent call-up to the England national team and the start he was given against Australia (ending in a win and a clean sheet) shows just how far ‘Fik’ has come in his resurgence so far this season.
Long may it continue as well, because this Milan team has a very high potential, but on the biggest stages – as has been proven before – they will go as far as Tomori can take them.
💯 always said that our Scudetto ambitions always coincide with Tomori’s form. As was evident last time we won it.
This season he’s been great so far and we can only hope that hot form continues on so we can make a deep Scudetto run.
“He is in the top 20 percent among centre-backs in passes completed, passes attempted, pass completion rate, total passing distance, long balls completed and long ball completion percentage.
He is in the 93rd percentile for tackles, the 84th for tackles won, the 91st for tackles in the defensive third, the 85th for dribblers tackled and percentage of dribblers tackled, and the 84th for tackles won.
The ex-Derby loanee is in the 83rd percentile for blocks, 87th for shots blocked and the same for tackles plus interceptions. He is in the 80th percentile for touches, the 91st for touches in the defensive third and 76th for passes receive”
Tomori’s form always see to coincide with our success and I think he’s the best of our defenders so not taking anything away from him
Stats are really interesting though because we can see the divergence between stats an on field play here. Thiaw actually had better stats than Timori for that first paragraph (passes completed, passes attempted, pass completion rate, total passing distance, long balls completed ). Fik has better long ball completed but it’s not really indicative of defending. It just means you can pass the ball forward a long distance. If say if anything short passes is the more important stat and they both lack in this area (73 and 65th percentile for Fik and Thiaw respectively). It shows how accurate you can pass to the nearest person ie the playmakers. Tomori does have an interesting stat in addition to long balls and it’s the thru balls which he’s like in the 84th percentile which is quite good.
For tackles while Tomori has more number of tackles his percentage of winning them is less than Thiaw. They’re like opposites, Thiaw attempts less tackles but is more accurate at winning the tackles while Tomori attempts more but wins less. But still a good %. I wish they had a stat for accuracy in def third. Thiaw seems more timid as he challenges dribblers less and has a lower tackle accuracy for dribblers.
Thiaw has less blocks than Tomori but makes up for it in terms of aerials won and duels won. Both their passes received (77 Fik and 83) could be improved as it shows they can slip up when faced with pressure. I don’t think touches are as important. Their error rates (61 , 50) are not good though but their early season form might be to blame for that as well as last season’s dismal form at the end (after all this is the last year of data).
Anyways I hope they both continue their good form. What I like about Tomori this year is his quickness in reading the game and taking the game in his own hands. He doesn’t rely on his partner to make the challenges, he just goes and do it on his own