Stefano Pioli will not have Tijjani Reijnders for the game against Napoli at San Siro on Sunday night, which means the Franco-Algerian duo Yacine Adli and Ismael Bennacer could start together.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall how Pioli wanted a midfielder in January, and what he ended up getting was the early return of Bennacer after his country were knocked out in the group stages of the African Cup of Nations.
Now, Reijnders’ one-game suspension for racking up too many yellow cards will probably induce Pioli to field Bennacer and Adli together against Napoli on Sunday evening for the first time from minute one.
The tactical element
Milan’s formation this season has fluctuated between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, but the specific concept does not change. In front of the defence Pioli places a blocker-type player who distributes the ball.
That role has also been given to Reijnders (and in a couple of situations even Musah) but the Dutchman is too valuable in terms of his vertical progression of the ball.
So, he goes back to Yacine and Ismael, i.e. two different ways of interpreting the role. The best would be to merge them into a single player, and while waiting for science to make progress Pioli must understand, game after game, which is the most suitable solution.
In the meantime, let’s start by saying that between the two the holder of the spot when healthy is Bennacer. However, the characteristics are different between the two Franco-Algerians.
The most visible: Bennacer travels more along horizontal lines, accompanies the game more assiduously, but when he breaks free he becomes a formidable tactical surprise and above all guarantees a much more careful defensive phase.
Adli has a greater taste for firing long balls and advancing play quickly, but he experiences many mini-matches within a single match in which he isolates himself and disappears from the scene.
His real Achilles’ heel is the non-possession phase, when he often struggles with marking and incorrect positioning, errors that come above from not being used to a position that is new to him having almost always played further forward before.
Bennacer’s advantage
Bennacer’s obvious advantage over his team-mate is in fact a consolidated knowledge of the spaces to be occupied and above all the type of play the coach asks for.
The former Empoli man has definitely blossomed with Pioli, becoming an almost immovable member of the midfield whether it is as part of a three or a double pivot.
He of course spent many months out after a knee operation and then came back from AFCON with a muscular problem (which was resolved quickly), but his performances have generally improved in terms of condition and clarity of play.
Adli has practically been a new signing this season, thanks to his initial positive performances which were followed by a period of ups and downs. The goal against Roma then launched him, and he has been seeing the field regularly again.
The data
The numbers for the two players in 2023-24 is obviously affected by the large difference in playing time (999 minutes for Adli, 226 for Bennacer) and it must be said that the attacking production is rather meagre: one goal (Adli) and one assist (Bennacer).
In the meantime we see a better precision in passing by the older of the two (90.9% vs 88.6%) and an almost equal average of key passes, as well as the opportunities created (0.6 and 0.65).
In most categories Adli leads, with Bennacer trying to shorten the gap starting with minutes played. The choice, depending on the stage, is in Pioli’s hands.
Adli is still not a proper DM. Benny will need help against Napoli in the transition phase. Something that’s not been properly addressed. We will continue to struggle especially against better opposition.
Against Napoli that’s when I sometimes miss Krunic. He always played well against them.