AC Milan’s season is now edging towards a good ending. The club seems to have hit form at the right time and everything seems to be clicking in a new formation under Stefano Pioli. The 4-4-2 shape is bringing the best out of a lot of players and that is helping the side as a whole. As a result, leading online bookmakers are suggesting Milan could make a late run to the Champions League places with odds and betting online at oddsexpert.co.uk. However, despite the improved form, Thiago Silva should not be part of it.
The Brazilian’s agent has recently said that ‘anything is possible’ when it comes to his client’s future. The club has drawn links with the defender (MilanNews via Le Parisien), with the Paris Saint-Germain man’s deal at the club running out in the summer of 2020. The reports go onto state that the rossoneri could look to make another Zlatan-like signing in the summer.
There is no doubt about Silva’s abilities. He’s known to be a top performer over the years, captaining the PSG side and the Brazilian national team as well. This season, the 35-year-old veteran has made 20 appearances in Ligue 1 and is still very much a regular at the back.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have been regularly playing a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 shape, but it changes to a 3-4-3 when Marquinhos drops deeper. But Silva has been playing beside Presnel Kimpembe, while Abdou Diallo did the same early in the campaign. In what is a relatively younger backline that has two younger defenders, Silva adds much-needed experience and venom.
He was one of the better players against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. He made four tackles, also winning three interceptions for the club. He won 100 percent of his aerial duels, keeping a passing percentage of 93. He played 83 passes in the game- the third-highest on the day. And that is a reflection of how he’s still a very good player on his day and can come up with very good performances in big games.
Stats do show that Silva’s tackling and interception rate has reduced. This season, he has won 1.4 tackles per game, while making 1.3 interceptions per game as well. That is a slope from the last few seasons. Even with that reducing ability, he still does impress in games.
But that doesn’t mean Milan should sign him. Pioli’s men did sign Simon Kjaer from Atalanta this past January, while Mattia Caldara returned to Bergamo. Kjaer has arrived on a loan deal with the option to buy and has done very well since coming to the San Siro. It has done well to convince fans that he can be worth a permanent deal.
The injury faced by summer signing Leo Duarte had forced Milan to make a defensive signing, but the Brazilian will be back next season. Mateo Musacchio has been out of reckoning in recent games and the game against Torino recently saw young Matteo Gabbia feature from the bench.
The 20-year-old showed that he can be a long-term option for the club. He won one tackle, picking up three clearances. Not just that, he also won two aerial duels in an impressive first-team debut in the second half.
That is what Milan need. The club needs to move on and make in-roads into the future instead of spending big on the wages of an ageing former player. They already have Zlatan for that and the club’s financial situation isn’t the most stable either. The club had recently registered record losses and had to quit their place in the Europa League- a sign that they need to spend wisely.
Zlatan’s wages would have taken out a lot of their wage budget. They need to stop making signings like that and build for the future instead of harking back to the past. They need something to look forward to more than the memories of the past.
