The Nerazzurri look like they’re reeling, following the sacking of Frank De Boer and the instability that has reigned at the club since Roberto Mancini was made to walk the plank a mere twelve days before the season.
That said, there is light at the end of the tunnel, mainly because new Coach Stefano Pioli may not need to add players to his squad to make it competitive, something we’ve read a lot in recent days.
The good news, for example, is that the former Lazio Coach has never wedded himself too much to a particular system, whether it is the 4-3-3, the 4-4-2, or even a three-man defence, which he used back in his Bologna days.
Back in Rome, he was able to launch the likes of Felipe Anderson and Keita Balde Diao, something that the struggling Ivan Perisic will appreciate on the left. Up front, Eder could be used to back Mauro Icardi up, or potentially even be snubbed in favour of Gabigol, who found himself on the fringes under De Boer.
The biggest news, however, is that the Nerazzurri may not need to sign a regista, a big news story of late. The idea that the Parma native needs Lucas Biglia to run his midfield is a red herring: against Juventus, we saw Ever Banega do much the same thing. The regista (or main passer) is not a position, it’s a role, a responsibility.
Banega was able to do that against Juventus by coming in deep, taking pressure off Medel and dictating the tempo, as well as building up play. This would allow Joao Mario to foray forward, too. Though the 27-year-old Argentine has yet to perform up to expectations, he did something similar at Seville, and would be more than capable of repeating himself here. Federico Montalto, adapted by @EdoDalmonte
