How Conti and Milan will go foward after injury

Kaustubh Pandey
27 set 2017

When news broke that AC Milan were likely to lose full-back Andrea Conti to an injury, there was hardly any lack of concern among the Rossoneri faithful across the world. Apart from the obvious concern, when Milan did release a statement confirming the timeline which the former Atalanta man would be out, the fans were left wondering as to whether they will miss him or not. Or rather, they wondered how much they will be likely to miss him, as the season wears on.

After having arrived from the Bergamo based club this past summer, the start that Conti has made to life in Milan had been rather pleasant. He did well for the Italy U21s in the recently concluded Under-21 European Championships in Poland, playing regularly at right-back under Luigi di Baggio. He did play a role at left back for La Dea last season, helping Gianpiero Gasperini’s men finish as fifth in Serie A. That finish was enough for the attention of a lot of the bigger clubs to shift to Atalanta, and Conti deservedly got it when Milan made a move for him.

The €25 million arrival to the North became part of a bandwagon that was roped in from a host of other clubs, in an attempt to raise the bar at a club that desires to get back to the top of the Italian game once again. Or rather, he became part of a whole new Milan backline that was expected to feature regularly for the Rossoneri. With Ricardo Rodriguez at left back and the duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Mateo Musacchio at centre-back, Conti was to settle into a backline quickly and probably start off doing well from the beginning.

And that was exactly what happened. Performances in the Europa League can't be relied upon to judge a player's early form, especially considering the sides that Milan faced, but the Serie A performances offered more than just glints of promise of what is to come. In what was a near man of the Match performance on opening day against Crotone, Conti was one of the best players on the pitch. It was Suso's direct approach, and his tendency to drift in, that brought the best out of the Italian’s toolkit. That allowed him to play more like a wingback - something that has favored him throughout his career.

Even against Cagliari, Suso's presence on the right flank made things comfortable for Conti, who didn't have too good a game, but Milan managed to pick up all three points from a tricky clash.

Early signs of promise have petered out as a result of the concerning knee injury and, while Conti is probably the best player Vincenzo Montella had in that position, he is still 23 and still has the time to bring the best out of himself. He’s fortunate to play in the system that Milan currently playing in, utilizing the 3-5-2 shape more often now makes Conti a perfect fit for the right wingback role.

And there's hardly any need to be worried about who will replace the now injured Conti. It was Ignazio Abate who started at right wing back in the recent 2-0 win over SPAL. Conti’s former Atalanta teammate Franck Kessie is also capable of playing at right wingback, thanks to his versatile nature. More so, it will allow Suso to make an impact in that role, after having been dropped in the previous two games due to a change in formation. The former Liverpool man will have the time to get used to playing role and make himself a more well rounded player than ever.

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