When selecting a formation or system to fit a team, there
are lots of things to consider. Like whatever formation your team’s owner tells
you to play. When a Milan coach is told that he must use the 4-3-1-2, it is not
always a bad thing. But one of the key elements of that formation is the two
strikers up front, who must form a strike partnership. Over the summer, Milan
bought two very good strikers, seemingly in hopes of finding that partnership.
Then they also brought back Balotelli, giving us three players without longterm
injuries to build a partnership of two strikers for our starting eleven. But
despite having undeniable talent and skills, so far, we have not seen the goals
or assists we want from them. Therefore, we are still in search of a strike
partnership.
 |
| Very skilled, but can he work as a partner? |
Let’s look at the players individually, beginning with Carlos
“Chewie” Bacca. Chewie has three goals in six starts and one
substitution in the league so far. He is fast and smart, he rarely gets called
for offside and often surprises his opponents by finding ways to slip through
the defenders. He is also excellent at dribbling, and we have seen him outrun
defenders with the ball. His passing is excellent, and his finishing is, too. I
believe he had the highest percentage of goals out of shots taken last year in
La Liga. (Yes, even better than Messi and Ronaldo.) He has adapted well to the
Serie A defenders and is learning how to take their fouls and get back up
again.
Luiz Adriano is another quality striker. So far, he has one
goal and one assist in Serie A. He is very strong and is fantastic at holding
off defenders for his teammates. He plays well defensively, too, and sometimes
plays all the way back, but has no problems using his strength to push
defenders off of him as he makes those runs for the ball. He’s brilliant in the
air, always looking for that longball or set piece to convert. He works hard,
he is always moving and looking to create space for plays.
 |
| He knows how to use his head, but can he put his head together with someone else's? |
Mario Balotelli does it all. He is massive both in size and
talent, and could be his own strike partnership if he just had another set of
legs. In two starts and two substitutions, he has one goal in the league this
season. He is lethal on set pieces and can shoot from practically anywhere but
is particularly skilled at shooting from distance. He is also surprisingly
nimble for such a big man and thus dribbles and generally handles the ball very
well. He is particularly adept at shooting or passing with one or more
defenders literally hanging off of him. But he is equally massive when it comes
to defending as deep as necessary, let alone drawing defenders like a magnet
and creating space for his teammates.
They sound fantastic, right? And individually, they are. But
to find the last time any of them linked up, you would have to go back to the
second game of the season, vs. Empoli when Chewie scored after Adriano
sent a ball forward from the other half for him. That’s One link-up. In seven
games. That is not a partnership. And it’s not just the success, which it would
nice to see a lot more of (and more goals in general,) they are still playing
as individuals more often than not.
 |
| He stayed cool under pressure in the Derby, but can he handle the pressure of a partnership? |
We discussed the trequartista
issue briefly last month, and it’s true that whichever two strikers are
on the pitch at any given time need more support and service from the midfield
and the rest of the team. That alone costs us goals and goalscoring
opportunites. Both Bacca and Adriano have averaged 1.4 shots per game, while
Balotelli has averaged 2.5 shots per game thus far. That’s not enough shots to
get the goals we want. But even with a well-organized midfield that was
supplying a lot of balls to the forwards, there is something missing when any
two of these three play together: chemistry.
They all have qualities that can compliment each other’s
strengths and weaknesses. And they are all excellent strikers in their own
right. But it takes time and learning how to play together to develop a true
partnership. Learning when to run, when to pass, and to anticipate what the other
person will do. Often, with Bacca and Adriano, it has seemed like they were
tripping over each other, two people trying to do the same job without
communicating. That communication and learning to play together is hard enough
to develop when you have a functional team. But with this severely
dysfunctional Milan, it may just be impossible.
 |
| "Hey, I've seen you around the pitch. My name's Luiz. What's yours?" |
I like to believe that we will see one or more partnerships
develop over the season. But they may not. Each of these players have strengths
which could compliment each other, or they may act like polarized magnets and
push each other away. One thing is for certain, right now we are still
definitely in search of a strike partnership.
This post inspired by the music of
Danny Elfman
Our next match is
Torino vs. Milan
Saturday, October 17 • 20:45 CEST (2:45pmEDT)