So far, Milan’s transfer campaign has been a failure, again.
The one and only signing that will surely improve the Rossoneri has been that of Sokratis Papastathopoulous. Yet, despite this and the fact that Milan once again relied on a host of senior players whilst also considering that the likes of Ronaldinho, Ambrosini, and Pirlo were unavailable, Milan’s Emirates Cup debut showed signs of some promise.
What is most promising is that Allegri showed no hesitation to call on Milan’s younger players. Granted that in the first game against Arsenal, Allegri did send out a Milan side that has become all too familiar, with Seedorf and Gattuso being included in the lineup.
However, against Lyon, Allegri sent out a Milan side that included a number of promising young talents in Giuseppe Verdi, Rodney Stasser, Alexander Merkel, and Giacomo Berretta, who came on as a substitute.
In his time at Cagliari, Allegri displayed the capacity to integrate young players in to the first team and help them develop and help create a competitive team. Early signs are that he may just do the same with Milan, which is surely one of the reasons the young tactician was brought in as manager.
Having been given the chance by Allegri, Milan’s younger players did not disappoint, with Giuseppe Verdi impressing the most. With pace and intensity, Verdi was a real threat for Milan going forward, and he showed composure that belied his years when he set up Borriello for the opener against Lyon.
There is no denying that the club still need to push forward in bringing in at least one other player, a midfielder preferably, before the season starts later this month.
Though Galliani has claimed that the club will not make any more transfers, for Milan and the fans, hopefully this is just some transfer policy tactic.
Whether or not the club does make a signing of note between now and the start of the season, at least the Emirates Cup over the weekend showed that some of Milan’s younger players are perhaps capable of being relied upon.
More of the same should be in order when Milan take on Panathinaikos this Friday. With the club’s management struggling to fulfill their promises about new signings, Allegri has to continue to integrate Milan’s talented younger players into the side if he is to build a side strong enough to compete.
Frank Tigani is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, the open source sports network.
