Injuries Gallore: Milan in Tatters

The Dark Knight of Milan – Ignazio Abate

When the Rossoneri faced Celtic in the Stadio Guiseppe Meazza on Wednesday, the Milanese team only had 13 senior squad members available. The injury list seems to be limitless, even the returning ace; Kaka couldn’t stave off these demons and succumbed to injury with days of his much publicized arrival.

The current injury crisis has however shed light on the lack of depth in this Milan side, a side that boasts an incredible 29 man squad. To put this into perspective one must consider that champions Juventus and last year’s runner ups Napoli have a significantly lower squad size of just 24.

The drop in quality is evident for all to see, most especially in the full back area where the Milanese outfit has lost both Ignazio Abate and the prodigiously talented, Mattia De Sciglio. Urby Emanuelson and the recently recovered Kevin Constant have filled the hole in the left back slot whereas an aging and highly ineffective Cristian Zaccordo has occupied the position vacated by Abate. Though Zaccardo has managed to provide sufficient defensive cover for the back line, he cannot hope to match the mercurial pace of the Milan number 20. This raw, unadulterated pace has been a much needed outlet for Milan’s offence for the past few months and without it the side has been found out. His ability to get to the byline has been sorely missed in recent weeks and so has his sheer determination to get back into position when Milan get caught out on the counter attack. Luckily for Milan the Italian international should be fit for action within the week if not in time for the weekend’s game against Napoli.

De Sciglio is another story though, as he will be out for the best part of 2 months after undergoing surgery on his knee. The full back will be sorely missed but with Kevin Constant fit, Milan shouldn’t miss him as much as they have in recent weeks. The side has also lacked a creative force since Kevin Prince Boateng departed for Schalke, especially since his replacement; Kaka sustained an injury in his first game back. To add to these woes, Riccardo Montolivo and Stephan El Shaarawy were also out with thigh injuries. It will be interesting to see whether Allegri will use il Faraone, especially since the young Italian international has been relegated to bench in recent weeks. His spark might very well be the cure for this ailing Milan side. Milan fans will also get to see the exciting Ricardo Saponara soon, as the under 21 Italian international is back in full training and getting his match fitness back through training matches.

Another piece that some believe would work wonders towards injecting some creativity into this lineup is already in place but has been severely ignored by Monsieur Allegri. 18 year old Bryan Cristante has been watching from the bench waiting for his chance to step up and deliver, but the young man has seen no playing time in a team that has been torn apart through injuries which would suggest that the manager doesn’t trust him yet. From what we’ve seen though, he looks like the real deal and is believed by many Milan fans to be the ideal long term replacement for former Milan regista, Andrea Pirlo.

It has been an injury crisis of epic proportions at Milanello this season and an end doesn’t seem to be on the horizon. With many key players scheduled to be out for long periods, Milan must find a way to cope with these difficulties and must put their faith in some new heroes.