It is Alexis Saelemaekers' signature that stands above Milan's – hard-fought but deserved – victory over Venezia. His name is not on the scorers' table, but his contribution has not escaped either the Rossoneri fans or neutral observers. Half an hour of playing in place of Cisse (a little scared of his debut at San Siro) completely changed the face of the match. Immediately a chance for a goal, from the first touch. Then the assist for Gonçalo Ramos' 1-0 goal, with a counterattack of dizzying speed and practically perfect. Then the second assist, this time for Jashari's second, slightly lucky goal. But in his (relatively) new role as a three-quarter player positioned to the left of the first striker, he is truly free to play, to exploit his speed and creativity, which as a winger covering the entire flank he was unable to express.
Work in progress, but six points from six: Ramos pushes Milan and keeps Amorim aloft
It can be said, therefore, that Saelemaekers is the forerunner of this new Milan with transformative players. Amorim has moved him from the role of a withdrawn right winger to a more advanced left winger. Not a few meters. But he is not the only one. The same thing is happening with Rabiot, who has yet to play a match as a starter only because he joined the team very late after recovering from World Cup fatigue. Rabiot has also transformed into a three-quarter player, with the ability to move a lot on the right wing. In Turin, in the first week, his plays had been decisive for the victory, while against Venezia it was not the same, but the quality was seen and will be needed a lot during the season.
Milan, Amorim analyzes the victory against Venezia: "We need to defend better, I'm happy with Ramos"
At the moment, except in emergency cases, it is difficult for Rabiot to return to his old role in midfield. In one of these two positions, Amorim sees Musah very well, who has actually shown that he has the right characteristics to play in that role. He presses, recovers, goes on the attack. Someone has criticized him for the goal he failed to score in the second half against Venezia (horizontal post from two steps away, after a free kick), but scoring in that situation would be an obligation for a striker, somewhat less for a player who runs everywhere for 90 minutes. Musah started twice in the first two games and it doesn't end there. The other position is being discussed between Modric and Jashari. Musah's transformation has not been from one role to another, but from a non-role to a defined position. In previous years, he was used everywhere to fill the gaps.
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The other transformist, Chukwueze, against Venezia was not decisive, also because he was marked by an opponent who was completely dedicated to him, always blocking his path. But it will not always be like this, there will be days when the explosion of the former striker (who now comes with saved energy near the penalty area) can bring important assists, especially if the goal scored against Venezia will completely unblock Gonçalo Ramos. He is not a transformist, he must do what he knows how to do: goals.
