Team Correspondent: Mario Gila Substituted Against Torino Due to Cramps

Antonio Vitiello, correspondent for MilanNews.it, published his latest video on his podcast channel, where he discusses the latest news about Milan.

Here is the first part of the complete video content:

Juventus' young forward Yıldız will certainly miss the match against Milan. Perhaps everyone is curious about the connection between Yıldız and Milan. This is because before making this video, I read news that the Juventus player unfortunately suffered a very serious injury that will keep him sidelined for the next two months and risks requiring surgery. Since the crucial match between Juventus and Milan comes immediately after Milan's match against Venezia, the timing is extremely tight, so he will definitely miss the Milan match.

Naturally, I feel sorry for this young player, but from a competitive standpoint, it's always fortunate for Milan when an opponent loses a key player, as we don't have to face such a strong competitor on the field. Of course, we still wish Yıldız a swift recovery and return to the pitch. He is indeed an extremely talented and strong player, though according to some of my media colleagues in Turin, he does seem somewhat injury-prone.

Now let's focus on Milan and analyze the situation within the Rossoneri, as there are many things that need to be thoroughly examined and explored. For example, what exactly happened today at Milanello training ground? Did Santiago Giménez actually participate in today's full team training? Friends, Giménez himself is not injured. The reason he didn't participate in full team training is that he has been put on the transfer market, isolated within the squad, and even excluded from the first-team roster. Giménez's current situation is similar to that of Nkunku, Tomori, Fofana, and numerous other players who are being "purged."

Leao can also be classified in a similar situation, but he is a special case: if Leao is not successfully sold by the end of the transfer window, he will still be reintegrated into the squad, whereas other purged players will not. One clear detail is that Milan has officially registered the new season squad numbers with Serie A. Leao's original number 10 shirt has been registered, while Giménez and others' numbers have not, and the number 7 shirt is currently vacant.

In fact, today Milan and Porto have resumed contact and negotiations regarding Giménez's loan. Milan wants to move him on, but will strictly adhere to its own conditions: Milan has decided to let him go, but definitely not for free. This means that first, a loan is acceptable, but it must be a paid loan with a purchase clause, and the future purchase price cannot be 15 million euros but must be at least 20, 22, or 23 million euros. Additionally, Porto must pay his full salary, with Milan assuming no part of it. All these conditions aim to maximize the reduction of financial burden on the Rossoneri's accounts.

However, I must emphasize that Milan currently cannot achieve any direct permanent transfers and can only resolve the issue through loans. This is partly due to the club's lack of experienced management staff in such transactions, and partly because these players have become somewhat difficult to sell in the transfer market after a disappointing season. Therefore, there may be new developments and changes in negotiations regarding Giménez's move to Porto in the coming hours. Currently, he is still training individually, while other teammates have completed normal full team training.

Regarding the defense, there is no need to worry about Mario Gila, as the Spanish defender was only substituted early in the match due to cramps, not a substantial injury. He is absolutely crucial for Milan in defense. Speaking of Portuguese clubs, besides the negotiations between Porto and Giménez, the Sporting CP president also made a public statement. Because yesterday and the day before, we once again linked Gonçalo Inácio with Milan.

Inácio has always been a highly favored and trusted player under Amorim. When the two worked together at Sporting CP, Amorim held him in high regard. There were even earlier reports that Amorim, when training in the Premier League or when contacted by Manchester United, had considered bringing him to Old Trafford. In response, the Sporting CP president clarified that the reason Inácio did not appear in the starting lineup in previous matches was not at all due to transfer market rumors, and that he is currently not on the transfer market.

Although we often see this diplomatic rhetoric or superficial reassurance during transfer windows, we must continue to observe whether this is true, but as a media outlet, we have the responsibility to faithfully record and convey the official stance of the Sporting CP president to everyone. In any case, Inácio is indeed a transfer target who has been linked with Milan many times because he is genuinely valued by Amorim, and I believe Milan's defense still needs at least one more new signing, because Inácio's technical characteristics are very similar to Mario Gila's, and this quality is indispensable for the three-center-back defensive system built by Ruben Amorim.

After discussing transfers, let's look at a very important tactical detail about Diego Moreira that Amorim revealed in yesterday's post-match press conference. Amorim clearly stated that Moreira can play as a wing-back in a three-center-back system. He can play on the left and can also be deployed on the right. But the most striking point is that Amorim said Moreira should actually operate on the right, meaning he can be deployed as a competitor to Chukwueze on the right wing. Before this, our media and fans had always thought Moreira's acquisition was to replace Estupiñán or Bwakira on the left.

This positional change changes many things, because Amorim explained that if he deploys aggressive attacking players like Chukwueze and Moreira on the right, then he must deploy stronger defensive players on the other flank. Because if Chukwueze is placed on the right and Moreira on the left simultaneously, the attacking power of both flanks would be too strong, leading to an imbalance between attack and defense, which actually has its logical rationale tactically.

But this also raises a puzzling question: if Moreira ultimately plays on the right, wasn't Milan's expensive acquisition—which supposedly cost 50 million euros—a costly new signing to compete for the same position with Chukwueze, who was recently considered an undisputed starter by Amorim?

At the same time, will Milan continue to rely on Estupiñán and Bwakira on the left flank throughout the season? In my opinion, this is a question worth reflecting on. I am also very interested in hearing everyone's opinions on this, and you can leave comments in the comment section. I originally thought Moreira would replace Estupiñán on the left, and the right would be rotated by Chukwueze and Saelemaekers, which seemed like a reasonable assumption.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Amorim's ideas revealed yesterday are set in stone. The Portuguese coach might gradually discover in the future that Estupiñán is not as defensively reassuring, thus moving Moreira back to the left. After all, tactics on the football pitch and the coach's ideas are constantly evolving, but in any case, the idea that Moreira plays on the right is indeed a new development that deserves our thorough discussion and attention.

Team Correspondent: Mario Gila Substituted Against Torino Due to Cramps

Here is the first part of the complete video content:

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