New system, fresh blood – Milan’s strategy for if Lopetegui still arrives

It is not yet certain who will be the head coach of AC Milan next season, but it seems that things remain in place for Julen Lopetegui to take charge should the final green light come.

Calciomercato.com are reporting that Milan got furthest ahead with Lopetegui in the process of replacing head coach Stefano Pioli and despite the fan protests and pauses for reflection, they could still stick to their guns and go with him. Thus, they have spoken about how the team could look under him.

Philosophy

The first point to address is the vision behind his potential hiring. RedBird Capital’s is clear: they are aiming to win trophies and be ambitious but without swaying from their plan to develop young players.

Lopetegui, for his part, has worked with more experienced players in his career, as demonstrated by his experiences in Sevilla and Real Madrid. However, this does not necessarily mean he is incompatible with the project.

The Milan squad has risen in average age over the past four seasons: from 23.9 years in 2020-21 to 26.58 in 2023-24, while last season it was 25.83. It is a growth due to the fact that the previously young core continue to age, while more experienced players have arrived.

There is flexibility on both sides, because even Lopetegui in his last experience at Wolverhampton (where he took over in November 2022) adapted to a squad with a young average age (25.26 years), while continuously building around the leaders.

Formation change

The system would change from the current 4-2-3-1 under Pioli to a 4-3-3, which is almost exclusively what Lopetegui has used in his career barring some flirtations with a 4-4-2.

It starts from the defence, with Simon Kjaer leaving – as announced by his agent – and with him also Mattia Caldara, while for the others like Malick Thiaw it will be necessary to understand whether big bids come in.

The plan is try to maintain a mix of freshness and experience, so partnering Fikayo Tomori with someone like Diego Carlos of Aston Villa – who played under Lopetegui at Sevilla – would not be surprising. At 31 years of age, he would bring some stability.

Then, an eye must be kept on the right-back position where Davide Calabria has again alternated good moments with difficult stretches this season. Given Lopetegui likes attacking full-backs, an investment could be made there.