(03-01-2018, 01:54 PM)ACMILAN1983 Wrote: This guy's been exceptional lately, really impressed with how well he's stepped up at the back. If he continues at this level, it honestly won't be long before he can be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Nesta and Cannavaro.

That leads me to another point, the one thing that makes Romagnoli so special is he's actually a defender first. He's got ball playing skills and other qualities, but first and foremost he has the traditional defensive ability that made Italian defenders famous in the past. He's got man marking skills (albeit in the more modern sense), he's excellent at reading the game, he's firm in the challenge and won't take unnecessary risks as a defender. His positioning has always been good, but lately it's pretty much flawless. His biggest weakness previously was probably his ability to defend 1 v 1, but he's stepped up in this aspect of the game remarkably well.

I have mentioned it in the past, but I reiterate that I think this guy is our future captain after Bonucci. In terms of personality and character, he's a real leader on the pitch and talks to his teammates all the time (something he's learnt under Mihajlovic in the Sampdoria days). He's also maturing as an individual and I think in terms having respect and the correct temperament, he's well suited to captaincy. I know people might prefer a homegrown player or someone who hasn't said they support Lazio as captain, but I think Romagnoli's proven himself very capable.

Edit: Also if they keep it up, it won't be long before Italy's backline is Donnarumma, Calabria, Bonucci and Romagnoli with a LB from another club.

Quote:Coppa Italia, Romagnoli: a childhood fan of Lazio playing for Milan

Milan
01/03/18 06:36| News | Autore: Redazione

Perhaps he had dreamed it a thousand times, or maybe it was only his thoughts - a goal against Lazio, "what would my father say?".

The mind of Milan centre-half Alessio Romagnoli was a strange and unusual one before playing the Coppa Italia match against Lazio. A hidden love for I Biancocelesti, it was never revealed because of his past playing with Roma. But on Tuesday it broke the ice at a press conference: "I'm a Lazio fan - as a child I went to the stadium with my father ...". However, today marked that decisive goal against his childhood club, and perhaps has created a displeasure within himself in this celebratory phase for Milan...

As a child, from 5 years of age, Romagnoli looked up to Nesta and tried to emulate him. A true idol, and his only reference. Because of this, he wears the number 13 in his honor. He broke into Italian football with his childhood club rivals Roma at the age of 17, making his senior debut on December 11th, 2012 against Atalanta, under coach Zeman. He scored his first goal in 2013, and was sold to Milan for a fee of €25 million in 2015, after returning from loan from Sampdoria, where he has now completed over 80 games.

Today he sends Milan into the final of the Coppa Italia after defeating Lazio, and does not rejoice in respect. When he looked up after scoring that penalty kick, he saw the Curva Nord where he used to go as a child, and he smiled. With his teammates celebrating he also smiled, as his Milan side now have 13 games without defeats, with the defense improving game-by-game (keeping the last 6 games without a goal against). The Gattuso effect seems to finally be working, flipping a switch to get this Serie A side back on track to being one of the top teams of Europe again.

(03-02-2018, 10:38 AM)ACMILAN1983 Wrote: I do think we need to consider how versatile Conti is. I don't think he's as comfortable in a back 4 than he was out wide in a back 5. I'm sure he can develop, but I think he can also offer a different option out wide as an alternative to Suso.