Yahoo Sports CM: Leao, Yildiz, Kvaratskhelia – the contrasting management of the three talents
Kenan Yildiz and Rafael Leao are two of the more high-profile names in Serie A when it comes to attacking talent, and yet they are each going through tough moments.
As Calciomercato.com writes, both should have very central roles with Juventus and Milan respectively despite their gap in age, given their technical ability and game-breaking quality. Instead they are finding themselves being used not so much sparingly, but practically as authentic supporting actors.
We can refer back to the words of Thiago Motta immediately after the draw against Parma and those of Paulo Fonesca after the defeat against Napoli for some insight into how both coaches are thinking.
The Juventus coach preferred Tim Weah: “It’s important to maintain the balance of the team. Weah did well at San Siro and again today. Kenan coming on later, when the game opens up more, I think is ideal for creating situations, for giving the final pass or finishing the plays. He has the freedom to do so.”
The Milan coach went with Noah Okafor: “I manage things with the players differently. There is no conflict, it’s just a choice. It’s up to the players to put in the right amount of dedication.
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“I’m not the one who has to beg them. Leao came on well, but let’s look at Okafor’s game, who played well. It’s difficult for me to decide at this moment.”
The two key words from these two statements are ‘balance’ and ‘freedom’, and it these two concepts that Motta and Fonseca are leaning on, which in turn is leading to the choice of benching the two talents.
In Motta’s mind, Yildiz is the one who can break games open by coming on and taking more risks, but only in the final minutes. The Portuguese coach meanwhile knows that his compatriot is unable/unwilling to sacrifice himself as Okafor does in defensive work.
It is certainly not Fonseca’s fault that Leao has become the face of Milan and the highest paid player in the squad, because it was the directors who granted him a renewal of €7.5m net per season and the No.10 shirt.
So who is to blame for such a complex management of their respective moments? Is it the players who are unable to transform themselves, or the coaches who sacrifice them instead of finding a way to help them?
As always, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, but the feeling is that the scales might tip slightly in favour of the players in this case. Why? Not all teams can boast players with such unique characteristics in their squad, while Milan and Juventus have them.
Finally, a comparison with Antonio Conte’s Napoli who boast Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Such a decisive player cannot be left out, but must instead be moulded in a way to get the best out of him. Conte even changed his tactical ideas to do so, going from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3 (but only in the attacking phase).
The key in this sense was the conversion of Matteo Politano, whose defensive spirit of sacrifice allows Kvara to be more free offensively. The results? The table speaks for itself.
