Cristante to play more advanced vs Milan | OneFootball

For Bryan Cristante, AC Milan vs. Roma will be a true blast from the past.

The midfielder took his first steps in professional football with the Rossoneri, making his debut at just 16 in the Champions League against Viktoria Plzen, becoming the youngest Italian to play in the competition, writes Daniele Aloisi in Il Messaggero.

A record that, in subsequent years, would be surpassed by Moise Kean and Francesco Camarda. His first Serie A goal also came with AC Milan, an indelible memory of his career.

In 2018, he moved to the capital, where he won a Conference League title and now wears the captain’s armband. His relationship with Roma could continue beyond 2027: his current contract expires in a year and a half, but negotiations regarding a renewal have already begun with his entourage in recent days.

The mutual desire to continue together is clear, and the parties will soon reconvene.

Meanwhile, the present counts, because tomorrow at San Siro, Cristante and his teammates will try to defend the top spot in the standings tooth and nail. Bryan will be there 100%: he’s missed only one game this season, the disastrous one against Viktoria Plzen.

He’s a quiet leader, and no coach can do without him—let alone Gasperini, who nurtured him during his time at Atalanta and found him in Rome more mature and complete than he was seven years ago. Over the years, he’s covered virtually every midfield position, even playing as a central defender.

Now, however, Gasperini is bringing him back to his roots. In Reggio Emilia, he deployed him in the attacking midfield, behind Dybala and Bailey, and he repeated the experiment in the second half against Parma.

The result? Two wins out of two. That’s why the plan is to use him in that position again tomorrow, with El Aynaoui and Koné ready to cover his back. In Bergamo, Cristante scored 12 goals in that area of ​​the pitch: and it’s precisely this kind of offensive contribution that Gasperini is desperately seeking.

From there, the number 4 can be a dual tactical weapon: running in to break through the Rossoneri defense, but also pressuring Modric, Milan’s brains, blocking his playmaking.

This is a crucial task, because limiting him could be the right move to contain Allegri’s team.

The tactical alternative would be to reintroduce Pellegrini alongside Soulé and Dybala, moving Cristante into midfield alongside Koné. Gasperini will clear up these doubts in the coming hours, after the last training session scheduled for today, immediately following the 1:30 PM press conference.