Why De Sciglio Is the Milan Player with Most on the Line After Internationals

As the AC Milan players came out of the tunnel at San Siro for the second half of their meeting with Atalanta on Saturday night, there was one notable absence. Mattia De Sciglio wasn’t there.

The right-back had been substituted at half-time, with Sinisa Mihajlovic deciding to replace him with 18-year-old youth-team graduate Davide Calabria. The reason for the drastic change was De Sciglio’s poor all-round first-half performance.

Within those first 45 minutes, he had gone scything into a challenge to earn a yellow card for which he could easily have picked up a red. He then proceeded to completely miss the ball when attempting a clearance, bringing down Atalanta striker Mauricio Pinilla in the process.

To compound that poor focus and decision-making, De Sciglio’s distribution was off. Every time he got on the ball, he looked unsure of himself. He gave it away several times to cement what was arguably his worst display of a very average season so far.

At this point, some might wonder what has gone wrong with the 23-year-old. Early on in his career, he was touted for great things; speaking to Milan Channel (h/t Forza Italian Football) in early 2014, Rossoneri legend Franco Baresi even compared him to another club legend, saying: "He possesses great quality. He’s shown it ever since he was very young. I remember when Paolo [Maldini] started out—he played with a boldness and confidence but also provided security. De Sciglio has those qualities too."

It was high praise indeed, though on recent evidence, it appears it may have been a case of too much hype, too soon.

Antonio Conte continues to call Di Sciglio up to the Italy national team, something that might bewilder those who saw the right-back hooked at the break against Atalanta.

However, whatever Conte sees in him, Mihajlovic doesn’t. The Serbian coach has dropped De Sciglio in recent weeks, opting instead to use Luca Antonelli on the left and Ignazio Abate on the right.

Abate has been injured of late but should be back to fitness once the international break is over. As a result, De Sciglio may well find himself starting for his country only to return to the bench at club level.

A particularly worrying sign is that De Scigilio appears to be regressing. After his breakout season in 2012-13 he suffered with various injuries the following year. Last season, his poor form saw him fail to hold down a regular spot, and this season his form has continued to decline.

Squawka’s comparison matrix shows that, per game, De Sciglio wins fewer tackles, commits more fouls and completes fewer passes than he did in 2014-15.

De Sciglio’s composure on and off the ball is his main area of weakness at present. He too easily loses his positioning and makes rash challenges when on the defensive, while his attacking play is too often foiled by poor judgement and a lack of assertiveness.

In these mannerisms, he is far removed from the youngster who assuredly broke into Milan’s first team in 2012. The boldness and confidence Baresi mentioned is no longer there.

In the aftermath to Milan’s first league win of this season against Empoli, Mihajlovic hinted at the existence of mental fragility throughout his team, telling reporters, per ESPN FC, “We have to do something on a psychological level, because we cannot go on like this.”

On the basis of his most recent performances, De Sciglio appears to be one of the players suffering from such psychological deficiencies.

Fortunately, technical quality is not the issue, and at 23, he has time on his side to work on the mental side of his game and rediscover his confidence.

However, there is pressure. De Sciglio is no longer a prospect, and with Abate currently Mihajlovic’s first-choice right-back and Calabria showing promise, De Sciglio cannot afford another inconsistent campaign.

He is a few years from his prime, but if he wants to reach his peak with Milan, he must improve soon—starting after the international break.