Fikayo Tomori throws down gauntlet with commanding display in Milan debut

If any club has been spoilt by witnessing an endless list of the greatest defenders in football history, it's Milan.

I Rossoneri were blessed enough to watch the entire career of legendary centre-back Franco Baresi unfold, while they also saw Paolo Maldini grow from a young boy to an all-time great over his 25 years with the club.

The Goat | Gary M. Prior/Getty Images

Add the stunning Alessandro Nesta to the mix, and you begin to understand what luxury San Siro has enjoyed in recent decades. It's safe to say, Milan supporters know a good defender when they see one.

So, they'll have been genuinely encouraged by Fikayo Tomori's league debut in the 2-1 victory over Bologna, in which the Englishman demonstrated exactly why Maldini phoned him directly to convince him to swap London for Milano.

Paolo Maldini was one of the greatest ever defenders and, when he called me, I was a bit surprised but I knew about the project and didn't need long to decide.Fikayo Tomori

Simon Kjaer's injury meant Milan had to make do without arguably their best central defender, and Tomori was thrown into the deep end to help the league leaders bounce back from their disappointing defeats to Atalanta and Inter.

It was far from a gimme for the 23-year-old to ease himself into Italian football, either, with Bologna boasting plenty of danger in their forward line. Wide players Nicola Sansone and Riccardo Orsolini offer bags of trickery, while striker Musa Barrow is a tinderbox of explosive pace and frightening power, just waiting to sniff out the slightest of weaknesses in his marker.

Tomori was not fazed by the prospect of stopping the Gambian forward, and produced a commanding display to extend I Rossoneri's lead at the Serie A summit to five points. The former Chelsea star began the game confidently, pointing and gesticulating to his teammates, and showing great composure on the ball.

He was responsible for beating the press and threading balls through to his deep-lying midfielders, and he regularly picked out Sandro Tonali and Franck Kessie with a fizzed, accurate ball or a clever lofted pass over the onrushing forward.

I already knew the history of the Club; it's inspiring that it was founded by an Englishman and I wanted to be a part of it all.Fikayo Tomori

In terms of his work on the ball then, Tomori was outstanding. And he was able to deliver an equally commanding defensive display. He defended on the front foot, getting stuck into Barrow from all angles; poking the ball out of the striker's path when he attempted to bring others into play.

His offensive style of defending allowed Milan to operate high up the pitch, pressing Bologna in their own half and denying them space to build attacks. Of course, that system comes with its own risks, and I Rossoneri were almost caught napping on the counter-attack by their rapid hosts.

A Milan attack broke down, and left the league leaders defending a two-on-one situation, with Tomori the last man standing. The centre-back showed great composure on this occasion too, delaying the pass to the spare man for as long as possible, before haring in pursuit of Nicolas Dominguez, narrowing the angle and doing enough to force him to shoot straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Luckily for Tomori, that was as complicated as his afternoon came, and he was able to repel everything that Bologna threw at him, be it on the ground or in the air. The final whistle signified the end of Milan's recent rut, putting a massive three points on the board, and although they couldn't keep the clean sheet in the end, they did show heart in a 'backs to the wall' final 10 minutes.

Stefano Pioli was visibly delighted with his new defender and often shouted words of encouragement throughout the game, pleased to have found a suitable backup for his regular starters - and one who can undoubtedly challenge to nail down a consistent spot in the side.

But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. We'll hold off on the Fikayo Tomaldini monikers for the time being.



Source : 90min