There is arguably little doubt that Franck Kessie is now displaying his best and most consistent run of form since he joined Milan as he is developing and maturing into a key figure.
The Rossoneri have been in fine form since the restart, winning five and drawing two while scoring 20 goals and conceding just eight, and that in turn has put us right back in the mix for a top-six finish in Serie A.
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While there is still plenty of work to do to catch up with and ultimately leapfrog both Roma and Napoli, we’re certainly moving in the right direction and at the heart of that impressive run has been Kessie.
Defensive rock, but now adding new dynamic to his game…
We know what we usually get from Kessie. The 23-year-old has always been a physical player who boasts great power, tenacity and combativeness, while his energy and work-rate allows him to cover serious ground and offer protection in front of the backline.
Milan have primarily tried to use him on the right of a midfield-three for the most part since his arrival from Atalanta in 2017, and that didn’t really deliver the desired results as he hasn’t been a consistent goalscorer or a reliable presence in the final third.
Switching to a 4-2-3-1 system this season and building a partnership with Ismael Bennacer, the Ivorian international is starting to look a completely different player.
While he still showcases that defensive prowess to offer us a real presence in midfield and help us gain control over the tempo of the game and possession, his distribution and composure on the ball is improving significantly and as his run of three goals in his last three league games shows, he’s starting to show more quality in front of goal when presented with opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
Make no mistake, Kessie can still continue to grow and develop as a player and he’s still young so he’ll improve with experience and as he matures further.
However, the way in which he’s taken his game to the next level this season, particularly after the restart, has been simply superb to watch and it’s hoped that not only does he continue to become an irreplaceable figure in the Milan XI, but that he can still go through more gears and show that he’s still just realising his full potential.
A driving force defensively and now a quality piece of our attack, Kessie is delivering in a big way for Milan as he’s finally proving his worth and making a statement. Stefano Pioli is subsequently showing more faith in him and giving him more responsibility, particularly in the build-up of our attacks, and it’s leading to great results both on an individual and collective level.