Milan, Reijnders is the only real certainty in the middle of the pitch

In the end he always plays. Mezzala, attacking midfielder, also midfielder. This season, it has been above all Tijjani Reijnders who has filled Milan’s midfield. The only real certainty in the middle of the pitch is Stefano Pioli, who has already had to deal with an injury to Loftus-Cheek and the ongoing doubts in the director’s department. The Dutchman is also increasingly important in the national team, in which he will have a central role in view of the next European Championships.

always on the field

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The most useful adjective to introduce the discussion is “essential”. It’s like this in Milan. Against Frosinone, Reijnders has already played match number 19 of the season: all in, for a total of 1559 minutes spent on the pitch. Among the Rossoneri, more than anyone. The Dutchman has always been a starter, except in his Champions League debut against Newcastle, in which he was sent on in the final half hour. Always dictating the right times to the team, as explained by Pioli a few weeks ago: “He is an exceptional boy, a total midfielder good at driving the ball with his head held high and capable of inserting himself into the spaces that defenses allow. I expect goals and a few more shots, he knows how to play in multiple roles and is a player of an important level.”

even in goals

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Here’s the thing. Reijnders is a multi-role player, in the middle of the pitch he can act as a midfielder, an attacking midfielder and also a playmaker (as seen against Fiorentina and Frosinone), but Pioli expects a plus from him in terms of scoring. Also because he has already demonstrated on several occasions, in Holland, that he knows how to do it. In the last season with Az he scored 7 goals, in the previous one he had stopped at 6. Not bad numbers. With Milan, it took him a little longer to find the way to the goal, he waited and got there only once against Lecce. Last November 11th at Via del Mare, in a match remembered by the fans more for the harakiri and the comeback suffered in the final minutes, after a great start and the double advantage. In the first games of the season, Reijnders had also strengthened his statistics with two assists. The first to Giroud, in the 2-0 against Bologna. The second to Tomori, in the 3-1 success against Cagliari.

verso euro2024

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The start of the season with Milan also coincided with the first appearances in the Oranje shirt. He made his debut with the Netherlands on 7 September in the Nations League, in the 3-0 defeat of Greece. From that moment on, the 1998 class was permanently included in Koeman’s call-ups, who fielded him on 5 other occasions (three of these from the start) without thinking about it: “Starter with the Netherlands? Play in Champions League, it’s ready now.” After qualifying for the European Championships, the next step will be to experience the first major tournament with him as a protagonist. To become a certainty also in the national team.