GdS: Conceicao ponders idea of fielding ‘Fabulous Four’ while maintaining balance | OneFootball

Thanks to the signings made during the January window, AC Milan suddenly have a very strong attack which Sergio Conceicao intends to make the most of. However, whether he will be able to field the ‘Fabulous Four’ is still up in the air.

The fabulous four, of course, are Joao Felix, Santiago Gimenez, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic. While most fans would like to see them together for obvious reasons, as Gazzetta dello Sport points out, the answer isn’t yet obvious to Conceicao.

The 4-4-2 formation is seemingly the one that the manager wants to use the most, with Joao Felix playing a key role as a second striker, but a lot is required from the midfielders on the flanks. Rafael Leao on the left, as such, is thus a question mark.

All of his managers have tried to educate him on the defensive phase, with questionable results, and it’s clear that Conceicao would need to find the cure for everything to work. Pulisic, meanwhile, has always been more ‘willing’ in the defensive phase and would thus work better.

Furthermore, another question mark would be Joao Felix who is considered to be a hyper-offensive player. In the non-possession phase, with two players up front, he would need to press heavily for Conceicao’s system to work.

So, can the fabulous four co-exist? Yes, but only on one condition: the attitude of working just as hard in attack as in defence must become second nature for the players. Not just something that happens every now and then, or in big games for that matter.

The risk is obvious, without this attitude the 4-4-2 would quickly become a 4-2-4, and then Conceicao could say goodbye to balance. The same goes for a potential 4-2-3-1 with Joao Felix as the CAM, given it would still require the sacrifice.