GdS: ‘Crazy desire’ – why Amorim hopes Cisse can become the derby hero
Alphadjo Cisse has had an electric start to the season so far with AC Milan, and Ruben Amorim could turn to him in the hopes of derby heroics.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall that during Wednesday’s defeat to Bologna at San Siro, the crowd chanted Cisse’s name louder than any other Milan player’s, even before a game that truly cemented his status as the player of the moment.
He will remain the team’s top scorer for the time being, unless Adrien Rabiot nets a hat-trick in the derby, or Goncalo Ramos or Diego Moreira pull off a four-goal haul. As it stands, Cisse leads the way with seven goals, followed by Adrien with four.
Cisse’s goals are fairly evenly split: four in the league and three in the Europa League. In Serie A, he reached this tally in 338 minutes of play, while in Salzburg, he needed just 207 minutes to record his first Rossoneri hat-trick.
His scoring rate is exceptionally high: one goal every 84.5 minutes in the league, a figure that improves to one every 69 minutes in international competition. And to those who might argue that many of these goals came from lucky, close-range touches, others are not scoring goals like that.
On his own, he has accounted for a third of the 21 total goals scored by Ruben Amorim’s side, and has more than double the three scored by Gonçalo Ramos, the club’s major summer signing.
The derby man?
Cisse was signed last winter and subsequently remained out on loan to Catanzaro. His season there ended in February due to an injury, yet Milan never left his side. If anything, credit goes to Amorim for placing his trust in him and integrating him from the very start, a gesture Cissé has repaid it.
He scored a goal on his debut against Torino, another against Juventus, and a brace against Bologna this past Wednesday. His three Europa League goals, meanwhile, all came on the same night in Salzburg.
Setting aside his international debut against Benfica – a match played by a makeshift side due to squad rotation – Alpha has not put a foot wrong in any game. Not even in the match against Lazio, a result that looks better in hindsight, given the Biancocelesti’s form.
Furthermore, it would be harsh to judge his performance as a centre-forward away at Bournemouth too negatively, as that display was clearly compromised by Maignan’s sending-off and the fact that the team fell behind by two goals, both from penalties.
Removing a player who is in a goal-scoring vein and fuelled by such enthusiasm could prove counter-productive, though the derby will bring more options, as both Rabiot and Moreira (who could slot into Cisse’s area of the pitch) have been working toward their recovery since yesterday.
Two nights ago, Cisse operated as a number 10 – a link between the midfield and the penalty area – where he truly shone. While it’s true that Rabiot brings more experience to that central role, it’s equally possible that Adrien could drop back into the midfield alongside Modrić,.
Similarly, Cisse could start on the left, where he will face renewed competition from Moreira. Yet, Alpha possesses impressive stats, carried with the effortless grace of a young talent, one who now deserves the spotlight of the derby.
