Player Analysis: Davide Calabria

One year ago, Milan found themselves in 10th place in Serie A following a failed experiment with ex Sampdoria manager Marco Giampaolo, who was sacked on October 8, 2019, and a shaky start under caretaker manager Stefano Pioli. Today, they find themselves atop the league table, having taken 26 points from their first 10 fixtures, whilst also winning their Europa League group to seal progression into the knockout round.

Just as the Rossoneri have enjoyed a 180 under Pioli in the past few months, Milan right back Davide Calabria has enjoyed a similar turnaround in form. After being relegated to a bench role for much of the previous campaign, Calabria has become a vital performer in defense for Il Diavolo.

Born in Brescia, Lombardy, Calabria joined Milan's academy in 2006, working his way up the youth ranks before making his senior debut on March 30, 2015, coming on for Mattia De Sciglio in a 3-1 away win against Atalanta. Whilst he was given a brief run of starts under manager Siniša Mihajlović, he was largely forced to bide his time on the bench behind De Sciglio and veteran Ignazio Abate.

Calabria's pathway to the starting eleven was complicated even further after the purchase of Andrea Conti from Atalanta for €25 million, and rumors emerged that he would depart on loan to a bottom-half Serie A side. However, on September 15, 2017, Conti suffered an injury to his left anterior cruciate ligament, effectively sidelining him for the entirety of the campaign.