Jovic and Okafor, behind Giroud there are goals: this time Milan have two alternatives

This time Giroud has an alternative. Indeed, he has a couple, because Okafor and Jovic can sting more than Origi. French was squeezed quite a lot last year. He held his ground in the league and in the Champions League, but during the double commitment, in the periods in which Milan was busy on two fronts, Giroud slowed down. Maybe this time it will be different. The former Chelsea remains the starter, the frontman of piolismo with 4 goals in the first 3 games, but two boys with different motivations are pawing behind him. Jovic wants to leave a so-so year behind him – however he ended with 13 goals -, while Okafor wants to prove that he really is Leao’s “twin”. Milan noticed him last year after seeing him score a goal as an opponent. He harpooned and caught it in the summer with a blitz. Now he will have to prove that that investment is worth it.

jovic

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The latest arrival is as hungry as ever. Pioli will have to be good at making him understand that he can still split games like at Eintracht, or maybe in the Benfica youth team. There was a time when Luka Jovic put Joao Felix on the bench. He was 16 and shook defenders and goalkeepers around Portugal. On his debut for Benfica B he hit the crossbar from thirty metres. That type of Jovic is gone, but after a year of 13 goals with Fiorentina and a shady summer, Luka is ready to get back into the game. Even if I warm up. Before turning on him, the top Rossoneri tried to get Taremi, Daka, David and Rafa Mir. Alle won the Serbian, the man bought by Real for 60 million just four years ago. In the Champions League he hasn’t scored a goal yet, but in Europe 16 rings. Six last season with Viola, another 10 with Eintracht in the top year 2018-2019, which ended in the semifinals of EL. In the two years in which he has played from 1′ he has done badly. He boasts 68 pros’ goals with club teams and another 10 with Serbia. The Italian has always talked about a quality player, but he and Jovic have never really loved each other. In May, he shared a post highlighting “the coach’s tactical disaster”. Break and goodbye. Pioli will have to be good at making him understand his role.

okafor

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Different profile. Okafor is not a classic first striker. He is not a number 9 at Giroud. He is someone who if he is in the day can do what he did against Roma, if he plays as a substitute: slipping away between the opponents, getting defenders booked, earning free kicks. In the last two years he has scored six Champions League goals for Salzburg. In the league he has never gone into double figures – 3, 6, 9, 7 goals -, but he knows how to throw it in. His ideal role is the left winger with the license to center, and in fact he will play there, but he can also play as a striker. In an interview with the Gazzetta he said that he and Leao are twins. A matter of feeling, on and off the pitch, where they share different passions. Okafor is a long-term investment, a future purchase inclined towards the new Milan. He scored 41 goals between Salzburg and Basel, plus two more for the Swiss national team. To these are added another 8 flashes in Europe. Behind Giroud there are those who score.