The 18-year-old Serbian is favored to play in Thiaw’s place. On the bench the U20s Bartesaghi, Nava, Traore, Jimenez. He will be the youngest eleven of the year: 25 years and one month
The little general is 18 years old and gives orders in all the languages of the world. Jan-Carlo Simic is the central defender of Milan’s Primavera, he does not have a predestined talent but he has a special personality. He is the first of the team leaders, he speaks fluent Serbian, German, Italian and English and – they say – he is not scared. He will need it because Simic is the big favorite to close the big hole opened in Milan’s defense since the injury to Malick Thiaw. Desperately looking for Fikayo Tomori’s partner for Milan-Frosinone tomorrow evening and Stefano Pioli tried Jan—Carlo with the starters. There has been no official communication but everyone at Milan has been waiting for him from the first minute. Alternatives? Move Rade Krunic again, as in the Champions League, adapt Calabria, promote Bartesaghi. Simple objections: Krunic made mistakes more than once against Borussia, Florenzi (the Calabria vice) didn’t train yesterday, Bartesaghi almost always played as a winger in the first team and has a less tested character. Yes, you’ll probably see Simic.
Children’s Republic
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These are strange days at Milan. Pioli walks the thin line of criticism, he has been confirmed but he knows the laws of football: he moves forward with results, without those it’s tough. And then you would need experience, but here you risk playing the card of recklessness. Tomorrow’s starting lineup, if confirmed, will be the youngest of the season: 25 years and 31 days on average. Not only that, there will be many young people on the bench. A goalkeeper: Lapo Nava. Two full-backs: Davide Bartesaghi and Alex Jimenez. An attacking winger: Chaka Traoré. A tip: Francesco Camarda. They are all Under 20, with Camarda fifteen, and their birth years are a journey through time. Nava and Traoré are from 2004, Simic, Bartesaghi and Jimenez from 2005, Camarda from 2008.
Who I am
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Quick portraits for those who don’t usually follow Milan Primavera. Nava is the fourth goalkeeper, promoted to third due to Sportiello’s injury: physical, right approach to life, he needs to play. Bartesaghi is the summer surprise: left-footed, polite, intelligent on the pitch, he must become more sportingly bad. Jimenez arrived in the summer from Real Madrid, who has the counter-compensation: brazen, hyper-fast, very offensive, he is repeating his defensive phase. Chaka Traoré is a classic winger, seen with Borussia for a few minutes: he dribbles, aims, accelerates, maybe he’s lightweight but Leao likes him. Camarda… everything has been written about Camarda in recent days.
Jan-Carlo and Real
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Simic deserves a few more words because he risks becoming the man – er, the boy – of the day. He was born in Germany, has a Bosnian father and a Serbian mother and Serbia is the national team he chose to play for. Milan saw him at the 2022 U17 European Championship and also in the championship, when he was the captain of Stuttgart who reached the final for the German youth title. Taken. Pioli took him on tour to the United States four months ago and made him the starter against Real Madrid. That time too, it was him and Tomori. Opponents (among others) Bellingham, Brahim Diaz and Joselu. Tonight we repeat with Reinier (ex Real), Soulé, Ibrahimovic (the other…) and perhaps Cheddira: they are less impressive but are among the best in form in the championship. Side notes: Jan-Carlo is not related to Dario Simic, who is also Croatian, was paid an amount not far from one million and studies online at the German school.
At Milanello
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Those who know him say that Jan—Carlo will arrive, he will arrive safely because he thinks about football and works for football. He chose to live outside Milan to be close to Milanello and looks older than his 18 years. When we talk about him, a limit always stands out: the centimeters, which are 186, for some even less, certainly not more. Few? Well, less than almost all central defenders but in football feet and heart count. He will have his chance, in a locker room that increasingly looks like a university classroom.
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