AC Milan are one of the favourites to finish in the top four of the Serie A 2023-24 table. There is a big gap between Inter Milan and their rivals at the top of the table. This will be a difficult gap to cover but they will look to close it down until the end of the season. Juventus are just above them in the league table but have a game in hand.
The Rossoneri need their players to step up their game and fight for the Scudetto. Some players have already picked up the form at the start of the current year, including summer signing, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Englishman started the season well but struggled to find goals and assists for a specific period. However, his 2024 has started well and the former Chelsea player is showing his talent in Italian football. A look at his stats from the last few matches that show his importance on the field in AC Milan’s shirt.
Milan’s playmaker
Since the start of the year, Loftus-Cheek has played in six Serie A 2023-24 games. He has been a central figure in the attack and plays behind the striker. Ruben has managed 14 touches inside the opposition penalty box in these matches, with a few coming on the left side and the rest on the edge of the six-yard box.
In these six games for Milan, Loftus-Cheek has made quite a few impressive runs down the middle. Most of his runs are made by the player from the left side. His runs are not directed to penetrate the opposition penalty box. These are made to carry the ball from the centre to the final third.
This visual contrasts a player’s dribbling ability against their knack for receiving the ball in positions where they’re expected to progress the ball towards a goal (pctxgrecv). Players in the top right quadrant are both adept dribblers and influential in ball progression. This is the data from the Serie A 2023-24 season and Loftus-Cheek has been at the top of his game. He is probably the best player to run at opposition players with the ball. The player has the confidence to take on defenders and that makes him a threat in AC Milan’s attack.
One of the reasons why Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the go-to man is because of his goal-scoring run. The player has netted four goals in the last six league games for his side. All goals were scored from inside the penalty box.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek will look to carry this momentum into the latter half of the season. He will aim to score and create more goals for his team.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
