Ola Aina v M’Baye Niang – Andre Carlisle
One of Chelsea’s biggest surprises of the offseason has been the emergence of Ola Aina. At just 19-years-old he was already looking quite comfortable owning his defensive flank.
Then Marcelo happened. The savvy Brazilian used patience and instinct to capitalize on the teenager dribbling into no man’s land. The mistake was compounded by a wary defense that took ‘keep everything in front of you’ to an extreme level, allowing an unobstructed 20-yard strike from a player who’s been starting at Real Madrid for ten years.
Though AC Milan no longer drift in the rarified airs of clubs like Real Madrid, the black and red have players in a few positions that can present problems. Lining up across from Aina will be one of them, the 21-year-old Frenchman M’Baye Niang. Niang is incredibly quick and shifty enough to put seasoned defenders off balance in a hurry, and at 6ft and 165lbs he’ll also provide a stout enough physical challenge.
Aina will need to have already forgotten his errors against Real Madrid to be at his best against Niang. This is the kind of matchup Aina needs to win if he is to go shoulder-to-shoulder against Branislav Ivanovic for a starting role.
Next: Willian v Juan Cuadrado