After the wonderful assist against Parma, he came on against Parma and the midfield everyone was waiting to see became reality: Rabiot-Modric-Jashari.
Milan-Parma was a dark, damaging night, one that probably draws a definitive line under Milan’s Scudetto ambitions. Yet there is a key takeaway that risks going unnoticed. When, after a brutal collision -and we take this chance to wish Loftus-Cheek a speedy recovery- he was forced off, Landucci surprised everyone: not Ricci, not Fofana, but Jashari. The decision was striking for a specific reason. Against Parma’s low block, the match plan seemed to rely on the English midfielder’s late box runs as one of the few possible weapons. In that role, with those tasks, Allegri had never really shown trust in the former Brugge man: against Como he used Ricci on the right, and since the start of the season that slot has largely belonged to Fofana. And yet, in a move driven by merit rather than hierarchy, Allegri and Landucci turned to Jashari.
Jashari and Modric: together
The signal is significant. Jashari is no longer seen only as an alternative to Modric, but as someone who can play alongside him, in a midfield three completed by Rabiot. What was missing -and it is only natural at this stage- was coordination of movement with the Frenchman. The most functional use of such a midfield appears to be a narrow double pivot with Jashari and Modric dictating the build-up, and Rabiot higher, almost as a No 10 in the left half-space. Among Jashari’s qualities, for now, what does not stand out is his impact in box arrivals or a natural goal instinct. Against Parma, instead, the feeling was that Rabiot dropped too deep, focusing more on orchestration than on attacking the penalty area, while Jashari, often positioned higher in a roaming role across the final third, struggled to be incisive. The right balance is still to be found.
Next season
What matters most, though, is the shift in perspective. If Jashari previously looked like Modric’s understudy, now the idea is that they can coexist. Making him a starter in these final matches could be decisive for next season on two fronts: to build a partnership if Modric stays; or to prepare him to take over with authority should Milan and Modric part ways.
Between chemistry still to be built and future planning, one certainty remains: Jashari’s time at Milan has begun.
