For Milan, the season has already produced an unlikely pair of ever-presents. Mike Maignan has played every minute, but so too have Koni De Winter and Strahinja Pavlovic: two defenders who have become central to Ruben Amorim’s early work, partly through trust and partly because the alternatives have been scarce.
Key takeaways
- De Winter and Pavlovic are the only Milan outfield players to have completed every minute of the campaign alongside Maignan.
- Against Lecce, the two centre-backs combined for 162 passes, with Pavlovic Milan’s most involved player on the ball and De Winter third.
- Amorim values Pavlovic’s aggression and De Winter’s willingness to progress possession under pressure.
- Matteo Gabbia has been limited to 17 minutes between the Torino and Venezia matches because of an ankle problem.
- Sankhoun Diawara has yet to make an appearance, while Filippo Terracciano was taken off at half-time after starting against Benfica.
An indispensable partnership takes shape
Neither defender arrived with the profile of Milan’s biggest names. De Winter does not carry Luka Modric’s reputation, Pavlovic is not expected to decide matches in the manner of Adrien Rabiot, and neither cost the more than €70 million invested in Gonçalo Ramos. Yet the first team has begun with them, and has continued with them, at its centre.
There is a footballing explanation. Pavlovic gives Amorim a defender prepared to attack the space in front of the back line and push the team’s defensive pressure upwards. De Winter, meanwhile, has shown the composure to receive possession and attempt difficult passes rather than simply remove danger.
Both remain imperfect players. Pavlovic can at times carry the ball forward on instinct, a habit that does not always help Milan’s structure. De Winter can lose concentration in isolated moments. But Amorim has accepted those risks because their overall contribution has been strong, and because the Lecce match offered a clear illustration of their importance in Milan’s build-up.
Pavlovic handled more of the ball than any other Milan player that day, while De Winter ranked third. Their combined 162 passes reflected a side increasingly relying on its central defenders to begin attacks as well as prevent them.
Selection necessity and a demanding season ahead
The more pragmatic reason for their uninterrupted run is the limited depth available to Amorim. Gabbia, a reliable performer in recent seasons, is managing an ankle issue and has only accumulated 17 minutes across the fixtures against Torino and Venezia.
Diawara has not played at all. Terracciano, another option of a different type, started the Benfica game but did not return after the interval following an unconvincing opening 45 minutes. The coach therefore has had little reason, or little opportunity, to break up the De Winter-Pavlovic pairing.
Their characters are notably different. Pavlovic brings a forceful presence and an intense expression to the pitch; De Winter appears considerably calmer, sometimes to the point of seeming detached from the occasion. That calm has been tested before. At 16, he left Belgium for Turin, lived alone in a country unfamiliar to him and did so during the lockdown period.
They will need to become still more accustomed to one another. Gabbia is expected to receive more minutes when he is fully available, but Milan’s injury concerns and the demands of balancing Serie A with European football mean Amorim will continue to need De Winter and Pavlovic. Pavlovic, meanwhile, could soon put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Rossoneri.
Earlier struggles now feel more distant. Pavlovic had looked ill-suited to Paulo Fonseca’s four-man defence, while De Winter endured a difficult Supercoppa encounter in which he was repeatedly exposed by Hojlund. Under Amorim, the partnership has instead become one of Milan’s most dependable features at the opening stage of the championship.
