By dostoevsky:

Our fullback situation has often been highlighted in discussions concerning Europe as Milan's major weakness, combined with the average age of our midfield, so I think it's appropriate to discuss Abate's progress now, especially given that we are in the middle of the January transfer window and people's minds are ticking over searching for the perfect addition to our squad, when we search for new defenders should a serious alternative to our right back slot also be considered?

Firstly, in order to be considered a first class right back Abate must address the issue of Gattuso dependency. Ringhio, our faithful warrior, has to play two positions in effect during some matches, which whilst strengthening our team through his incredible work rate and ensuring through example that defence is the job of the team not the back four must remind us that Abate must mature and prepare for a time when he may have a less savage midfield ahead of him.

Gattuso's cover extends beyond the positional responsibilities of a player such as Perotta when Riise is bombing up the flank for Roma, or even the way a defensive midfielder such as Palombo or Zanetti will drift across to his full back because of the incredible success that Gattuso has in successfully halting a push up the flank when compared to the number of challenges made.

Gattuso will take every opportunity to himself challenge any player trying to take on Abate, also making a two on one in Milan's favour to allow either Gattuso or Abate to cover in case over commitment is made and to act as a sweeper when the battle for possession usually ends in the ball being knocked clear but not out of danger, whilst also preventing the backline from losing their shape - the latter a signficant point in considering Antonini's position, where many of his poorer matches occur when Seedorf or Prince are occupying the left midfield slot, providing less support positionally and in themselves recovering balls.

Such activity from Gattuso is not tactically uncommon, however the distinguishment I wish to make, and you may disagree with me on this, is that the effectiveness of the cover provided masks Abate's true success during each game, that what is being masked is insecurity from Abate in situations when pressure from the opposition has neither been prolonged nor involves great numbers, and that whilst Abate is a superior defender to Antonini, the difference has been exacerbated by the support offered to each fullback. If Antonini were protected by Gattuso and Abate by Seedorf - or Prince, though I do not wish to unnecessarily criticise Prince as he has been shifted around our midfield constantly and is still learning and growing; his tendency to disappear in a match as well as his understanding of position and movement will increase as he returns and plays more (this sentence is waaay too long) - then our fullbacks would appear far more equal. Abate is still undoubtedly the stronger fullback and has performed a fine job of putting in consistent performances, covering for his team mates in defence and making a minimal number of mistakes across the entire season thus far. However Abate must learn how to hold a flank without help if necessary, especially for when we may need to sacrifice Gattuso for another forward in order to chase a game, which leads me to my next point.

Abate is a fullback well equipped to deal with pace and strength, however it is against players who rely on close control, deception and changes in acceleration to bypass opponents that Abate still struggles, as he is too easily turned and blind sighted, something that will ultimately only be identified as a major flaw against excellent opposition. However this has been highlighted not as a glaring flaw but as an area that needs to be addressed in training in order for Abate to progress another level. Cassano and Robinho, our two most skillful dribblers who like to turn in from the left, must be used to twist and turn Abate, under the watch of Zambrotta, Nesta and hopefully Maldini, until he becomes more comfortable with handling the pressure of a skillful winger without the back up plan of a defensive midfielder if he overcommits and is left for dead.

Abate has simply not faced opponents such as Menez often enough in competition in his short career at right back and lacking this education normally suffered by a much younger player and often in less stressful situations than playing for the league leaders we must ensure that he is run ragged in training. This weakness is the major deficiency masked by Gattuso's help but also the only signficant reason to fear Ringhio's absence from the midfield in a big game. When Abate masters a tricky dribbler we will witness the end of his Gattuso dependency.

Thirdly Abate must improve in the air and particularly focus on his man marking in the box, a responsibility he has at times been relieved of I have noticed, often waiting on the periphery of the area during a set piece. He has shown a marked improvement this year, aided by his ggressive nature, however it is an important facet of his play that must be developed. Where as players such as Bonera are too timid to attack the ball or even Thiago Silva who is almost too clean at times - though he makes up for this in most areas - Abate has the potential to be a fantastic man marker in the box if his aggression and concentration are well trained.

Abate's general play in his own penalty area has improved despite his high profile mistake against Roma - unfairly dwelled upon as it directly led to a defeat - and he will continue to grow in confidence with experience and time. In effect we have a very promising defender, however the following questions need to be asked.

How ready is Abate to face a team such as Barcelona or Arsenal, or even perhaps Germany for the national team? An excellent performance against Real Madrid may have won confidence from the fans, however was the failure of Ronaldo to beat Abate down to a growth in maturity or a lack of ideas from the Madrid winger?

Given that only against excellent opposition Abate's weaknesses may be exposed, do you believe that the appropriate steps will be taken in training to improve Ignazio as a defender? Will his eventual education in big game situations be enough to improve Abate gradually without costing Milan too much? Would the introduction of a new right back able to provide signficant competition to Abate hasten improvements or would a new first team option be a good idea if available for a reasonable price?

Or am I simply being too critical and over analysing the situation? Abate has done a fantastic job and I personally think that he will continue to improve to cover his weaknesses, however I wrote this as I believe it's important to recognise where he needs to improve but also to remind ourselves that he is learning a position and must be forgiven mistakes as he is a player who learns and improves based upon his past errors.

There is also the question of his offensive qualities which need work. His crossing is incredibly inconsistent however again this is something that merely needs to be addressed in training and will improve as he plays more and our attack settles and whilst our midfield and defence have been fairly stable the forward trio rarely play more than three games in a row without a signficant change and the incredibly varied nature of Cassano, Pato, Robinho and Boateng mean that Abate and Antonini have not had a clear idea of how to work with our strike force when advancing forward.

Both fullbacks however need to be more confident in their abilities and attempt to terrify by heading for the byline. Abate in particular can often achieve more through ball carrying than attempting a passing game with an attack that has not yet fully established an understanding and a permanent style of play. A twenty-five yard burst from Abate can do more to cause an accidental tear in the shape of a back line or invite movement into the box from our midfield than the current movements from the back. Not only Abate but Antonini look to be suffering from stage fright whenever they go forward and a bit more self belief is necessary, otherwise all their work in training is worthless without at least the courage to take someone on.