Philippe Mexes is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury and debut for Milan. The Frenchman suffered from a cruciate ligament knee injury, which had ruled him out since last April. In other words Mexes has not played any type of football for about 6 months and thus the excitement of his return must be tempered.

In effect, Milanisti all over are delighted that Mexes is able to slot in for the recently injured Alessandro Nesta. However the questions I ask are the following: is he match-fit enough and how will he cope with the pace of a real competitive game after so much time out? Indeed returning from such a serious and debilitating injury is not as straightforward as it might seem. Mexes has always been a player prone to pace, and now more so than ever [due to the injury], and that will be an issue. We all remember the times when Alexandre Pato took the Frenchman for pace and left him in the dust in past seasons. Against a threat like Abel Hernandez, Milanisti should be worried as Mexes could struggle.

Barring the physical handicap, we must remember that Mexes is coming into a brand new defense. Thiago Silva is a completely new partner and the whole of the defense and Milan system are brand new to Mexes. Having been injured this whole time, the Frenchman did not even benefit from getting to know his teammates [on the pitch] by participating in the pre-season. Next to his injury, this is an almost bigger handicap as we all know how important communication and being in sync are important when it comes to the back-four. Not knowing his partners’ tendencies and vice-versa will make it very hard for Mexes in a defense that has not looked anything as organized as it was last season. Christian Abbiati, who has been suspect in recent weeks, will be getting to know a new partner that he will have to be able to anticipate for and position throughout a match. In the heat of a game – during any set-piece for instance – hesitation may creep in as unfamiliarity with Mexes’ tendencies may cause short-circuiting in the defense’s communication. Another point to bear in mind is that Mark Van Bommel hasn’t been in the greatest of forms. Consequently, should the Dutchman have another poor outing tomorrow, Mexes could find himself more exposed than he might like to.

Of course Milanisti will be quick to point out that the excellent Thiago Silva will clean up any issues Mexes might have. In addition, the pace of Ignazio Abate covering behind him should help Mexes settle down a bit more. My only issue with Mexes’ debut – if he is to start of course, which is unsure until we see the team sheet – is that it will be against a team that attacks at pace, in waves, and relentlessly. With the pace of Hernandez, the guile of Fabrizio Miccoli, and the strength of Mauricio Pinilla, Mexes could have a tough match come Saturday. Personally I’d prefer to have seen another defender in there, but with only Daniele Bonera and Nesta [not 100% fit] able to slot in his place, I could be convinced to reconsider.

Milan will need to pick up a win and thus pick up the pace in order to put their Scudetto defense on track. Robinho is said to be returning, which will be great news as his partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season was a very fruitful one. With the issues in defense, Massimiliano Allegri will maybe have to switch the emphasis of his team and focus more on scoring goals as opposed to preventing them as it had been the formula to last season’s Scudetto success. The Rosanero is definitely a team against which such an approach is viable, as it they are always likely to score goals themselves just as they are prone to concede them. In Milan’s current state, and given all issues mentioned above regarding a premature selection of Mexes in central defense, Allegri simply has to go for it and play to out-score the opposition.