AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri is working on a method to defend against the team that scores the most from set pieces in Serie A.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Allegri is relying on the same tactical organisation that he and his staff have been implementing since July, when they began working at Milanello.
With 20 goals conceded in the league, the Rossoneri have conceded just one more goal than Roma, whose defence is statistically the best. All this is despite a starting line-up that, in terms of size and height, is prone to struggle on corners and free kicks, with Modric, Saelemaekers, and Pulisic.
Milan hold firm from corners and indirect free-kicks: they have scored more goals (eight) than conceded (five) from set-pieces. Without weekly work, such numbers are simply not possible.
Moving the ball
Allegri and his attacking assistants capitalise on the superior quality of their corner takers (Modric and Bartesaghi), but the cross from the corner doesn’t always land in the centre of the penalty area. The Rossoneri have more often found the net from corners taken short.
The last time was against Cremona (Modric passed to Estupinan, who returned the ball before Pavlovic’s goal), but the same play, with different players, was also used against Roma, Pisa and Hellas Verona.
This is certainly not a coincidence, but rather plays tested several times at Milanello to find the synchronisation between the cross and the runs of players with more height (Pavlovic, De Winter, and Rabiot) or more skill in getting into the box (Pulisic).
Zonal defence
Hiding the lack of height is certainly more complicated. On the corners, Milan defends with a full-zone defence, with man-marking in the area. Complicated? More to put into practice than to explain.
If you take a look at the slow-motion footage of the corners, each Rossoneri player presides over his ‘square’, marking the opponent who is there or who arrives there. Particular attention is paid to the near post area, where Leao often sacrifices himself to prevent headers, and to the men who move in.
Not all the players stay inside the area: Pulisic and Saelemaekers are often out wide to force the opponents to mark them in case of a counter-attack. On free-kicks, however, the Rossoneri defend with a full-zone defence, with two lines of four: a sort of castle.
It is tried and tested: against skilled hitters and strong jumpers, you have to be organised to try and limit the damage.
Worked a peach last night.