Paulo Fonseca’s bold tactical decisions paid off during AC Milan’s derby win against Inter, and now he faces the dilemma of whether to repeat them again in future games starting with Friday’s home meeting with Lecce.
We broke down exactly why Fonseca’s decision to use a 4-4-2/4-2-4 system seemed to combat Inter’s strengths perfectly during our tactical analysis published after the game, but Calciomercato.com ask whether it is sustainable in the weeks to come.
One of the keys to the anti-Inter team, beyond the system, was the concept of never abandoning the pre-established script, with very specific tasks assigned to each individual player, even in difficult situations such as the Nerazzurri drawing level after Federico Dimarco’s equaliser.
Maintaining this game plan does not only depend on tactical discipline, but also and above all on the team’s attitude. The application shown in the derby was impeccable in this sense, with intensity and attentiveness across the board.
Fielding Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Morata up front together was a brave move, yet it worked very well. The two centre-forwards did not score, but their importance in the match was evident and not only for the leadership they showed.
A quick look at the heat maps of the two to get an idea of their roles, with few touches in the opponent’s penalty area, but a lot of work around the area to create space. Morata’s performance is exemplary in this sense, as more of a trequartista who man-marked Hakan Calhanoglu from the start.
Abraham and Morata will not be able to play all the games and the absence of both or even just one of the two complicates the possibility of seeing a two-pronged attack. The first alternative on the bench, Luka Jovic, is not suited to doing this type of work especially in the coverage phase.
Noah Okafor has so far worked better as a winger (as a deputy to Leao) and thus it is easier to imagine that Fonseca would continue on the path taken in the derby with Ruben Loftus-Cheek acting as a pseudo-striker, exploiting his physicality.
Another player who cannot be ignored is Christian Pulisic, who is in excellent form. Since arriving at Milan he has made darting runs into the middle a trademark but against the Nerazzurri he ended up playing consistently in the centre, as seen for his goal.
There was confusion about who should be responsible for containing him and the result was plenty of space for Morata and especially Abraham behind the defenders on the weak side. Emerson Royal also benefited from Pulisic’s movements and he got into some dangerous crossing positions.
Then there was the work of Youssouf Fofana. The 25-year-old Frenchman has not yet reached the peak of his potential and his inaccuracies in the first build-up testify to this, but his condition is clearly improving and in the derby it is difficult to find a frame without his presence.
He screened from left to right in front of the defence allowing Tijjani Reijnders to push on without too many worries. The former Monaco player is the linchpin around which the Rossoneri’s defensive strategy has developed and this makes him indispensable, especially for a two-striker system.
The conclusion to all of the above? The 4-2-4 from the derby is therefore replicable and presumably already in the next matches it will be used – from the first minute or during the game – to try build on the strengths.
The characteristics of the opponent, any absences in key roles and the condition of the most essential players will be the aspects that will influence Fonseca’s choices, starting from Friday’s game against Lecce.
Honestly the best solution is to use 4312 , Abraham and Leao as the strikers, with Pulisic as the attacking midfielder, then the midfield 3 will be RLC , Fofana and Rejnders, that way the midfield is stable and secure, and the attack has speed and ideas, then you could also pair Jovic , Morata, with Okafor behind them , with a midfield three, he have Zeroli Musa and Vos, with a back four, that way everything is simplified and all our strikers get to play regularly and are in good shape, the system we use now affords Leao to be lazy, with the 4312 system him becomes the first line of defence, and he is not neglected on the left
Leao can’t function as a CF, we don’t have to hold the team down by accommodate his lack of versatility. If he isn’t suited or cannot effectively adapt to a particular formation, he should be on the bench until we switch to a formation that can accommodate him.
The need to always fit him somewhere by force is a limiting factor to this team.
Our best CF duo is Abraham and Morata with jovic and Okafor as subs anything short of this or an attempt to feature Leao up there is a waste of plan.
Leao as a striker? Hasn’t worked and never will. He’s not Thierry Henry and never will be.
fuk sake. 4312 isn’t for this set of players
pls help me remind them o, they are just so stuck in the 4312 system. some fans a terrible and stubborn than pioli. imagine someone still saying we should go back to 4312 ouch. just focus on watching the back of your tv. if we can stick with 442
then use 433 or 3 5 2
Pioli also used 4 2 4 in moments when Milan was losing the game. We can now remember with 4 2 4 Milan draw the level in some games and even won.
424 worked with Inter, but certain things I noticed about it, Leao is still not tracking back properly , and our midfield is not properly covered with 2,but if we switch to 4312, we have strikers capable of playing together, with the support of an attacking midfielder in Pulisic, or Vos or even Okafor, that way Leao becomes more centralised, this will benefit him, if not he risks been burned out as a winger, he has the perfect Characteristics to play as a striker, that way we have a constant threat in attack, and they will act as the first line of defence..
” Leao becomes more centralised, this will benefit him”
LOL. NOPE. He’s like a fish on the ground when he’s in a central position. He can only play wide. Have you not seen him play?
fuk sake. 4312 is not so not for this set of players. how can you not see this is beyond me.. we dont have an am or dm ffs
I have seen more inflexible, less talented , slower players , physically less imposing wingers turned to strikers, either we like it or not , he is the best attacker we have, can anyone honestly tell me he has never played as a striker before in either Sporting or Lille, watch him closely , even his body language shows he is frustrated, in other for him to grow as a star he needs to make a move to been a striker and be used to been having pressure from all sides, right now he is playing on the left without much success, he is more than just holding the ball and running to the byline.
He needs to play with instinct, he will think faster and move and be decisive, instead of wasting time.
Pulisic can play as an attacking midfielder,Vos is also suited to this, you people need to understand that 4231 is not secure, complicates the transition of play , and wastes time, with to many wingers hugging the ball for far too long.
no he cant play in 4312 and no he isnt our best attacker. We dont have an am or dm for it. Sure puli can pinch it but he cant play 90min every game. Vos is a DM idk why you think he is a AM.. then again if you think 4312 is a good idea you would think that vos is a dm.
We have a coach who wants to play with wings so idk why you’re dreaming about some old formation that nobody uses anymore..
433 or 352 are best for our players. the latter goes with benching leao.
Also Leao will never improve, he’s a lazy sob who’s content with the lvl he is at. He wont make good music as well. Same reason
Oh also his shooting is cr@p. Leao is only usefull making passes nowadays. Cant have a ST that needs 10 strikes to bag a goal…
It seems you don’t watch Milan matches.
Leao has been used centrally severally and he lost in those matches.
Leao cannot function as a center forward, so get that now. He can only function as a wide winger.
How many times was he used as a striker…??
From the scudetto season onwards:
serie A 2022/23: 5 games as a SS in a 3-4-3, 0 goals+1 assist. UCL 2022/23: 1 game in the same setup 0 goals+0 assists
serie A 2023/24: 1 game as a CF: no goals, no assists
So in 7 games as either a CF or SS, he had only 1 assist.
as long as RLC doesn’t play we are good