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.