Stefano Pioli decided to field a 4-4-2 formation for AC Milan’s clash against Udinese on Saturday evening. The Rossoneri lost the game 1-0 and the formation had a role in that, as the midfield battle was won by the away side.
Rade Krunic and Tijjani Reijnders both struggled on the night, not helped by the fact that Yunus Musah and Rafael Leao pushed incredibly high. For large parts of the game, it was almost a 4-2-4 formation for the Rossoneri.
As highlighted by Corriere dello Sport (see photo below), the formation change resulted in a constant numerical inferiority in the middle of the pitch. Krunic and Reijnders didn’t stand a chance from the start, struggling especially with the counter-attacks Udinese had.
The tactical solution that was meant to help Milan, therefore, played into the away side’s hands instead and this cannot happen again in the upcoming games. PSG are up next and tactical mistakes like the one we saw yesterday will be punished immediately.