Stefano Pioli simply must improve AC Milan’s defensive solidity and there is help on the way, but in truth it could hardly get any worse to begin with.
As Corriere dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) write this morning, Milan’s philosophy this season is simply to score one more goal than the opponent to win matches, therefore focusing on the quality of their attack rather than being tough to breach at the other end.
After 26 rounds of Serie A, Milan have conceded 32 goals. The worrying fact is that Pioli’s side are the 12th-best defence in the entire league and teams like Torino, Monza and Genoa have conceded fewer goals.
There have been only nine clean sheets, one one of those came in the last eight games. The paper actually likens the Diavolo’s defence (or lack thereof) to a ‘sieve’.
These are worrying numbers that Milan often (but not always) somehow managed to make up for with their attack. One of the defects of the side seems to be balance: many times defenders are left alone at the mercy of the opponent or are not positioned correctly when attacked.
Another fact should be added: Milan have conceded seven penalties in the league (11 in total) and it is a sign that many goals were caused by individual errors or incidents.
There is, however, some good news: the emergency is over. Malick Thiaw has already returned, Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori are also about to return and Matteo Gabbia came back revitalised from his loan to Villarreal. The situation behind it can only improve now.
