It has been a strange year so far for AC Milan in 2023 as they have dropped out of the race for three trophies yet are back among the best eight sides in Europe.
MilanNews recall how January was a month that saw the defensive unit completely lose their stability as they conceded three against Inter, four against Lazio then five against Sassuolo, but in February the switch to a three-man defence brought back some organisation.
The team certainly looked safer and the back line more protected but many feel that it has come at the expense of attacking fluidity and individual flair, as the FootyStats xG (expected goals) trackers have shown.
➤ Milan 1-0 Torino (xG 1.06-1.47)
➤ Milan 1-0 Tottenham (1.75-1.50)
➤ Monza 0-1 Milan (1.41-1.78)
➤ Milan 2-0 Atalanta (1.51-0.63)
➤ Fiorentina 2-1 Milan (2.15-1.24)
➤ Tottenham 0-0 Milan (1.50-1.75)
➤ Milan 1-1 Salernitana (2.35-1.08)
Milan scored 7 goals against an overall xG of 11.44, finding themselves with a deficit of 4.44 which essentially means that the Rossoneri scored between four and five goals less than what one would have expected from their attacking production.
Nonetheless, the data also shows that their xG was actually lower than their opponents in the games against Torino and Fiorentina while against Monza it was nearly the same.
