AC Milan’s game against Juventus last night is a hard one to analyse for a number of reasons, but the outcome is that it has become even tighter at the top.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall that the victory for Juve was paved by Malick Thiaw’s naive sending off in the 40th minute, but at the same time it must be noted that they limited Milan to just one dangerous chance.
Bremer’s performance explains everything, even the 6 clean sheets out of 9 that the Bianconeri have kept, while at the other end Thiaw couldn’t handle Moise Kean and that ended up being the deciding factor.
The Rossoneri were unlucky on Locatelli’s shot in the 18th minute of the second half, deflected off Rade Krunic, but they also paid for their own faults. In the first half, when they had the game in hand, there was a lack of attacking malice.
Too many players disappointed: Pulisic, Reijnders, Musah, even Leao himself tried harder than anyone but he left the usual impression: that he made the wrong choices such as aimlessly crossing instead of trying to get a shot himself.
Allegri played a waiting game. In the first half it was clear that his side would play a risk-free game aimed at keeping Milan out until the difference makers Vlahovic and Chiesa could come off the bench.
Juve voluntarily renounced all the things that generally lead to a victory: pressing, manoeuvring and attacking with numbers, instead playing with a five-man defence.
He kept one option open: going long to Milik and Kean. Like hoping to get rich by playing a scratch card every now and then. However, it ended up working.
Juve are not easy to break through, also because Pulisic struggled to get going and Musah – without an open field to run into – performs with less dynamism. More than Reijnders was needed between the lines.
In the end, everything is linked to the genius of Leao who was trapped in the Weah-Gatti-McKennie triangle, though he was very close to having an assist for Giroud whose shot was very well saved.
In the 40th minute ‘Allegri’s scratch card pays off’ as per the paper. The ball in behind for for Kean, who was very good at directing the ball towards the goal with a backheel, and Thiaw’s reading and management of the danger let him down.
Now Allegri, who so far has 30% possession, must play to win. Pioli is forced to remove Pulisic for Kalulu and go to a 4-4-1. In the 11th minute of the second half Max steps on the accelerator: Vlahovic and Cambiaso come on.
He took Kean off to keep the two centre-forwards with a view to the final siege of a tired Milan. Pioli responds by changing the centre-forward (Jovic) and strengthening the heart of the midfield (Krunic).
However, it was Krunic who ended up being the undoing for Milan with the unfortunate deflection on a shot by Locatelli, and the subs like Jovic and Romero could do little against a Bianconeri side that decided to sit deep again and defend their lead.
Milan must bounce back in Europe and against Napoli, while the Juventus-Inter clash on November 26 will probably say more about the Scudetto race than last night’s strange affair.
