GdS: Pioli working on Ibra-Giroud coexistence but not in a two-striker formation

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli continues to think of ways to deploy Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud together, and the latest solution is an interesting one.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanLive) reflects on the game at the Dall’Ara which ended in a 4-2 win for Milan, and offered some indications on something that Pioli may well be testing out. Given that at 2-2 the Rossoneri found themselves with a two-man advantage after the second red card, getting the Swede and the Frenchman playing together was key.

It seemed as though if the pair were to co-exist then it would be in a 4-4-2 or some form of two-striker system, but Pioli actually used a 4-2-3-1 with Ibra acting as a second striker behind Giroud. It is from that position that the 40-year-old dropped into space and scored the fourth goal in Bologna.

The characteristics of the two strikers are very different because Ibrahimovic has tended to drop deep to facilitate the attacking build-up play more and he always wants to be involved, whereas Giroud is more of a positional striker as seen with his goals against Cagliari and Verona.