AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has offered up plenty of signs that his team will be difficult to predict during the first three games of the season.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) has an analysis of how Milan have changed from last season to this season, remarking that Pioli has taken inspiration from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
They pinpoint some of the specific movements of note, starting with Davide Calabria’s move inside to a central role seen in the Roma game during the build-up play.
The idea is that Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders are able to get forward and join attacks, with Calabria tucking in and Krunic sliding over to protect the defence in the event of a counter-attack.
Secondly, they mention how Loftus-Cheek and Reijnders push forward enough to effectively join the forward line like how Guardiola asked Gundogan and De Bruyne to play last season.
The midfield duo are free to join the attack and occupy spaces opened up by the work of the wingers who stay wide and occasionally drop back to help cycle possession.
Pioli is really evolving as a coach. Trying new things. That’s what great coaches do.This Milan team is so good. Even if we lose a match,they are still on track. They play intelligent and Fast football. Very modern. He should also be given more chances to the others e.g Musa,Adli ,Pobega etc.
He is taking some inspiration from other managers and that helps him to evolve as a manager. NGL If we get David next season like some reports are saying and Redbird not sell our key players to highest bidder we can create a team that can challenge teams like Bayern and City for UCL. We should praise the recruitment too, we really got the players that will suit Pioli’s style of football unlike last season in CDK.
The style is relatively new to many of these teams (that said, Mourinho should have known it well). I worry a bit about champions league because these tactics have been around for a couple years now in the EPL and pep has already had to make some changes, but pioli has had the answers so far.