AC Milan’s first preseason friendly certainly did not present the finished product with regards to Paulo Fonseca’s work on the training pitch, but there were nonetheless some interesting signs.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have highlighted four things from the 1-1 draw that were noteworthy, starting with the build-up structure which was a 3+2. That means three players (plus the goalkeeper) staying back to cycle the ball, and two options in midfield to progress.
Davide Calabria moved around from right-back, with Matteo Gabbia and Malick Thiaw the other two, allowing Filippo Terracciano to push higher on the left, something that Theo Hernandez will presumably do when he is back in the fold.
The two central midfielders were Yacine Adli and Tommaso Pobega, so they stayed a bit deeper to offer options with Mattia Liberali further forward, but another key point is that Fonseca often used the goalkeeper in the build-up.
Marco Sportiello or Lorenzo Torriani were used in the first and second half respectively and when they were on the ball the structure changed. The two centre-backs then split, Calabria moved up, the midfielders remained in position.
Ball possession will be one of the mantras of the new Milan, this is quite clear. Fonseca wants to have the ball and manage the pace of the game. To do so, he asks the goalkeeper to participate in the build-up – with Maignan, very good with his feet, it will be even easier – and attracts the opponent’s pressing.
We saw several times – especially in the second half – instances where the defenders and the goalkeeper held the ball to call the Rapid Wien forwards to press.
Another indication was that the central midfielders often blocked in a central area, in front of the defence, which is an antidote against counter-attacks. With Pioli, those two players had much more freedom.
Milan alternated moments in which they pressed intensely with others where they defended deeper. It is hard to press fully for 90 minutes and that is why picking the right moments is so key, as is balancing aggression to ensure some kind of protection in transition.
In Vienna the approach was to send the attacking midfielder (first Liberali, then Loftus-Cheek) to exert the first pressure together with the striker (first Colombo, then Maldini).
La Gazzetta also highlighted something regarding corners, but this is something we will go into later today with a deeper analysis.
Nothing new. All this we saw under Pioli. What I am interested in is the defensive structure, and that looked pretty messy.
Yep all facts 💯
This has been around since the Pioli era. What I hate is, even when we think there will be a cross into the opponent’s box, or a puncture from the winger, for some reason, the ball goes back to Maignan’s feet. There is no courage to send the ball into the box or take a kick from outside the opponent’s penalty box.
What’s the point of the game if you don’t try to score goals? No points are counted when the win is simply “possession of the ball”