AC Milan were able to rely on an almost impenetrable defensive wall during Tuesday night’s win against Spurs in the Champions League.
MilanNews recall how the rather inexperienced Pierre Kalulu and Malick Thiaw flanked the veteran Simon Kjaer in a three-man rearguard during the match against Tottenham, tasked with stifling three top quality forwards in Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski.
Thiaw and Kalulu stifled Tottenham’s wingers, playing an exceptional match in terms of positional sense, strength in tackling, ability to read opponents’ movements first and concentration. Against the opponents they faced, any mistake could have been fatal.
To guide them was the experience of Kjaer. After a first half spent resorting to systematic fouls on Kane, the Dane closed every space on the 10 of Spurs and his team-mates, drawing up a masterclass on how to defend in certain matches even if you are not at your best physically.
What also deserves a mention is the command of Ciprian Tatarusanu as well as the work rate of Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman chased after everything and everyone, even defending on his own byline, while the Portuguese put in tackles and pressed from the front.
