Pavlovic’s tendencies and a 10-year low: All the key stats from Sassuolo-Milan

AC Milan were well beaten by Sassuolo yesterday afternoon and there is a lot that can be said about the performance. 

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In many ways, the defeat to Sassuolo is one to forget. However, it has brought several questions to light and Milan cannot shelve a result, nor a performance, like the one from Sunday. Instead, it must be picked apart.

There were several areas where the Rossoneri were sub-standard and questions need to be asked of all of the squad members and even Massimiliano Allegri. There can be no hiding from a game which may show the Champions League slip more prominently than ever before.

The Key Stats

The most worrying stat is the scoreline. It was a poor performance and there can be no denying that. There was not even the saving grace of three points, as has regularly been the case this season. No, this is a bad result on paper and on the pitch, where Milan fell short in every way.

It was, as was stated in the post-match review, a ‘painful’ game to watch and the Rossoneri will be left licking their wounds.

They were dominated in pretty much every stat: possession, xG, big chances, shots, goals. Not a good day at the office.

Pavlovic’s worrying (but positive?) tendency

Last night, a tweet was published by @Mateo26_, stating that Strahinja Pavlovic has had the third most shots of anyone at Milan. Now, whilst that sounds worrying, it is not quite true.

After a bit more research, his shot against Sassuolo was his 23rd of the season of which five have been on target, pretty impressive to say he has scored four goals. Nevertheless, he is not the third highest shot taker.

Instead, he is third behind Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic in the forwards category, if we’re including him there. Santiago Gimenez has had 22, Christopher Nkunku has 21 and Niclas Füllkrug sits on a meagre 16.

Of course, Pavlovic has played considerably more games. However, the fact that he has managed more shots than strikers is a worrying factor. Allegri has no faith in the alternative options too, so it is possible that he’ll finish the season with more shots than his more forward-thinking teammates.

Record low

Heading back to the key stats, the Diavolo’s expected goal figure was only 0.27. Now, that looks bad in its own right, but when considering that it is their lowest in almost 10 years. It is dismal. Allegri is known for his defensive style, but his defence are crumbling.

Going forward, Milan must start actually going forward themselves, but even then, their attackers are struggling. It is a vicious position to be in and there are seemingly no solutions. There can be no denying how problematic this really is.