Pietro Mazzara believes that Massimiliano Allegri must consider a change in formation to get more out of the current squad.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
As always seems to be the case after a negative result, the debate has reignited about whether Allegri’s 3-5-2 system is a sustainable one in terms of getting the best out of the players, above all Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao.
Both the American and the Portuguese didn’t seem like their usual selves in the defeat to Lazio last night, and the reaction of the latter after coming off has generated headlines.
He was frustrated because Pulisic didn’t try to find a couple of his runs with through balls, showing the chemistry isn’t there yet in terms of the pair operating as a front two.
Mazzara published his weekly column for MilanNews in which he offered some considerations on the defeat in the capital, and whether Allegri should tweak things a bit tactically.
“And this is also the result of the 3-5-2 formation, which features Pulisic and Leao as its two main attackers. The match at the Olimpico is the clearest snapshot there is of how these two players aren’t comfortable with this system and that, arguably, it’s gone beyond what’s technically tolerable.
“In fact, Rafa and Chris have changed their nature compared to their careers and they did so with a great spirit of sacrifice that, along with the entire team, led Milan to second place.
“But to reach the Champions League, you need to win games, and it’s no coincidence that with the switch to a 4-3-3 (which perhaps would have forced Saelemaekers, whose performances had declined, to sit out) the team not only produced more offensively, but it seemed that almost all the players felt more comfortable.
“Rumour has it that Allegri didn’t want to return to the formation he identified at the start of the season and then changed to 3-5-2 because he wouldn’t trust some of his defenders to play one-on-one in open play.
“However, at the same time, the attacking potential of Leao and Pulisic is being lost. The more you pull the cover, the more you uncover something. It’s a matter of whether it’s better to have your feet or your head uncovered.”