GdS: ‘Milan collapse’ – how Sarri used Allegri’s approach against him to dent Scudetto dream

AC Milan failed to cut the gap to Inter down to five points on Sunday night as they were beaten 1-0 by Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, Milan have gone from ‘the great opportunity to the great waste’, from the dream of a five-point gap to a crash back down to Earth. Inter’s draw with Atalanta has gone from a bad result to one that has seen them widen the gap.

The only goal was scored by Gustav Isaksen for Lazio, who used the Rossoneri’s classic weapons against them: a deep defence without taking too many risks, lethal counter-attacks, and winning by ‘corto muso’.

The Dane made it 1-0 and for a half devastated Milan’s left flank, particularly the unrecognisable Pervis Estupinan, who was targeted from all sides. Allegri’s three system changes in the second half produced nothing, with the substitutions having little impact. Now, they must pick up the pieces.

A solid wall

Lazio’s defensive performance deserved credit because they were organised and alert, something they haven’t shown often this year. They even had to resort to a makeshift regista, the defender Patric, because Rovella and Cataldi were out.

However, Patric was one of the symbols of Lazio’s humility. Sarri also abandoned some of his old attacking principles, compacting himself into two very narrow defensive lines and leaving Maldini to battle with De Winter.

Sarri prevailed because, as usual, Milan can’t always do well without a centre-forward. There are games where having a No.9 is essential. Allegri may reflect on not starting Füllkrug, while his introduction in the 22nd minute of the second half in a 4-2-4 reflected a certain improvisation.

The victory was the result of Lazio’s excellent first half. Their defence was tight, their midfield quickly organised for transitions, and above all Isaksen’s runs put Estupinan to the sword. The Dane’s wide position caused damage, as did Milan’s very high line at least by their standards (56 metres).

Unaccustomed to defending so high, the Rossoneri often found themselves stranded on Lazio’s vertical runs. This was because their attacks consisted of lateral passes around the penalty area without a through ball – due to a poor night for Leao and Pulisic – or with aimless crosses.

Thus, Lazio wrested possession and countered. Sarri was also without a striker, but Maldini was very useful as a slingshot, drawing De Winter in, while the attacks developed entirely down the wings. Leao, Fofana, Jashari and Saelemaekers all appeared confused, and even Modric wasn’t enough.

The first half was all Lazio, with three shots and three red-alert threats: Taylor hit the crossbar, Maignan saved Maldini’s central shot after he escaped De Winter, and finally Isaksen’s powerful left-footed shot on the counter. For Milan, Estupinan’s header grazed the post, but nothing more.

Changes in vain

It’s true that Allegri tried almost everything, but more through trial and error than strategy. After a first half in which the 3-5-2 became a 4-3-3 in the build-up phase, with Estupinan as full-back, the back four became fixed in the second half, at least until the introduction of Nkunku and Fullkrug.

They came on to form a 4-2-4 with Pulisic and Saelemaekers on the sides. It was a crowding that played into Lazio’s hands so much so that, with Ricci coming on for Saelemaekers, Allegri closed the match again with the 4-3-3.

Milan didn’t win anything but a high number of corners (nine) and crosses into the area which all ended with Motta catching them or Lazio clearing them. Lazio’s recovery is evident in their two consecutive wins against Sassuolo and Milan, while the Rossoneri’s current form remains unclear.

The derby performance and the one against Lazio are worlds apart, and the absence of Rabiot alone isn’t enough to explain the gap. The season resumes with Milan-Torino and Fiorentina-Inter, but it’s not the head-to-head some were expecting.