With the change of coach from Massimiliano Allegri to Ruben Amorim, AC Milan have drastically changed their style of play.
At the time of his announcement as Allegri’s successor, we analysed how fans could expect to see a complete 180-degree turn when it comes to the style of play. However, it is one thing theorising about it and another thing putting it into practice.
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For example, last season the Rossoneri almost always adopted a very deep defensive line and they were not very aggressive when it came to pressing high up the field. This is perhaps to be expected, given it is a hallmark of Allegri sides.
A changed approach
With the Portuguese coach, however, the idea is to play with a very high line – as far away from Mike Maignan’s goal as possible – and to put a lot of pressure on the opponents. So, a complete change from last season, backed up by the numbers.
According to Corriere dello Sport (via MilanPress), the Rossoneri are now one of the best teams in Italy when it comes to PPDA (Passes Allowed Per Defensive Action). That is a metric measured to use the effectiveness of a press: the passes allowed to opponents before a defensive action.
With a value of 11.25, the Rossoneri are fifth in Italy behind Roma (8.54), Frosinone (8.55), Venezia (10.77), and Como (11.08), while they are slightly ahead of Inter (11.26). In this metric a lower number is better.
