AC Milan fell to defeat away from home in the league for the first time last night as Torino beat them 2-1, and the midfield has been highlighted as an area of struggle.
MilanNews recalls that Stefano Pioli even mentioned after the game how his side were missing the usual dribbling ability in the middle of the field, in particular with the aim of widening the field and staying more open.
It is an implication that everything Tonali and Pobega did was predictable. The team made total of 333 passes, of which many more than half (204) were made backwards. In addition, 63% of the possession Pioli’s team had was in their own half, a symptom of a closed game where the end result was just one shot on target.
Bennacer’s absence was obvious and the numbers show his importance. He rans fifth in Serie A for key passes (24), as well as the fourth for recovered balls (87). With hindsight yesterday these two qualities would have served enormously in the middle of the field, but Pioli decided to preserve him for the Champions League and now on Wednesday night it simply must pay off.
