It was supposed to be a night of revenge at San Siro on Tuesday as AC Milan welcomed Chelsea for the return fixture of the Champions League group stages, but it ended up being somewhat of an anti-climax.
If a Milan line-up that was missing some key players – particular in defence – was despatched without much of a fight at Stamford Bridge, the 2-0 win over Juventus on Sunday and the return of Theo Hernandez bolstered the hopes that the over 75,000 fans present could witness a memorable evening.
However, the entire outcome ended up hinging upon an incident less than 20 minutes into the game as German referee Daniel Siebert adjudged Fikayo Tomori to have impeded Mason Mount inside the box, pointing to the spot and showing the defender a red card.
The general consensus seems to be that the decision and the double punishment were very harsh and it ultimately robbed the fans of what could have been a fascinating spectacle be it the right or wrong call.
Despite this, the situation was entirely avoidable and it showcased Milan’s inability to switch on to a trend that has repeated itself in Graham Potter’s early tenure with the Blues, as our tactical analysis highlights.
The warning signs
Milan were picked apart down their admittedly weakened left side in the game at Stamford Bridge last week with the goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James coming from that side, and then Wolves became the latest victim to what seems to be an early Potter favourite.
The fantastic CFC Central have done a great job in highlighting Chelsea’s use of wide overloads and how they are generated by quick switches of play which we will not attempt to replicate, so instead we will insert the clips for context.
This was done by performing the switch a) further up the pitch b) by ensuring the receiver received it inside the box. The widest attacker/FB/WB in a 4/5 is usually the beneficiary. Here, Mount uses it to find Azpilicueta (FB) inside the box vs Wolves.pic.twitter.com/2Oi1jkveI5
— CFC Central (@CFCCentral3) October 10, 2022
Their analysis talks about how Chelsea have relied upon the movement of they ball quickly out to the flanks, utilising the attacking runs of the wide forwards or in some cases the wing-backs who – as we knew from the first game – love to get forward in attacks.
Switches don't necessarily have to be one long pass. Like Pep, Potter also emphasizes switching across the field with a series of short passes, ensuring that the final pass is received by a marauding WB/FB in or around the box. You can see an example here.pic.twitter.com/vUVRzWlUhJ
— CFC Central (@CFCCentral3) October 10, 2022
What is highlighted brilliantly by CFC Central is that the switches do not just occur from raking diagonal balls to the spare man on the far side of the pitch, but also through a series of sharp passes aimed at catching out an opposing defence and/or midfield in transition.
There is a two-fold reason that this is such a problem for Milan.
Firstly the aggressive intent of the defensive line and how close together the double pivot play as part of the press means there is often a lot of space left on the far side of the field.
Secondly, the level of opposition the Rossoneri face each week in Serie A is never generally good enough to take advantage of this because they either move the ball carefully with more precision, or do so with less quality when they attempt to shift it quickly. That means Milan’s gamble in aggression is rarely punished.
The key incident
With all of the above in mind, it is disappointing but also not surprising to see that lessons were not learned from last week’s game, perhaps because of the assumption that Theo’s return would be enough on its own to neutralise the threat of Reece James on Chelsea’s right side.
In the frame below you can see how Milan’s double pivot of Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer are very close together (Tonali is above Bennacer). This is nothing new, as they often play in a short vertical or horizontal line to hunt as a pack in the press at times.
The issue is the spaces that have opened up on Milan’s left side because of the lack of protection. While there is no immediate dangers while Raheem Sterling has his back to goal, we can already see exactly how the move will develop.
Mason Mount is in acres of space because Fikayo Tomori has hesitated on whether to follow the ball carrier out or whether to drop in and cover. Theo Hernandez spots the danger so is instantly heading narrower in order to prevent a potentially easy through ball.
The situation unfolds in a way that Pioli will not be happy with. The ball is allowed to be released by Sterling while five Milan players are caught within a space of around 15 years, thus leaving an awful lot of real estate for the ball out to James, with Mount and Aubameyang now pinning Tomori and Gabbia respectively.
Tomori decides to step up to be closer to Mount, but he times this badly as James is getting ready to curl a perfect ball around thus meaning he is caught flat-footed in a moment of adjustment.
Of course, sometimes attack can be better than defence and the ball through from the wing-back is inch perfect, so credit is due there. However, as highlight below, the scenario that ends up developing with Mount clean through and bearing down on goal could also have been avoided had Tomori got a hold of his former team-mate earlier by putting an arm across.
It might well have been a foul, but in the end the penalty, red card and goal to go 1-0 down was just about as disastrous an outcome as there could have been, and ended up virtually terminating the contest early.
A valiant response
One thing we did not see at all during the game in west London was an attempt from Milan to play out of Chelsea’s high press, which almost always involves three or four players. Bizarrely, the Diavolo did it effectively moments after going a goal and man down on Tuesday.
In the passage of play shown below, the move begins with Ciprian Tatarusanu in possession and Bennacer showing himself to receive the ball near the edge of the box. Mount has an eye on Gabbia and Theo over his shoulder, with Sterling pushing up to cover Kalulu as an option and Aubameyang rushing the goalkeeper into a decision.
The fact that Theo is not at all expecting the pass to come his way speaks volumes about the moment of quality that Bennacer produced. Rather than taking a touch that would have put him under instant pressure, he fires a first-time ball almost at a 140-degree angle to bypass the press, gambling on Theo’s awareness.
The result is that Milan have bypassed the Chelsea front four players and Theo has acres of space to run into down the centre of the field, something he had done while the game was 11v11 and he functioned virtually as an additional midfielder.
The reason so many fans were eager to see the change from the first game with the French left-back in the team is because of the confusion he causes to an opposing defence. A lot of the time he heads from the back left corner of the field to the top right, drawing in midfielders and defenders who want to stop his run and creating space for his team-mates.
The movement of Tonali must also be highlighted. The midfielder has been pushed up frequently to form a 4-1-4-1 of sorts when Milan have attacked with 11 this season, and his run seems to confuse Chilwell and Koulibaly in particular as neither know whether to step out (given Giroud was covered) or hold firm.
The result of the sequence was that Tonali was followed and this allowed Brahim Diaz the space on the corner of the box to curl in a perfect cross to Olivier Giroud, who took advantage of the momentary confusion to nestle between the two centre-backs. He really should have scored.
The sucker punch
In a strange way, that attack might have been the worst possible thing for Milan’s chances of getting back into the game. Admittedly the red card was unforeseen, but Pioli did not make an instant change to bring on an extra defender, perhaps because of the desire to strike back quickly.
That period before Sergino Dest came on would result in the killer second goal. In the passage below, it seems that the situation is under control for Milan as Tonali pressures the man in possession, but just like for the first goal there is already danger forming on the right side.
Leao is using Theo’s position as a reference point for the line to occupy and the left-back is playing tight to Aubameyang. Gabbia is caught somewhat in No Man’s Land as Kalulu has stepped out of the defensive line, with Rade Krunic having to come across due to the fact he was filling in at the back before the substitution was made.
As Chelsea evade the pressure from Milan, the danger opens up when Aubameyang is not followed into the space by Theo and Gabbia goes to him instead. Krunic is still monitoring Sterling as Kalulu attempts to run back.
Aubameyang drops the pass off to Kovacic who scans the field ahead of him. Kalulu has watched the run of mount to the edge of the box but nobody is close enough to their man to stop the supply. Krunic is slotting in virtually as a centre-back at this point with Sterling pinning him.
Kovacic rolls the ball to Mount who – because of the understanding between Chelsea’s front three that was obvious over the two games – knows that a ball in behind the defence would catch Milan out and would find the run of either Sterling or Aubameyang.
Theo Hernandez isn’t sure who to pick up (as seen above and below) while Gabbia has stepped up, giving the impression that the Blues were easily able to carve Pioli’s side open again.
When Dest came on and Kalulu was properly shifted to centre-back things looked more organised generally, however the chaos prior to that change showed that against the top sides on Europe disorganisation will be punished.
Springs of hope
Finally, it is important to mention how Milan approached a second half in which they still fashioned chances and did not concede, while we must also realise the impact that Dest had.
He played quite narrow as a full-back and could have had a hockey assist in the play below. Bennacer remained the deeper of the midfielders to facilitate build-up play, and a smart run from the American took advantage of the fact Milan had four players close to the edge of the box which had forced Chelsea to play a deeper line.
The angled run inside opens up space and Tonali made a smart run in behind, receiving the pass and putting a dangerous cut-back across, yet the away side eventually scrambled it clear. If nothing else, it was a demonstration that unpredictable attacking play can yield scoring chances even a man and two goals down.
Conclusion
It is hard to draw any real concrete tactical patterns when the game is 10v11 for over 70 minutes, but it is yet another important lesson that Milan have received in Europe regarding the absolute necessity to remain switched on at all times.
Chelsea are probably not among the main contenders to win the competition, however the fact they combine speed with quality makes them a tough proposition for any opponent. Milan are not used to playing against teams that can be incisive with precision and pace in equal measure because, frankly, the style and standard of Serie A is different.
At the moment, most top Premier League sides will have too much for a Milan team that is sorely lacking in depth due to injuries but also in experience given the youthful nature of the squad. Every day is a school day, and now the focus is on Hellas Verona and Monza in the league, then Dinamo Zagreb.
Good analysis
But nothing much to learn
Teammates all moraled down after the red card
and 35% rate of yellowcard against foul against AC Milan makes player play extra careful
There is no particular tactics or game plan under pioli. There is no coordination or organization while we attack, players are instructed to play free football and thats why we are unable to score same type of buildup goal twice. The Only repeating element
is the run of leao in left wing and the cross he provides. Thats individual brilliance. But agree defense got some organization as we are consistent in pressing and man marking and a team like chelsea who got technical players easily trapped our defenders up the pitch and took advantage through the wings.
Pioli is a coach who brought some success without any game plan or good tactics. He couldn’t bring an identity to our gameplay all these years, but still we are winning scudetto.
It was simple, pioli had a naive tactical plan to counter Chelsea which never worked…..why was theo drifting in Central area when two Chelsea fullbacks showed what they can do at Stamford Bridge while maintaining a high defensive line, it simply expose us.. this tactis only work with a back line of 3 cbs…..and second the gap between two cbs at times covered almost 3/4 of the width of the pitch we were bound for disaster…..tbh we handed to Chelsea beside that stupid red card….its simple pioli defensive organisation including full backs failed big time.
The problem with Tomori here is the same problem with Pioli. They think they can play the same over-aggressive style that they play against Empoli and Sassuolo, when they are facing Chelsea and Liverpool. They cannot. They will get exposed. They do not have the speed advantage against these teams as they do against many of the Serie A teams. They need to play smarter.
People on here are quick to judge.
We had 5 players out in the 1st leg against Chelsea with Theo, probably our most influential player after Leao in that list as well as Maignian who plays a huge role in distributing the ball from the back and then we played with a man down for 70 minutes in the 2nd leg.
The only thing we can take from these games is that we don’t have the depth in the squad that we need to compete in the Champions League.
While this is great tactical analysis it does not point out that to be an aggressive attacking team that defends with a high line in numbers, which Mr. Pioli sets the team up to play, we will always leave ourselves open in some areas of the pitch. Even Chelsea left themselves exposed as pointed out in the article above when they had a man advantage for the same reason.
To play without conceding chances or taking risks is exactly how Allegri sets up and no one wants that, not even Juventus fans.
We beat inter playing with this system and they have just beaten and drawn against Barca.
We can compete using these tactics and no one should be questioning Mr. Pioli’s system.
This is such a high-quality article, I can’t say anything about it but fantastic job and I’d love to read more of this. Also, I’d love to see more of this sort of content on the Youtube Channel, not unlike what we see with Tifo IRL.