AC Milan were held to a frustrating draw by struggling Cremonese on Tuesday night as they just couldn’t find a way to break the deadlock, continuing a worrying attacking trend.
What Cremonese did to frustrate Milan was something that Stefano Pioli’s side have had trouble with before, as the hosts played with a low block and sacrificed any kind of real attacking threat. We have analysed what this means and how the Rossoneri can do better moving forward…
The workings
A low block is a tactic used primarily when the team is off the ball. The primary aim of this tactic is to provide maximum protection in your own defensive third, to thus limit chances for opponents and avoid counter-attacks altogether.
Cremonese played a 3-5-2 system, which means they set up as can be seen in the graphic below, with them in black and Milan in red.
When playing a low block the most important thing is to be narrow and compact, both horizontally and vertically. If you are not compact then space will open up between the lines.
The strikers have to be quick and look to take advantage of the space behind the defenders of the opposition and take the ball far away from their team’s goal and give some relief to the defenders.
A team playing a low block usually play on the counter-attack since the idea of the team is to protect the goal by ceding as much possession as possible.
Advantages and disadvantages
As we all know the main pro of a low/deep block is that it provides defensive security and solidity. It gives teams who are not as fortunate as the teams with big budgets – like Cremonese and other relegation battlers – the opportunity to fight for a draw in virtually every game they play, or even better if luck is on their side.
The disadvantage however is that, as much as it is an easy tactic to go to, it is very risky to actually deploy. Defenders need to stay concentrated at all times. Even a minor mistake or a deflection can mean conceding a goal.
Also while playing a low block defenders have to keep their concentration at all times since their side virtually never keep the ball. Players should not come out of the structure or they risk conceding space.
If a goal is conceded early it subsequently will mean that the game plan would need to be reset early too, forcing them to open up more.
How to beat it
Now here it gets interesting. If Teams play very close to their own goal, how do you beat it? There are four main ways.
Quick wing play with runners in the box: As mentioned teams playing a low block play narrow and hence there is space on the wings. Therefore attacking teams need to attack the wide areas and have runners flood the box while delivering a cross. If the full-back tries to go out to challenge the winger/full-back then the opposition can take the space vacated by the opposition full-back and it can lead to quick 1-2’s or cut-backs.
Switch play: Continuing the exploitation of wide areas, if the opposition wises up to playing the wings they would shift their block to the wing which is being attack by the team. This would open up space on the opposite flank and a quick switch of play can exploit that space.
Quick passing: This requires a lot of technical skill and quick movements, something Pep Guardiola’s teams do well. They would have one person from midfield make a vertical pass to somebody in between the lines and then 2-3 players would perform quick one touch passing between the lines to open up space. Of course this is easier said than done and it requires a lot of practice, technical skills and chemistry between players.
Set pieces and long distance: Set pieces are important whenever the opposition parks the bus. Corners or free kicks are the easiest way to get close to the goal and break the structure.
Long Distance shooting is also a good way to break a deep block. With defenders staying deep and close to the goalkeeper, it can affect visibility of the keeper or even the shot can take a deflection to wrong foot them.
Conclusion
Milan have had problems time and time again in beating the low block, and while their goal scoring has got better in consistency and they find a way more often than not, frustrating nights like the one against Cremonese only compound certain problems, especially after a defeat in the prior away game against Torino where the team were outthought and outworked.
Are these ideas something Pioli or any coaches don’t preach to their players? Of course, they do, but in the end how players execute these moves and how they act in that movement matters a lot. It is perhaps a sign that the Rossoneri are still lacking a bit in the technical department.
Let me lhelp ok. Here’s how to beat it…….
Have quality players in attack and not 4 backups starting (rebic, origi, messias, diaz).. none of these should be starters for Milan. We didn’t reinforce in key areas this summer and we’re paying the price.
Milan when facing the low block: pass right into them…