AC Milan suffered their most damaging defeat of the season so far on Monday night, losing to Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Going into the game, the pressure was on for Milan to win and try keep up with Inter, who had moved nine points ahead after their 5-2 demolition of Roma the night before. Not only that, but Napoli were one point behind in the standings, so Antonio Conte’s men were breathing down the Rossoneri’s necks.
In the end, it would be the Azzurri that completed their mission to overtake Milan and establish themselves as Inter’s main rivals. Matteo Politano got the only goal of the game with just over 10 minutes to go, volleying in a cross at the far post that had been flicked on.
As mentioned, means that the Partenopei have jumped above the Diavolo with seven games to go. With fifth place now just six points away, Massimiliano Allegri’s side must once again turn to protecting a Champions League spot, Rohit Rajeev has a tactical breakdown from the Maradona.
Set-ups and shape
Allegri chose to make one change to the starting line-up that beat Torino before the break, with Christopher Nkunku partnering Niclas Füllkrug up front in an unprecedented attacking tandem, meaning Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao were on the bench initially.
Napoli set up in a compact central block, looking to trap Milan in their own half through coordinated pressing. In response, De Winter inverted into midfield to provide an additional central outlet.
Milan then used ‘around-the-corner’ combinations – in this instance involving Saelemaekers – where the wide players acted as wall passes, quickly bouncing the ball back inside. This allowed De Winter to receive facing forward and progress play through Napoli’s central pressure.
Milan’s first chance developed from Rabiot’s attempt to stretch the play vertically. After working the ball out wide, Rabiot delivered it into the box, where Nkunku provided a controlled lay-off into the path of Fofana. Fofana struck the effort, but it was directed straight at Savić, who was able to gather comfortably.
Napoli looked to disrupt Milan’s zonal marking by consistently exploiting the wide areas. They would deliberately overload one flank to draw Milan’s defensive block across, before executing quick switches of play to the opposite side.
This pattern aimed to catch Milan off balance, forcing defensive shifts and creating space on the far side for more effective progression and delivery.
Rabiot on the move
Rabiot shifted from the left flank to the right, aiming to stretch Napoli’s structure vertically while also pinning them to one side of the pitch.
This movement helped manipulate Napoli’s defensive block, and when Milan executed a quick switch of play, they were able to catch Napoli off balance and exploit the space on the far side.
Milan increasingly relied on ‘around-the-corner’ combinations, with Nkunku dropping into the wide areas to facilitate quick link-up play.
At the same time, Füllkrug’s movement was crucial: his runs consistently dragged defenders out of position, creating space for onrushing teammates to exploit in more advanced zones.
How the goal came
Santos drove forward on the wing, drawing both Fofana and Tomori into a 2v1 and thereby opening up space for a run into the half-space.
The ensuing cross exposed Milan’s defensive organisation as De Winter failed to clear effectively, and Bartesaghi – focused on the ball rather than his marker – lost track of Politano. Exploiting that lapse, Politano got his shot away and beat Maignan at the near post once again.
Too little, too late
Allegri shifted to a 4-3-3, introducing Leão and Loftus-Cheek to alter the attacking dynamics. While Leão added directness and pace in wide areas, Loftus-Cheek was brought on to provide a stronger aerial presence in the box, offering an additional target for crosses and second-ball situations.
The data
Milan registered an xGOT of just 0.01, indicating an extremely low level of shot quality on target. In practical terms, this suggests that their efforts either failed to test the goalkeeper meaningfully or lacked the precision and placement required to realistically result in a goal.
Against Napoli, Allegri opted against deploying a low block and instead set Milan up in a mid-block, aiming to maintain a more balanced defensive shape while still being able to engage and press in midfield areas rather than retreating deep.
MarkStatsBot also has some interesting data from the game. It is clear from the passing (and position) network that Nkunku was being used in a way almost like Leao has been in previous games at the Maradona under Stefano Pioli: as the furthest man forward wide on the left, ready to counter quickly if left 1v1.
In previous games Fofana has been the mezzala to push up more, but this time it was Rabiot who occupied almost a playmaker spot. What you will notice though is a lack of arrows (passes completed) between the front few players, showing how little forwards got into the game.
Moreover, it is very clear that Milan hugged the right side during the build-up phase to try and then enable that quick switch to the outlet Nkunku, something that was picked out in a comparison before the game.
Looking at the ball progression paints a worrying picture too. While Modric – as he so often is – is the outlier in terms of passing and dribbling, there are four Napoli players who were more effective until you get to Nkunku and Pavlovic.
Once again, Allegri’s team relied on a centre-back to gain yardage and break lines. While this can be a legitimate weapon (see Bastoni at Inter), over time it came become predictable and suggests lack of an alternative.
Be Winter, what is he even doing? just go home! lmao