Home » Alarm bells and reasons for positivity: Tactical indications from Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan
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Alarm bells and reasons for positivity: Tactical indications from Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan

AC Milan’s third preseason friendly of the summer from a result standpoint did not go to plan, as they were comfortably beaten by Chelsea.

Milan competed for 45 minutes at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, with an experimental side again. However, a João Pedro double just before and just after half-time plus a goal from Moises Caicedo meant that Xabi Alonso’s side ran out easy winners.

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It could have been a wider margin of victory in truth but Lorenzo Torriani stood tall at times to keep things relatively respectably. At the other end, Ruben Amorim’s men failed to register a single shot on target, which is a cause for concern.

Now, the Rossoneri will be back in action on Saturday 15 August in Wrocław, Poland, for their final test before the start of their competitive campaign. Rohit Rajeev has some tactical takeaways from the Chelsea defeat.

Build-up shape

As we saw against Inter, Milan are comfortable baiting the opposition press. Modrić drops deeper, deliberately drawing his marker towards him and creating a gap between Chelsea’s midfield and defensive lines.

Torriani then exploits this space with chipped passes over the press, allowing Milan to bypass Chelsea’s first line and progress the ball. It was a clever mechanism to manipulate the opposition press and create space in behind.

Milan’s build up structure was designed to combat Chelsea’s 2+2 pressing structure. When playing out from the back, the two outside centre backs stay deep and wide, while the central centre back steps into midfield to create an extra player in the first phase.

This gives Milan an additional passing option and helps them play around Chelsea’s first line of pressure.

Loftus-Cheek then drops into midfield to create a third man combination, giving Milan another way to progress through the press. A well designed structure to create numerical and positional advantages in the build up.

High line and marking

Milan are playing with a high defensive line, which will inevitably leave space in behind. The key issue is that even teams sitting in a deep block will look to exploit that space.

Once Milan lose possession, opponents can quickly attack the space behind the defensive line with direct passes and runs in behind.

A high line can be effective, but Milan need to manage the depth much better to avoid being exposed in transition.

Milan use a hybrid marking system, but Chelsea find a way to exploit it. Chelsea overload the near post before Caicedo delivers the cross.

The Chelsea players make deceptive runs towards the near post, dragging Milan’s markers with them and creating separation between the Milan defender and Torriani.

João Pedro then attacks the space that has been created and finishes. A clever attacking routine that exposes the vulnerabilities of Milan’s hybrid marking system.

Improvements and concerns

Milan’s press improved significantly in the second half. Nkunku and Ramos intelligently pressed Chelsea’s two central passing options, forcing the ball wide.

Milan then boxed Chelsea into the wide area, limiting their options and making progression difficult. With no easy pass available, the Chelsea player was forced to attempt an audacious chipped pass.

The pass fails and Milan regain possession. This is what an effective pressing structure looks like: restrict the options, trap the opponent and force the mistake.

João Pedro’s second goal highlights another defensive issue for Milan. Terracciano becomes ball watching instead of scanning for his potential marker.

João Pedro recognises this immediately and calmly moves into the space between the Milan defenders. Once the pass arrives, he coolly slots the ball home.

At this level, losing sight of your opponent for even a second can be enough to concede.

In July we published an analysis of why Leao is certainly not a hand-in-glove fit for Amorim’s system and style. We saw issues on the left side in the Chelsea game off the ball.

“If Milan commit numbers forward and maintain a high line, they’ll naturally become vulnerable to counter-attacks, especially in the space between the left-sided midfielder and the left winger.

“That means the left winger must consistently track back, cover large distances, or apply immediate counter-pressure to stop transitions before they develop.”

Here is an example of exactly that. Leao and Estupinan attack and this leaves huge gaps on the left side. It will be quite a problem for Amorim to figure out.

Staggered pivot

Comotto and Modrić operated as a staggered double pivot, giving Milan flexibility in their build up. Their positioning created various passing combinations, allowing Milan to constantly adjust their angles and offer different options to progress the ball.

The staggered structure also helped create different heights in midfield, making it harder for Chelsea to press both players simultaneously.

Tags AC Milan Chelsea Milan

5 Comments

  4. Let’s look at what we have here: the necessity of a ball playing center back. The match showed that the current defenders lack the speed and precision required to play with a very high defensive line and deal with balls dropped behind them.
    Also, the wing back discipline is crucial. The system demands immediate defensive cover and a quick recovery to protect the flanks when possession is lost. Frankly, there’s a gap between the style and the tools, and a huge difference between the coach advanced tactical ideas (creating numerical superiority and intelligent positioning) and the quality of execution by the players on the field, who are prone to individual errors and misplaced passes. So, (positively), the match gave Amorim a clear and stark picture, exposing all the weaknesses. It demonstrated the effectiveness of the pressing mechanisms at times and Modric pivotal role in distributing the ball.
    (Negatively), the current defensive structure is extremely fragile, and the attack suffers from a lack of transition. Relying on the current players without targeted and rapid signings will make the new season a nightmare of defensive and tactical problems.

  5. I just watched the game back and paid close attention. First half, not even going to talk about that. Second half, however, Milan was actually the dominant team (barring Chelsea’s dangerous counter attacks). It also struck me that the only players that really make things happen and are on the move constantly, are Ramos and Musah. I can see why Amorim wants to keep him. For all his flaws, he adds so much dynamism. I actually thought he was the best player on the pitch in the second half. Even should have had an assist.

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