Ruben Loftus-Cheek was for many the man of the match for AC Milan during their 2-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, and his return sparked a tactical change.
Tuttosport (via MilanNews) recall Loftus-Cheek did not have the best of starts to the game, missing a big chance inside the box and then leaving Milan Skriniar unguarded at the far post for PSG’s opener, but that just seemed to spring him into life.
The midfielder – along with Rafael Leao – was undoubtedly one of the best on the field, and it was his return to the line-up that saw Stefano Pioli return to the good old 4-2-3-1 system with which he won the Scudetto.
Compared to last year he did not rely on a quality attacking midfielder like Tijjani Reijnders might be able to do, but rather on a more physical player, something that we have seen before with Franck Kessie, Rade Krunic and Ismael Bennacer playing further forward.
The Englishman made the difference in the middle of the pitch and was fundamental in both the defensive and attacking phases. Loftus-Cheek in fact blocked the source of Luis Enrique’s build-up, putting pressure on the deep-lying playmaker.
Not only that, but he often split the French side in two with his ball progression through dribbling. He did not get a goal, but he returned in style after a month out of the starting XI. Seeing his performance against the Parisians, it is a confirmation of how difficult his absence has been for Milan in recent weeks.
I guess this is my answer when I asked how we should use a 4-2-3-1 with our current squad.
Precisely. He had all the elements in the middle ….a destroyer, a passer and a bulldozer lol 😂. Great.combo tbh. But I think we can change between the two formations as needed. Last year we over relied on the 4231. Now we’re over relying on the 433
“Last year we over relied on the 4231. Now we’re over relying on the 433.”
I think this is dead accurate and part of Pioli’s achilles’ heel of not being adaptable game to game or even within a match. Different formations (although not wildly different like going to a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2) and different personnel selections game to game are need. Basic tactical planning, not the same thing over and over.
Knowing that we might play either of two options also means that our opponents must prepare for both options.
#ANYSmallAdvantageHelps
Correct but don’t forget we have a deadhead coach
I’m not sure I buy into the idea we played 4231.
Our 3 midfielders were all busy tracking back and breaking forward when possible.
It’s a bit like saying Leao played wing back because he helped out in defense.
In any case if we decide to play 4231 then we bought the wrong players in summer as they are all box to box profiles.
The difference v PSG was the work rate of everybody on the team. This is why we are soo inconsistent. Work hard, we play well, don’t and we won’t. Its nothing new.
The other option is we play a more possession based game, run less, pass more.
I know Pioli wants to play a more possession based style like Man City, but this team just doesn’t have the players for it. The passing isn’t good enough. This is why Inter and Juve just sat back and let Milan have the ball. They can be a very good counter attacking team as they showed against PSG. Have to play to your strengths. When Bennacer gets back this is a really strong midfield.
I agree we are not designed for tiki taka.
So if we play high press, high intensity everybody (including Leao) needs to do it or it does not work. Also causes more injuries and fatigue
Precisely, our players don’t have the workrate and technical abilites to play like Man City, and I add that Pioli isn’t a genius like Klopp or Guardiolia to be able to use a possession or a high pressing type of play. And if this style of play sometimes fail with Man City or peak Liverpool, what can you expect from us ?
I guess the lesson that we should learn is that there is no one-size fits all solution. Pioli needs to prepare specifically for each team and play either higher (against Torino, Bologna, Roma,…) or lower (against Inter, PSG, Juve,…).
We need to adjust for each team we face, and a counter attacking style seems to work well for us against strong teams.
I still believe that we had built a solid foundation for 4231. Just needed a right piece of puzzle and depth. That’s why I’m one of the doubters towards the idea of changing it to 433. Many sources said we played with 4231 vs PSG, I think it’s a mixed of 433 and 4231 depending on the phase. And that kind of flexibility is what missing in this recent Pioli’s regime.
And I was pleased to see we can defend deep and do a devastating quick counter like we used to see in the covid era. We don’t have to play that toothless possession and high pressing all the time.
On paper, it was 433 set up. But in reality, it was 4231. I even checked Google for the match line up. It showed 433 before the game started, but by second half, it was changed to 4231.
Musa and Reijnder played the double pivotal. Leo, Loftus-Cheek, and Pulisic played further up in the midfield behind Giroud.
If you watch the match carefully, you will noticed that Loftus-Cheek attacked through the middle just as number 10 which was totally different from attacking from the right side of the midfield.
What makes it difficult for people to figure out the actual formation is because we played low block, which was very unusual of us.
Great, that means when RLC is injured Pobega will play there because “physicality”