Well that was a slog. Let’s dive into it…
Going to do this a little bit differently so you won’t find any player ratings below. Instead I’ll talk about all the functional areas of the team as a whole, what I thought of the effort and some of the players, and overall themes. Let’s go!
Ratings
Goal Keeping
Tatarusanu had 2 saves in this game, doubling the number he had in the previous 2 league games! That’s good! The bad news is he let one get by and it was the only goal of the match. For those keeping score at home, he’s faced 7 shots on goal in 2023 and has allowed 4 goals. For those bad at math, he’s saved 43% of shots on goal he’s faced.
On Twitter and some streams I’ve seen/heard some people knock down the idea of playing newly-signed Vasquez, the 24yr old Columbian. My question would be, why? What would Milan be losing if Tata isn’t out there compared to Vasquez? I mean maybe Vasquez would have a lower save rate but I doubt it…
Goal Keeping Overall: 4
Defense
Milan started with a back 3 and it’s the best they’ve looked in it since we’ve seen Pioli field it in the last few months. Yes, I know it’s often with non-first teamers either in it or in front of it, but still. I like the idea of having SOME option that allows the bigger CBs on the team to get out there and still play a high intensity/high defensive line with decreased probability of getting burnt with a ball over the top.
So, what did we actually see? I thought the back 3 had good balance throughout the game when they were in it, with each player doing well to cover their third of the pitch when attacking, with smart movement of the other two when either Tomori or Kalulu went forward. Torino didn’t get much of anything aside from a shot on goal in the first 15min after some dumb passing out of the back. Gabbia did well to sit further back than the other two and was much better attacking the ball during crosses (deadball or otherwise) than in the Roma game and actually provided Milan a physical presence in the box, which is one of the few criticisms that can be levied at the smaller duo of Tomori and Kalulu.
Late in the game Milan subbed themselves into their traditional back 4 and it was mostly solid. I think the lack of quality depth in the midfield, whether in a back 3 or 4, was most of the reason when Torino built up any worthwhile attack. Speaking of, let’s get to the midfield…
Overall Defense: Back 3 gets a 7.3/back 4 gets a 7
Midfield
Milan started with 5 in the midfield and I thought they looked about as cohesive as I’ve seen them when in this formation. Combined with what we saw with the back 3, it ACTUALLY looked like they practiced the formation a little bit before using it in a game!
Tonali started in the middle of the 5 and with his looming league suspension for accumilation, was poised to have a busy day. He was flanked on the left by Dest and Vranckx and Pobega and Saelemaekers on the right. Dest and Saelemakers did well to stay wide and was a big reason Milan was defensively sound while playing with a back 3, as they kept Milan’s width but didn’t venture as far forward so they could defend more readily. When they did get further up the pitch that’s when Tomori or Kalulu moved up and filled in those spots on the field, providing outlets to restart attacks and fill spots on the field, not leaving much space for Torino to set up shop in. This meant that Vranckx and Pobega could get forward and that’s exactly what they did, albeit with limited success or impact in the final third.
Overall, I thought the midfield 5 played well as a unit and complimented the back 3 and what they were doing, playing off of each other. More importantly, I felt this formation better catered to the talent on the pitch based on who all was out there. Much easier to plug in one player in a less familiar position when the rest of the squad on the pitch are in their usual spots. I think Pioli and Milan get into trouble when they have to have 3-4 second teamers out there, most out of position, and expect the 4-2-3-1 to hold. Ultimately, I thought playing this formation provides those players, and most importantly Milan, a better chance to succeed moving forward because their skillsets are a better match for a 5 man midfield.
Midfield Overall: midfield 5 gets a 7.1/traditional midfield in the 4-2-3-1 gets a 6.6
Forwards
Including the 1-1 of the 3-5-1-1 formation down here means I need to talk about Brahim, who I thought played well despite not really acting like a traditional #10 and played more like a second striker. He’s usually pretty good about finding space and as someone mentioned in the comments during the match, worked his tail off defensively, winning more balls than you’d think a 5’6″ guy could.
But the focus of this section of the formation is on CDK, starting and playing up front for the first time this season. I REALLY liked what I saw from him. Yes, his positioning could’ve been a little better in the box but he had great movement and most importantly for him, moved and played with a freedom we haven’t seen a lot of of late. And man, that glancing header he had that hit off the post…SO CLOSE! I made a prediction about a week ago that he’d score in the next two games, and while that didn’t come to fruition, he has certainly looked better in 2023 than he did in 2022. A goal is close…you can sense it.
Forwards Overall: 6.8
Subs
Well most of the starters came in as subs and didn’t look exactly into it. Pioli must of told Leao to hang out in the middle of the pitch AND ONLY hang out in the middle of the pitch when he came on. It was odd but more consequentially, didn’t really work or provide any positive buildup or attacks. What I did want to say was it was the first time we’ve seen Messias in a while and boy did he come in and provide an initial spark. You can tell he was eager to get out there. Yes, I know him nor Saelemaekers are world beaters and Milan definitely need to upgrade the position, you could see how much better he is attacking than the Salad man. Having him back will help.
Subs Overall: 6.3
Coaching
I might be more positive than some on Pioli for this game but I really like what he did tactically. I like to think of it as a deposit for the rest of the season.
One of my biggest gripes this year and last, and I mentioned it briefly above, was Pioli keeping the 4-2-3-1 formation no matter what, even when he had lots of non-first teamers out there. For better or worse, the squad depth is poor and Milan doesn’t have the resources to stock it up with players who fit Pioli’s system. This often resulted in Kessie or Krunic as the #10, or Krunic or even Brahim out on the wings. Rather than changing the formation Pioli just plugged-and-played.
Playing this formation provides a much better system for the likes of Gabbia and Kjaer, Pobega/Krunic/Vranckx, and provides Pioli the option of continuing to play a high intensity approach without compromising the shape because the shape fits these players better and they in turn, know it better because it is or is closer to their natural position. With a thin bench I truly do believe having this option will help Milan and be a contributing factor to a top 4 finish.
Overall Coaching: 7.6
Final Thoughts
I’m VERY bullish on this outcome, in that I think getting out of the Coppa is going to benefit Milan both in league and in their Champions League matchup with Tottenham. Milan simply do not have the depth to battle on all 3 fronts.
I don’t like any Milan loss. Even friendlies. But this doesn’t mean that all matches and all competitions are the same. Pioli was wise to get the second teamers out there, getting valuable minutes for them while saving the legs of the starters and getting actual gametime in with a new formation. The only other thing I wanted was for Vasquez to get the start or at least some playing time so we can start of see if he’s better than Tatarusanu (I mean, not a tall order there…). In the end, I think getting out now could be worth anywhere from 3-6 league points, which could be enough to win a Scudetto, or worse case, stay in the top 4. Will we ever know if this ends up being the case? No, probably not. You can’t prove a counterfactual. But if I was a betting man I would say this is a net-positive in the end.
Anyway, as Nonno likes to say, “on we go!”
Share your thoughts and comments below and let’s get ready for a VERY difficult matchup vs Lecce this weekend and a Derby della Madonnina next week in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Forza Milan!