Another win and another clean sheet! Last season it took 6 league matches to get 2 clean sheets and Milan has already pulled it off after 3. If you count all competitions, Milan has 3 clean sheets in 4 matches and that didn’t happen last season until the 10th match. I think it’s safe to say Allegri ball is here.
We’ll get to Luka’s greatness in a second…and he is great…but I want to continue down this Allegri-ball rabbit hole. I had read a stat before this game that said Milan had conceded the fewest shots in Serie A and they only allowed 5 more in this game. So that got me curious about where they stood now.
I started looking for some numbers and found some scattered about and well, it’s about what you’d expect. Milan not only leads Serie A but are tops in Europe’s top 5 leagues when it comes to, well, defense. They have lowest xG (expected goals) conceded of 0.23 per 90, and while that number can sometimes be misleading, they have only allowed 16 total shots on goal through 3 league games. For comparison, last season under Fonseca those numbers were 1.60 xG conceded on 23 total shots. So not only is the conceded shot volume down but they’re of poorer quality as well. Not bad for a team with no meaningful upgrade at CB and not really employing fullbacks.
Which brings me to this: last season I kept banging the drum that scheme and execution was the more important reason why Milan was hemorrhaging goals AND NOT the personnel. Upgrades are always welcomed but the talent was good enough. The big change this season, and it hasn’t come without trade offs, is Allegri has decided to go heavy with midfielders. I know this pleases Fossa legend Michael Lisi, always a proponent of a large midfield contingent in the squad and a midfield-heavy formation, but this has been less a sturdy spine and more of a brick wall.
The attack has undoubtedly suffered, even accounting for the absence of Rafael Leão due to injury and the oddly consistent benching/not starting of Christian Pulisic. The team is less dynamic and fluid in play and buildup, so much so that a 40yr old midfielder has been Milan’s best player mostly because he’s one of the few players out there who understands and can execute offensive fundamentals. I don’t know about you, but a mostly passive attack that mostly tries to get dead balls and/or knocks in crosses hoping for some pinball is less than exhilarating. We knew this was coming with Allegri but it doesn’t make it any easier, LOL.
It should be noted that yes, Milan has scored some goals so I don’t want to oversell the drab offense we’re seeing. And help is coming and the team should have more offensive oomph in the coming few weeks with players returning. But it is drab. And boring. And it’s everything not in line with modern football. Does that mean Milan shouldn’t be doing it, this very conservative approach? Reluctantly I would say it is the right approach after back-to-back seasons of less than stout defense. But I hope it’s a reset and not the permanent setting. Get the fundamentals down, get players to understand their defensive assignment, and then gradually open it up.
One last point on the conservative tactical approach we’ve been seeing: we should acknowledge Milan hasn’t played any world-beaters yet, so it’s important we don’t get out too far in front of our skis. We’ll see if this uber conservative approach pays off. The form of the rest of the league will contribute to that to be sure (in terms of what the points thresholds will be for the Scudetto, top 4, etc.), and maybe this season it’s not as big of a factor. But as I and others know and have acknowledged, you can’t draw your way to a European trophy. You actually have to win and that’s going to take some goals.
Before we get into what the rest of the league was doing this last round and then player ratings, it would be a mistake not to mention just how absolutely wonderful it’s been to watch Luka Modrić operate so far. He’s doing all the leg work in the midfield on top of being one of the few creative forces on the pitch for Milan. Starting the play that resulted in the game’s only goal, he smoothly jogged down the pitch – not ran – and observed what everyone was doing…the movement…and once he saw it he made his run. Credit to Saelemaekers for seeing it and just a smooth finish to the left corner by Modrić.
Other things I liked were Nkunku and his immediate impact (kind of reminded me of Lookman in his movements and his physical build), Pulisic doing Pulisic things, and Estupiñan giving me more and more confidence that Allegri can move to a 4-man backline, swap a CB for a midfielder, and not cede much defensively. Oh, and RLC was ineffective and made zero impact on the match…again (but Milan still won!).
What Happened in Serie A
Alright, 3 matchdays in the book and we’re just starting to be able to put some credence behind some of these performances. Not enough to declare the true top 4 contenders or who will truly end up being a surprise team, but some business as usual is starting to creep in.
Sitting at the top of the table on goal differential, Napoli (1st) beat Fiorentina (16th) 3-1. Højlund scored in his debut for Napoli and gave believers in Conte more reason to gloat while Pioli is having a slow start with Fiorentina. Pioli can be a slow starter and Fiorentina isn’t as good as last season, so while some people might jump on bashing Pioli, you won’t see that here! #IPIT!
The biggest game of the weekend was Juventus-Inter and boy did it meet and exceed expectations, with Juve (2nd) beating Inter (11th) 4-3 in a thrilling game. Our favorite punching bag and corner chair with a good view lover Hakan had a brace, but 19yr old Vasilije Adžić had a golazo in extra time to give Juve all 3 points.
Cremonese (3rd) came back down to earth some, drawing 0-0 away at Hellas Verona (17th). EPL legend Jamie Vardy came in at the 58 minute mark but wasn’t able to impact the game. Udinese (4th), fresh off a 2-1 win over Inter, avoided a letdown game beating Pisa (18th) 1-0. Also coming back down to earth was Roma (6th), losing 0-1 to Torino (10th) at the Stadio Olimpico after winning their first 2 matchdays.
Atalanta (7th) got their first win of the season, beating Lecce (20th) 4-1, including getting a brace from Charles De Ketelaere. Also getting their first win was Cagliari (8th), beating Parma (19th) 2-0. Cagliari has been tough so far this season, drawing Fiorentina, losing 1-0 to Napoli, and now beating Parma. I’m under no illusions they’re in for a top 7 finish, but let’s see how long the can sniff the midtable.
Rounding out the top 10, Como (9th) checked the draw box for the first time this season after winning one and dropping one coming in, drawing 1-1 with Genoa (15th). Finally, Lazio (12th) have lost 2 of their first 3, losing 1-0 to Sassuolo (14th). Not exactly heartbreaking for us non-fans of the Roman Eagle wearing club.
Now, ratings.
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 7 – Quiet game again as Milan didn’t allow a lot in their final third. Big news here obviously is that Mike went down injured and looks set to miss a bit of time with a calf injury.
Goal Keeping Overall 7
Defense
TOMORI 7.5 – I honestly didn’t notice him. Like at all. Great sign.
GABBIA 7 – Solid again.
PAVLOVIĆ 6.5 – Not quite as good as the first 2 games of the year. Left injured at the half too but appears to be minor.
Defense Overall 7
Midfield
SAELEMAEKERS 8 – Really good even absent the assist. Really improved from his previous stint with Milan and is providing some winger/wingback depth to a team short on those types of players.
FOFANA 6.5 – Not bad but didn’t impact the game in any meaningful way. How do I know? Look at what Ricci did when he subbed on for him.
MODRIĆ 9 MOTM – I mean. What can I say that I didn’t up top already. Just an absolute joy to watch.
RABIOT 7.5 – Ok, I stubbornly still don’t like him but solid game and even better as it’ll bump RLC down the pecking order once the attackers start to get healthy.
ESTUPIÑÁN 7.5 – A little more visible than Tomori’s solid performance but also had that quiet effectiveness. Just solid defending and getting forward when needed.
Midfield Overall 7.5
Forwards
LOFTUS-CHEEK 3 – Get this bum on the bench. Another dud.
GIMÉNEZ 6.5 – I’m not going to be as harsh as some but he’s got to start finishing these attempts. I mean, finishing IS THE THING HE’S GOOD AT. I think it’ll come around…if he can continue to get minutes.
Forwards Overall 5
Subs
DE WINTER 6.5 – Really good! Liked what I saw. Seemed to seamlessly slide in for Pavlović. Other CBs better keep their form up or they might lose their place!
TERRACCIANO 6.5 – Like Maignan, didn’t have much to do. Now that Maignan is out and likely out for more than a month, he’s going to need to step up (I’d personally rather see Torriani but I don’t think Allegri likes going to the youth movement route).
RICCI 7 – Immediate upgrade over Fofana. Funny how I and many of you saw this weeks ago so here’s hoping Allegri will see it too. Needs to play more
PULISIC 7 – Came in and provided an instant lift to the attack. His ball to Nkunku that generated the PK/wrongly-overturned-PK was slick. I don’t know what the reason was for not starting him but this is 2 games in a row Allegri has done this and 2 games in a row Pulisic came in and had a immediate and huge impact (he scored against Lecce after coming on).
NKUNKU NA – Didn’t play long enough to rate him but if I did it would be an 8! Ok, maybe not that high but he looks to have keen sense of space and movement in and around the box to generate chances. Excited to see more of him.
Subs Overall 7
Coaching
ALLEGRI 6.5 – I’m not crazy about playing 18 midfielders but it’s working…so far. I did love that he finally used all 5 subs.
I’m willing to give him some grace considering the attack hasn’t been complete either because of injury or because Milan’s mercato didn’t close until the dying minutes and he hasn’t had much time with them. But I want to see a formation and philosophy that yes, prizes defensive integrity, but one that isn’t just fire away crosses from far or dead balls/corners hoping for some chaos to score goals. There has to be something between traditional Allegri-ball and all out attack.
Final Thoughts
Back to back wins in the league has to have us feeling good, right?! I’m feeling mostly good but am still waiting until Leão comes back and Nkunku gets fully fit, then maybe we can start to see what Allegri has in mind for his complete team. And of course the first big test of the season is a couple of games away when Milan face Napoli a week from Sunday (September 28th).
In the meantime, a tough game awaits against currently in 4th place Udinese this Saturday, who already have an Inter scalp this season and are always a thorn in Milan’s side especially at the Stadio Friuli. Then Lecce in the Coppa midweek next week. Should be fun.
Forza Milan.
gillis
