A nervous energy was close to home for a pair of teams that longed to forget the woes of the previous few months with the guarantee of a place in the Champions League. However, that tension gave way to exhaustion rather than exhilaration. Neither put on a firework display, so the man in the mood […]
Europe’s attention turned to San Siro for the second time in the week, as the second leg of the Champions League semifinal between Inter and Milan headlined Tuesday night’s action. The designated hosts were in a commanding position having come away with a two goal lead from the first leg, which enabled them to comfortably […]
This match can really be divided into three parts – the frenetic opening, the slow middle game and the ever so slightly more exciting ending after Milan switched their in-possession system. Clearly, Pioli’s side lost it at the start, when they really felt the absence of Leão, who would have thrived in a transition-based game. […]
At a pivotal point of the season, Lazio Roma had a chance to regain some distance on Serie A’s European royal rumble: but AC Milan flexed their strengths to keep them in a dramatic climax to the campaign. Strong out of possession work and left-sided combinations provided an important three points with huge games left […]
Roma and Milan exchanged blows at the end of a match characterized by a slow tempo and lack of sharpness from both ends. Roma’s structured approach and team spirit frustrated Milan’s fluidity, but the visitors could still squeeze in a late goal, cancelling out Abraham’s effort and denying Roma a crucial win in the run […]
The factions of the Neapolitan club put aside their problems in the belief that unity might push their players over the line. Indeed, it was a duel of tight margins. But, where one outfit labored to find the back of the net, the other fluidly proceeded into the final third in its best moments, engineering […]
Napoli were effective up until the final third but the Osimhen-shaped missing piece of their jigsaw was too obvious to ignore. Whereas AC Milan’s use of Rafael Leão in a rest-attack role paid dividends in the winning goal. Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Smoothy. It was an all-Italian affair in this Champions League […]
In the first of three matches in the space of just sixteen days, AC Milan gained ground and confidence to defy Napoli’s spirit with a resounding away win. Stefano Pioli’s gameplan, reversing back to a 4-2-3-1 formation aimed at gaining superiority in midfield, together with a below par performance from Napoli’s interpreters, showed that Serie […]
This match took a clear direction from the start, as Milan dictated the tempo and applied constant pressure, frustrating an Atalanta side devoid of ideas and technical accuracy. Milan’s intensity and use of the central space ultimately determined the score in their favor for a much deserved 2-0 win. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Milan looked to end a disastrous run of form of four straight losses and seven matches without a win when they took on Torino, who were now just one spot behind them in the table. The pressure was starting to show in Stefano Pioli’s tactical decisions as he switched up systems in the previous couple […]