In Tuttosport's morning's print edition, AC Milan's performance against derby was once again the topic of discussion. The Rossoneri, in fact, revealed a weak point after three victories in Serie A: the defence. Specifically, there is a lot to work on in the centre-back position and in the right-flank.
Against the initial opponents, there was speculation about how Milan would fare against an adversary capable of attacking with more vigor and incisiveness. Well, the answer was provided against Simone Inzaghi's team. With this new playing system, the 4-3-3, there is a lot of movement in the back.
To play like this, with the two full-backs, Davide Calabria and Theo Hernández, pushed forward and shifting inward during possession, two central midfielders ready to join the attack, and three forwards primarily concerned with offense, the central defenders are left exposed to a lot of two-on-two situations. And they certainly aren't Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva, or Paolo Maldini.
It was clear that something was lacking in Milan's defense last year. However, despite a lively summer transfer market, Pioli wasn't helped. The only addition was Marco Pellegrino, for 5.5 million euros including bonuses, as a young bet from the Argentine side Club Atlético Platense. And nothing else.
Sven Botman, the target of Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara in the summer of 2022, is now thriving at Newcastle, and a year ago, Milan managed to "patch things up" with Malick Thiaw in a defense that had just won the Scudetto. Yet, even last year, Milan's defense often leaked.
Simon Kjaer, despite some good performances, never returned to the levels he reached before the cruciate ligament injury to his left knee in December 2021. Youth product Matteo Gabbia remained an alternative and has now moved to Villarreal. Only Thiaw brought some smiles, establishing himself as a starter.
But limitations emerged in the derby. In the summer, before turning to Pellegrino, Milan had looked into Evan N'Dicka, who later ended up at Roma after becoming a free agent, considered Maxime Estève (Montpellier) and Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich, who then went to Nottingham Forest), but didn't seal the deal.
Now, all of a sudden, with the five goals conceded in the derby, the Rossoneri club has rediscovered its imperfections. According to the Turin-based newspaper, Pioli will need to be skillful in finding the right formula, both to boost individual performances and to monitor the movements of the rest of the team, as relayed via PianetaMilan.it.
