Stefano De Grandis, speaking in the Sky Sport Italia studios, commented on Milan’s victory against Udinese as follows:
“Milan only got caught on the counterattack once against Udinese; for the rest of the match, it was balanced. It’s true that it would be simplistic to say that everything changed just because of the formation switch, but the three-man defense did bring some advantages. If you concede a counterattack, you still have three defenders back, rather than the gaps we saw in previous games."
De Grandis continued:
"Also, in my view, there’s one player who could really benefit from this system: Theo Hernandez. Not so much offensively—because the goal he scored in Udine is something he can do even as a full-back—but defensively, because when he has to track back, he no longer needs to make those diagonal runs typical of a back four, which he always gets wrong.
Then there’s Leao...
(Rafa's) excellent performance, to me, isn’t related to the new system. After a few games on the bench, Conceição is questioning others, but not him anymore. He scored a great goal against Udinese. Even when he plays poorly, he still gets chances to score. A player like him makes the difference, and that’s why he must be protected. Leao has limitations, but he had them even in the season when Milan won the Scudetto. You have to field a team that can support him."
On Milan's Reijnders:
"Reijnders also did well in front of the defense. It’s true he played as one of the two central midfielders, but he still had three players behind him who could provide cover. He’s good at making forward runs, like he did for the goal. His season has been beyond any doubt.”
