The most striking aspect of Massimiliano Allegri’s new Milan is the defensive phase and how the team interprets it. Defensive phase, not defense: there is an important difference. To be precise, the idea that defending starts with the attackers’ pressing and continues through the entire structure of the team is not new. Fonseca and Conceição had also emphasized this in past months, as poitned out by those at Milan News.
The difference now, apart from some players, lies in how the current coach has managed to connect more deeply with the squad. The players follow exactly what Max and his staff prepare.
In fact, head coach Massimiliano Allegri always talks about room for improvement, which is fair, but the upgrade from last season is already clear. Beyond the stronger sense of security visible on the pitch, the numbers also confirm it. After six Serie A matches, Milan have conceded only three goals, the second-best record in Italy and Europe. At this stage last season, they had already conceded more than twice as many, seven.
Here are the best defensives in Europe:
Serie A (6 matches played)
- Roma 2
- Milan 3
- Juventus 5
- Atalanta 5
Premier League (7 matches played)
- Arsenal 3
- Tottenham 5
- Crystal Palace 5
- Newcastle 5
La Liga (8 matches played)
- Villarreal 8
- Betis 8
- Alaves 8
- Osasuna 8
Bundesliga (6 matches played)
- Bayern Munich 3
- Borussia Dortmund 4
- Stuttgart 6
- Leipzig 8
Ligue 1 (7 matches played):
- PSG 5
- Marseille 5
- Lyon 5
- Lens 6
Roma currently have the best defense in Europe, followed by Milan, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal.
The season is still in its early stages, but the trend is clear: to be a top team, you must concede as few goals as possible. Allegri has been hammering this idea since July, and the first results are positive.
In fact, Mike Maignan is also regaining top form after too many slips last season. He ranks fourth in Serie A behind Svilar, Audero, and Carnesecchi for save percentage (80%). The data show Milan concede few shots, and when they do, they are not easy chances as they were last year, when opponents often finished in favorable positions.
Of the three goals conceded by the Rossoneri team in this Serie A campaign, one came from a penalty (De Bruyne’s), while the other two came on the opening day in the 2–1 defeat to Cremonese.
