Few changes, Allegri trusts his eleven:
No team in Serie A has made fewer substitutions than Milan. Massimiliano Allegri has made only 39 changes in eleven league matches, an average slightly above 3.5 per match. He usually does not use all five substitutions.
The reasons are clear. Milan are not in European competition, so the starters need less rotation or rest. Inter are already at 54. Allegri also picked his trusted eleven early and rarely needs adjustments during matches. The squad is short, so the options are limited, especially with several injuries at the same time. You see this if you check the bench lists against Fiorentina, Pisa, Atalanta or Roma.
Clean Rossoneri, last for fouls and bookings:
We have written many times that Allegri’s Milan press little and leave possession to the opponent. One effect is the low number of fouls, since the players do not push high to win the ball back. Only 109 fouls in eleven matches, an average of 9.9 per match, the same as Atalanta. Inter under Chivu, who press ball carriers much more, have committed 159 fouls in the same number of matches, 14.45 per match. Milan, together with Napoli, Juventus and Lazio, have also seen the fewest yellow cards, 16. Allegri has already played once with ten men, against Napoli after Pervis Estupinan was sent off, as relayed via those at La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Forget Leao, Saelemaekers is the one beating his man:
People think Milan create numerical superiority through Rafael Leao's bursts in one-on-one situations. The data say something else. Alexis Saelemaekers is joint first, with Arthur Atta of Udinese, for successful dribbles in Serie A with 29. This despite being only third for attempted dribbles with 43. When he decides to take on his man, Saelemaekers succeeds 67.4 percent of the time. That is a high rate for a wide player. His numbers stand out even more when compared with teammates and Inter, the next opponent in the derby. The rest of Milan combined have 46 successful dribbles, while Inter, last in this category, stop at 51.
