MILAN legend has questioned AC Milan’s tactical approach in their recent defeats to Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
The ‘week of fire’ has been dubbed, and it is certainly living up to its intimidating name, with Milan losing 1-0 to Juventus at San Siro on Sunday night and then 3-0 in Paris on Wednesday.
The defeat to the Bianconeri was admittedly heavily influenced by Malick Thiaw’s red card in the 40th minute after being spun by Moise Kean, whereas the team was taught a lesson in counter-attacking and finishing in the French capital.
Serafini discussed the tactical approach that the team took in his weekly column for MilanNews, in addition to the results.
“A delicate week started in the worst possible way: with 10 men for almost an hour against Juve, determined and convincing for only half an hour against PSG,” he said at the start.
“No goals (this is the fifth consecutive Champions League match…), no progress.” With the big stage in Naples ahead, the path is now uphill, but the game remains open on all fronts. Of course, the trend must be reversed.
“Against Juventus, the final error (reading and decision) was Thiaw’s, but the team was too unbalanced at the time, opening the field for the Juventus counter-attack.”
“In Paris, the formation was almost mandatory: Kalulu-Calabria makes little difference for Mbappè, who is used to easily skipping past his opponent, whoever he is.”
“Adli is better (and better in that role) than Krunic, but when he came on, he didn’t do well; in fact, two of his errors led to the third French goal and the risk of conceding the fourth.”
“We can debate the formation choices and changes at length, as we always do, but the verdict fails when confronted with other more obvious and well-established issues if we truly want to shine the spotlight on Pioli and the staff.”
“Unquestionably, the first is that of injuries. There are far too many and for far too long. True, around thirty Serie A players were unavailable last weekend, but Milan almost always travel with a quarter of their squad.
“I have spoken many times about doctors and trainers; I have trusted and relied on them for more than 30 years, but there is a problem, and I lack the qualifications to speculate on the causes.”
“The hard pitches, the systems, the individual choices of the athletes: I have no idea, but there is a problem.” It’s difficult enough in normal circumstances, but when you show up for the most important week of the season without one or two goalkeepers, without Loftus Cheek, Chukwueze, Okafor, the long-term patient Bennacer, and Jovic, it becomes nearly impossible. It’s past time to identify and address the root causes.
The second point to consider is attitude. Nothing against Juventus, but after Mbappè’s goal (PSG’s first shot on target, an almost unheard-of occurrence), they lost order, bite, and conviction, gradually sliding towards surrender, so the second French goal, among the beautiful figurines in defense that looked like a nativity scene, was sadly significant.
“Davide Calabria’s statements at the end of the game are strong; they concern his teammates, and the coach responded irritably, except for posthumous clarifications, which I know were in complete harmony.”
“We can talk about it in a complicated post-game meeting, but if the dust isn’t swept under the rug, I’m inclined to approve them.”
“There is a goal problem. The crosses are lacking in quantity and quality, and Giroud is overworked in a role that is unusual for a centre-forward, but this is Milan’s game, and it will always be difficult for the central striker to score 20 or more goals per season.
“To compensate for this, the midfielders should be more confident.” Also, Leao. I’m not sure where Rafa is in his maturation, growth, and evolution process, but continuity is certainly an option he lives with too calmly.
“He must shake off his flaws because he is the best in terms of quality.” In the end, the issue isn’t so much the Paris defeat as it is the fruitless solidity that allowed Newcastle and Borussia to dominate without any structure. Without any benefits.
“To conclude, I return to Calabria and Pioli: public declarations must spark serious and profound internal debate.” “I agree with the captain: we have to believe in it until the end because every debate in the league and the Champions League is open.”Pioli must find solutions and remedies, but this is so obvious that it appears banal.”
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