Three points and a clean sheet [Newsletter]
Three points and a clean sheet, what more could you ask for in a season opener? AC Milan played really well at times against Bologna and just like the last time they faced each other in a season opener, the Rossoneri prevailed 2-0. The new signings showed what they will add to this team, as well.
Milan’s first game of the 2022/23 season ended 4-2 against Udinese and although it was an entertaining spectacle, there were clearly some flaws. However, while we did see flaws on Monday night, Stefano Pioli’s men still managed to win rather comfortably and also kept an important clean sheet.
The season openers are always tough no matter the opponent, especially when you have a lot of new players in the squad. Milan entered the pitch with the right attitude and they got the result they wanted thanks to the game plan. In over 30 degrees Celsius, mind you. The displays of the new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic were also very encouraging and made Pioli a happy man.
The manager admitted after the game that the Rossoneri still have ‘a lot to work on’ but that he ‘liked the attitude’ of the players. There were many interesting tactical traits of the ‘new Milan’, including the inverted full-backs and Reijnders’ free-flowing role. We will soon have a full tactical analysis on our website, so keep an eye out for that.
Milan were back at Milanello already on Tuesday morning and the starters worked mostly in the gym, while the others were out on the pitch. A session has been scheduled for this afternoon (Wednesday) and given that the next game is on Saturday against Torino, Pioli will have to make the most of the three sessions with a full squad.
The starting XI should be more or less the same against Torino but Pioli will be able to rely on additional depth. Yunus Musah was suspended for the first game, as he was sent off in his final La Liga clash, and he will now be back at the manager’s disposal. It’s also possible that the new centre-back Marco Pellegrino could be included in the matchday squad.
In the meantime, the management are working on the final mercato operations, with a few to part ways with still. Lorenzo Colombo has renewed his contract and is now set to join Monza on loan, meaning a striker will be needed. Then there are the exit-bound Belgians Divock Origi and Alexis Saelemaekers (read the latest bonus for our exclusive info on them), not to mention Fode Ballo-Toure.
News bulletin
➤ Two very positive statistics have emerged from Tijjani Reijnders’ first start in a competitive game for Milan during Monday’s win over Bologna.
➤ The Mehdi Taremi rumours have sparked up again, and the player is reportedly pushing to move to Milan before the window closes. Porto must drop their asking price as was the case before, but the last week of the window could bring developments.
➤ In stadium news, Il Cittadino report that Milan are trying to buy the entire plot of land surrounding the San Francesco area. The plot totals about 40,000 square metres and seems to confirm the mission to have more than a stadium there.
➤ Marco Pellegrino became the ninth signing of the summer on Tuesday, and Club Atletico Platense president Sebastian Ordonez has lifted the lid on how negotiations went plus the full terms of the deal.
➤ Malick Thiaw is very much enjoying his time at AC Milan and he has admitted that sometimes he has to remind himself that it is not a dream. His full interview with SportBild is heart-warming and well worth a read.
➤ Alexis Saelemaekers is heading for the exit door and he has agreed terms with Real Betis. Now, a formula for the deal needs to be agreed but in the meantime it is worth checking out our latest Substack piece on the Belgian as well as Divock Origi and Charles De Ketelaere, which has some juicy info.
In case you missed it
Make sure to check out the latest podcast episode, and our latest bonus podcast in which the lads share their hot takes. You can also read one of our latest bonus articles, which explains the ‘missing photos’ situation and why Ismael Bennacer doesn’t have one. Are you interested in a paid subscription? Read all about it here.
I'm very curious to the tactical analysis coming up because this felt like a completely new team.
The biggest issue for me was Krunic as a single pivot. He needs a defender to move up or a midfielder to come down to pair with him on the build up. Also, both our fullbacks need to make sure the ball is moving up before they race up the pitch. Several times our defence & Krunic were left isolated in a 3v4. A better team would have scored.
Recently I've been reading about relationism and it's prominence in South America. Football Purist and Football Meta on Youtube have mentionned it as well. The gist of it is that formations really apply at the beginning of the game. Player's position themselves based on the location of other players, not pitch zones.
It looks like Milan are getting inspiration from that as well. I wonder if you guys also noticed it. This is the reason why Giroud was able play with Chris for that second goal in such a congested area. It also explains why Calabria & Theo were a mere 2 meters away from each other while some areas of the pitch were essentially vacant. This looked intentional.