AC Milan scored three goals and obtained three points against Monza on Sunday afternoon, ensuring they followed up the win over Newcastle United in the best way.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes how the 3-0 win against Monza was nice because, apart from the importance of the win, we saw a team that runs lightly, has fun, knows how to manage the two phases and emerged victorious with relative ease. It was a reminder of the good times.
Milan went back to courageous experiments like in the past, such as the return to the three-man defence, moreover with Tommaso Pobega on the left side of the back three and Jan-Carlo Simic then coming on and scoring.
There were good signs from Tijjani Reijnders and from Rafael Leao, with the former scoring and the latter providing numerous decisive plays. However, it was not all good news as Milan moved up to 29 injuries for the season with Pobega and Noah Okafor coming off.
A lot of help came from a compliant and idealess Monza. Juventus moved two points closer, Bologna are closing in, but Milan have the fixture list to stabilise their position in the Champions League places before the new year.
Pioli has to make ends meet with many individuals who don’t always make a team. But he is never satisfied with the easiest solution. Against Monza the winning balance was found by digging out the three-man defence.
Last year the three-man defence served to cushion the mid-season crisis: it had given solidity at the back, with Malick Thiaw playing at his highest level, but it seems to stifle the best qualities of Leao who was more central.
The 3-4-3 does not take away Rafa’s beloved flank, on the contrary it allows him to cross towards the centre, protected by Theo’s overlaps and by the movement of the midfielders and Alessandro Florenzi, often in the centre to create density and get on the ball a lot.
When Pobega, the left centre-back, came off shortly after the 20th minute, it was Simic’s time. He netted the 2-0 goal as a centre-forward would by getting himself in the mix and burying an excellent feed from Leao.
The impression is that the defence has found an additional important solution, even if at that age ups and downs will be inevitable. It’s a nice paradox on the day when the team average (almost 28 and a half) was the highest of the season.
The other interesting player tactically was Reijnders who gets forward into space like a No.10, fights and covers ground like a No.8 and can also play deeper in build-up like a No.4. It is not always easy to find the right position for him but the physicality of Loftus-Cheek at his side helps.
Now, Milan face Salernitana, Sassuolo and Empoli to end the first half of the season, a real chance to solidify third place in the standings.
