Milan v Málaga Post-Match Comments

Milan v Málaga Post-Match Comments

While last night was not a quality Milan performance, a draw felt harsh on the Rossoneri [read Allegri - 'we deserve more / it all / to win' etc]. The draw felt harsh because there was only one match in the Champions League this season in which a team had less shots than Málaga did against Milan last night (that was Shaktar v Nordsjælland with 3) [via Opta]. Milan on average concede 10 shots per match at home, however today they were able to cut that number down to four (although not the important stat – goals). The problem is that of those four shots, three of them were on target. Of those three on target, two were going through on goal.  One shot was blocked in the six hard box by Bojan, and a second shot was Eliseu’s opening goal. While they did not have the quantity of attacks that Milan had, Málaga arguably had more quality chances than Milan to score. The first point I want to discuss is the goal for Málaga. Isco drifted past the central midfield pair of De Jong and Montolivo (too easily, it should be said) and Isco found himself with three defenders in a diagonal line. Mexes was challenging the ball, Bonera was slightly behind him covering the gap behind Mexes should Isco cut left or right, and in the back was Constant, who was tracking the run of the far post man, Eliseu.

The three mistakes in descending order of accountability:

1. Constant losing his man at the far post. Inexcusable.
2. Monto-jong were careful to not concede a foul, but this  may have been the time to take down Isco. They allowed him around them with two touches, and that is going to cause problems every time for a defense of the quality of Milan’s.
3. Bonera could have intercepted the through ball by Isco. It looked as if Bonera had read the ball, and was sliding in to clear it, but appeared to pull back, as if Constant would simply knock it away or clear. Bonera thought he had more support in behind, but he did not.

Positionally, Milan spent as much time in their defensive, middle and offensive thirds as they have averaged throughout the season, and much like most of the season, the final ball was the piece missing today.

Milan’s Action Zones [Season-long]

Action Zones for Milan v Málaga

Milan lead the group averaging 17 shots per match, and they attempted 19 shots against Málaga. Their offense does a good job creating scoring chances, often times they are just not the quality of shots that result in goals. It also seems that the search for a formation has ended temporarily, as the 4-2-3-1 provides the most support for the squad, especially in continental competitions. I mentioned on Twitter how I don’t feel that Ambrosini/De Jong provides the best partner for Montolivo in all situations, but  until the defense is able to get on their feet (and they will never do with Allegri rotating them every 20 seconds) the extra defensive support is a welcome sight. Eventually, I’d like to see the progression to a more forward-thinking duo in the center of midfield. Boateng played in a similar position for Ghana in the 2010 World Cup. So long as he’s not scoring, why not use him further back on the pitch?

Both Milan and Málaga attacked down their flanks. This is a change from the Milan strategy of late (which focused on a lot of central attacking) [as can be seen from the season-long diagram further down the page]. Once again, Emanuelson’s presence on the right wing saw a significant portion of buildup play come to the right flank, however, on the other flank, Stephan El Shaarawy (more the threat of him – in actuality El Shaarawy was mediocre at best) and Kevin Constant were controlling the left flank.  Constant had an impressive 87 touches (second on the field to Montolivo’s 88) and was rated WhoScored.com’s man of the match. I don’t think Constant was the best player on the field, but he certainly did dominate the left flank, especially after conceding the opening goal. Whether or not you consider Constant at fault for the goal, he certainly made his best effort to make up for it. That sort of effort is appreciated and has not gone unnoticed. Does he have the class to compete in the Champions League week in and week out? I do not believe so, and on that same thought – Mattia De Sciglio is not ready either.

Looking at the season-long average,

Shots Conceded by Milan – Season-Long

Milan have allowed less than half of their opposition’s shots from within the 18 -yard box. 3 of Málaga’s 4 attempts were from within the box, which represents an area for improvement for the Milan side. The positive is that they didn’t allow a shot in the six-yard box, however to be fair, once Málaga got their goal, they appeared to stop pressing for a goal and were content to ride out their victory / draw into the knockout stages. I also want to discuss shot direction, as this indicates where the play is coming from as the shots are taken (as opposed to which third the teams build up on). On the offensive end, Milan normally attack with ⅔ of their attacks coming from the center of the pitch.

Milan Build-up Attack Directions – Season

Milan’s attacks usually come from the center of the pitch after the buildup play comes from the flanks.

Build-up Play for Milan – Season-long

However, today differed from this season in that there was not much buildup play through the center of the pitch. In fact, both Milan and Málaga seemed to abandon the center of the pitch,

Milan v Málaga Build-up Attack Sides

and created play in the channels and along the flanks. Once it came to the final third though, the ball  was not distributed to the center of the field for the shot as it normally has been under Allegri. In fact, Milan spread the ball nearly equally, shooting from all angles.

Shot Direction – Milan left, Malaga right

This suggests a diversified attack by Milan, and one that was not able to discern it’s greatest strengths. Going forward, it is clear that Milan are starting to emerge with an identity, however it has taken too long for this to happen. It’s understandable that Max Allegri would struggle to find a new system for his team after losing his top 3 players, however now that he seems to have found some stable ground to stand on, whether he will persist with the 4-2-3-1 or whether it’s time to try another new formation or combination of defenders.

Statistics and Diagrams courtesy of the incomparable WhoScored.com

sumber: http://themilanguy.com/2012/11/07/milan-v-malaga-post-match-comments/#more-1742