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AC Milan played their first competitive game of the 2025-26 season on Sunday night, booking a place in the Coppa Italia last 16 by beating Bari.
All eyes were on what Massimiliano Allegri would do from a formation standpoint having switched between a three-man and four-man defence in the friendlies. The line-up he named was a clear 3-5-2 system, and both of the forwards ended up scoring.
The first goal came inside the opening 20 minutes through a Rafael Leao header from Fikayo Tomori’s cross, though he would then go off injured. Christian Pulisic combined well with Santiago Gimenez for the second goal early in the second half.
It was a job well done for Milan if not a bit wasteful at times, but what did we learn about the team from game number one of the campaign? Rohit Rajeev has some tactical pointers.
Smart early movement
Milan set up in a 3-2-5 when in possession, stretching Bari’s deep block with a front five that forced them to cover maximum width.
A clear example came when Pulisic held the width, dragging multiple Bari defenders toward him. This opened the blindside run for Fofana into the half-space. The two combined with a quick toco y me voy, but Pulisic’s final ball was slightly overhit.
In the sequence below, the defender ahead of the ball ball-watched Tomori’s cross instead of tracking Leao. With Loftus-Cheek smartly blocking Leao’s marker, Rafa was free to run in behind and rise for an uncontested header.
Out of possession, Milan shifted into a man-oriented 3-5-2 that transitioned into a 3-4-1-2. Leao and Pulisic led the line, Ricci operated as the trequartista, while Loftus-Cheek and Fofana played as box-to-box midfielders.
When Bari tried to build wide, the wing-back on that flank would step up aggressively, creating a horizontal press. In this case, Bari attempted to progress through Saelemaekers’ side, triggering the press.
Bari focused on cutting off passing lanes into Ricci, but in doing so they left space for Pavlovic to step up in possession. This gave Milan an extra progressive option, as Pavlovic could carry forward and open new passing angles.
The second half
In the second half, Milan dropped their line deeper while keeping the vertical compactness tight. Gimenez blocked the pivot’s passing lane, forcing Bari to play into a man between the lines with his back to goal. His attempt to recycle possession back to the defender was quickly intercepted by Milan.
Estupiñán had an impressive game. Here, he stretched the play out wide, pulling Bari’s shape apart and creating the space for Saelemaekers to exploit with a forward run.
An area to improve
One thing spotted in a particular attack was how Ricci and Pulisic ended up occupying the same space, and almost got into a tangle of legs with each other.
However, this is nothing to be too worried about and it should be ironed out as the players play more and more with each other. Also, it is better to have multiple players showing for a ball than none at all.
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