Adapted approach and set-piece indications: Tactical analysis of Lecce 0-2 AC Milan

AC Milan bounced back from their opening day defeat in the only acceptable way, recording a win away from home against Lecce.

It looked like it could be a frustrating Friday night for Massimiliano Allegri’s men when Matteo Gabbia and Santiago Gimenez had goals disallowed, and the game entered the final quarter with the scores still deadlocked.

However, a set piece provided the moment that unlocked things. Luka Modric’s in-swinger was headed in by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, then Christian Pulisic’s good bit of work to seize position and finish put things to bed late on.

Perhaps it wasn’t vintage Milan, but it was an important win before the break. Rohit Rajeev has picked out some of the tactical observations from the victory at the Via del Mare.

Learning from mistakes

Milan and Allegri seem to have learned from the Cremonese slip. Against Lecce, we see a clear 3-2-5 in possession, stretching the opposition defence to create and find gaps.

In this sequence, Musah holds the width while Loftus-Cheek tucks inside, opening the half-space. Modric exploits it with a clever run creating room to whip in the cross.

This time Fofana had less freedom compared to the Cremonese game. That adjustment gave Milan a clearer 3+2 build-up shape.

Out of possession, Milan drop into a 5-4-1. It made them compact, narrow and tough to break down.

Gimenez cut off the lane to Lecce’s pivot.

Meanwhile, the two mezzali stepped up aggressively to press the centre-backs whenever they lingered on the ball.

Set-piece analysis

Lecce set up in zonal marking, but when the cross came in, Gabbia ghosted on the blindside of two defenders stuck in their zone and powered in a free header.

For RLC’s goal, Lecce pushed up with a high line, leaving big space between the wall and defence. With zonal marking used again, RLC slipped onto the blindside and rose unmarked for a free header.

One mistake

Milan’s midfield control issues were mentioned earlier. This visual shows it clearly: no midfielder drops to link defence and midfield. It forced Pavlovic to either carry it out himself or go long.