Bianchin says Maignan could have ‘watched a movie’ amid Milan’s collective wall

AC Milan’s greatest strength so far this season, according to Luca Bianchin, is that everyone works together as a collective. This is something that Mike Maignan noticed last night against Cagliari. 

Milan had a shaky start to the game in Sardinia, but once the early stormed settled, they were able to take control of the game. They eventually found the back of the net through Rafael Leao, and after that, they sat back to defend their own goal without taking any risks.

It has to be said that they defended the goal very well, despite the makeshift backline, as Lecce only had one shot on target. It came in the first half as Mike Maignan got a header straight at him. Other than that, the Frenchman didn’t need to make any saves.

Allegrismo in full swing

In his editorial for Gazzetta dello Sport after the game, Luca Bianchin discussed the pillars of this Massimiliano Allegri side. The main one, without a doubt, is that the manager requires everyone to contribute to the cause.

“Corto muso-style football may not be popular, but one quality cannot be denied: it’s a collective expression, not an individual one. If everyone doesn’t believe in the cause, it won’t work, because one mistake is enough to derail the team’s plans.

Photo by AC Milan

“The Cagliari game, in this regard, provided good examples. Leao was solid in his only chance to score, exactly what you expect from a corto muso striker. Saelemaekers ran for two and, in critical situations, was always responsive.

“De Winter, starting in place of Gabbia, didn’t make a single mistake. Bartesaghi changed roles and no one noticed. Pulisic and Gabbia played for 10 minutes in far from peak physical condition. Not everyone was impeccable (Estupinan, Loftus-Cheek…), but they all contributed a brick to the wall.

“And Maignan, behind this wall, could have even sat down and watched a movie,” he concluded.