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AC Milan have struggled to impose themselves against the bottom-half sides this season, and as highlighted by Fabio Capello, there are several reasons behind this.
The 1-1 draw against Genoa was yet another example of Milan’s issues against ‘smaller teams’, dropping points once again when they needed to win. Massimiliano Allegri himself has been very open about these struggles, especially after the Genoa game.
As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport in their interview piece with Capello, one quote in particular was of interest after the game…
“When I came to play in Milan as a player with the smaller teams, I’d put in some great games for 60 minutes, then there was the strongest team ever that would start playing from the 60th minute and score three goals. This is something Inter have and we don’t,” the gaffer stated.
The above is something that the newspaper asked Capello to weigh in on…
What do you say to this Fabio?
“There’s no doubt that my AC Milan was stronger than the current one, even if Allegri’s correct analysis is missing something.”
What is he missing?
“Back then, there weren’t five substitutions yet. What does that mean? Simple, the smaller teams at San Siro would put in a physical effort, but after an hour, they would drop off and that’s when the immense quality of that Milan emerged.
“Today’s team doesn’t have that quality, and opponents, by substituting five players, manage to maintain a high level of intensity and focus for longer. So, even if you’re called Milan, it can happen that you don’t get results at home against less well-equipped teams.”
Against Genoa, Milan still found the net late on. Rather, the problem seems to be their often slow approach…
“True. I think the team lacks consistency throughout the game. Milan plays in fits and starts. And against smaller teams, they struggle to develop their play, unable to find space. Paradoxically, they perform better against the big teams, who try to control the game and thus leave themselves open to counterattacks.”
You talked about developing the play. Allegri is often criticised for his style of play. Can he improve Milan’s style?
“I think the Rossoneri’s difficulty in finding consistency in their play isn’t so much down to the coach’s ideas, but rather to the level and characteristics of the players. I’ve always maintained that the driving force of a team is the backbone of a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a playmaker, and a centre-forward: Inter have a top-notch one, as do Napoli, but Milan much less so.
“Therefore, the Rossoneri depend much more on the few individuals who make the difference. For example, when Modric fades a bit, the light dims and the whole team suffers. More than just his play, Max can work on his psychological aspect, his mentality. And maybe even change a few things at certain moments.”
In this sense, towards the end against Genoa, we saw the attacking trident for the first time with Pulisic and Leao on either side of Füllkrug.
“A different solution that could be proposed again, perhaps even from the start, when Allegri has three healthy forwards. This has practically never happened so far. Leao just returned from injury, Pulisic always has some issues, Nkunku was out in these last few games, and Füllkrug isn’t yet fit enough to start.”
After the draw against Genoa, Max emphasised that Inter and Napoli are the favourites for the Scudetto: is he right?
“I’ve said it and I’ll say it again: Inter are the best-equipped team in Serie A. There’s one statistic that really illustrates this: the number of goals scored. Chivu’s side already have 40 in the league, while no other team has reached 30.
“The difference is there and it’s noticeable, because the Romanian coach can rotate his players without losing quality, while his colleagues can’t. Not even Conte can do that completely at Napoli…”
Couldn’t constantly repeating that others are better demotivate the locker room?
“Allegri is too experienced and cunning to fall into such a reckless trap. You always have to distinguish what a coach says publicly from what he later says in the locker room. I think the Milan players know very well why Max makes certain statements, probably to ease the media pressure on the team.
“It’s a form of protection, certainly not an admission of inferiority, although claiming that Inter and Napoli are stronger is certainly not untrue.”
Meanwhile, in head-to-head clashes, Allegri has beaten both and is only three points behind Chivu and ahead of Conte…
“Indeed. That’s why, in the end, the point against Genoa, in a match they could have lost with that naive foul by Bartesaghi on the penalty that Stanciu later missed, is still positive.
“Tomorrow night, Inter will play Napoli, and then the Champions League will begin again, which is the most important and demanding competition of all.
“Allegri has the advantage of not playing in the cup competitions; he’ll be able to use the whole week to prepare his team for their one match. He simply has to continue on his path, hoping to be close when things get more complicated for their rivals.”
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