Chelsea 4-1 AC Milan: Three things we learned – a major transfer need emerges

AC Milan’s 2025 summer preseason has come to an end, and it did so in a far-from-ideal way with a 4-1 defeat against Chelsea.

Rather unsurprisingly, Massimiliano Allegri made 10 changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Leeds United in Dublin on Saturday. However, one of the incoming players – Andrei Coubis – had a nightmare with an early own-goal and a red card.

Joao Pedro scored in the first half for the Blues and then Liam Delap scored a brace in the second half either side of a goal from Youssouf Fofana. It means that the Rossoneri end preseason with two wins (versus Liverpool and Perth Glory), a draw and two defeats (against Arsenal and Chelsea).

Massimiliano Allegri tried to preach a bit of calm after the game, insisting that the team are working well ahead of the first competitive game of the season in one week. So, what did we learn from the game?

1. The most urgent need

Malick Thiaw might well have started the game at Stamford Bridge, but he is on the verge of a move to Newcastle United for a figure of €40m including bonuses, which left Allegri a bit light at centre-back.

Milan will obviously replace the German, but having played with three central defenders for pretty much the entirety of preseason, we are beginning to question if one new arrival will be enough. At the time of writing, Koni De Winter seems to be closes to joining, from Genoa.

There is now just Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlovic and Matteo Gabbia present as centre-back options. Tomori was all at sea in his return to west London, and there are question marks about whether Allegri will fully trust the hot-blooded Pavlovic.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

If the new boss were to continue playing a three-man defence system, then having four central defenders might not be enough given that a couple of injuries or suspensions could cause a crisis. Andrei Coubis has shown that he is not ready to be promoted yet, while Allegri clearly sees Davide Bartesaghi as a wide player.

What we think the defensive department is missing is an older head, someone experienced and composed, like Simon Kjaer was when he arrived. If that type of profile were to arrive in addition to someone more young like De Winter, it would safeguard things a bit more.

2. Bright at the other end

After the full-time whistle, Allegri remarked to Sky that Milan were actually better a man down, stating: “Paradoxically, today, with 10 men, we performed better; we were more organised.”

The Rossoneri were certainly far more threatening, and while Chelsea may have been committing more men forward to turn it into an attacking training drill, there were some openings created through swift, sharp attacks.

Rafael Leao was the leader of the attacking department again. The Portuguese scored a fantastic header that was ruled out for offside, and he could have had a couple of assists too. In a game where Milan often struggled to get out of their half, he was the obvious outlet.

Leao linked up well with Alexis Saelemaekers, who also never gave up despite the rough start. The Belgian ran a lot, showed creativity and seemed to startle the home defenders with his dribbles. A nice assist for Fofana’s goal rounded off a good outing.

While Leao’s starting spot is nailed down, it will be interesting to see how his play translates presuming that – with everyone available – he moves back to the left. The challenge for Saelemaekers, on the other hand, is to earn a spot in the XI on the other flank.

We must also say that Ruben Loftus-Cheek had some very positive moments too, displaying great speed on the counter-attack and showcasing his athleticism. He could be a bit of a ‘secret weapon’ for Allegri in certain games, even if there is a lot of competition in midfield.

Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

3. Midfield concerns

That last point leads us into the final one, and admittedly this is more of a reflection on where Milan are at right now rather than where they will be in a few weeks.

Samuele Ricci struggled in the first half of the game, often appearing too timid as the home side built pressure. Luka Modric came off the bench in the second half but Allegri admitted he is quite far behind in terms of his condition.

Ardon Jashari got a run-out versus Leeds United and looked fantastic but he too cannot be close to 100% having sat out the entirety of the start of Club Brugge’s season. Loftus-Cheek needs to be physically reliable, while Yunus Musah and Youssouf Fofana showed more bad than good in the friendlies.

So, that all leaves us with a bit of a concern about the middle of the park. With everyone in top condition there is actually a lot of depth and plenty of different combinations that the manager can field.

With Bari, Cremonese and Lecce the first three teams to face – a bit more ‘affordable’ early-season games on paper – there isn’t the need for panic. However, the mission will be to get all the gears clicking by the end of September when Napoli, Juventus, Fiorentina, Atalanta and Roma await in a six-game stretch.