GdS: ‘Chelsea too much’ – how a weakened Milan were overwhelmed in final friendly

AC Milan were hoping to sign off preseason with a positive result or at least a good performance, but they were well beaten by Chelsea.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport point out, Club World Cup champions Chelsea are not Leeds, newly promoted to the Premier League. The overwhelming difference between the two English teams was evident to Milan, who fielded a weakened team short on defenders.

This was also due to a nightmare afternoon for Andrei Coubis, the Milan Futuro centre-back, who sealed the match with an own-goal that made it 1-0 and a red card, with the score already 2-0 to the Blues.

Massimiliano Allegri sent him on because Malick Thiaw had been sold yesterday and there was still no replacement. In short, the former Juventus coach tried to make do, but against Maresca’s team – which features Pedro Neto, Joao Pedr  and Jamie Gittens up front – it was impossible.

Then, when the Rossoneri went a man down, the mission became impossible. The day did, however, bring the Diavolo some good news. First and foremost, Luka Modric’s debut, coming on at the start of the second half in place of Samuele Ricci and not a starter as previously assumed.

Alexis Saelemaekers also performed well, this time deployed on the left, perhaps the one with the most faith. And then Rafael Leao: he’s not a centre-forward, but when he can attack the space, he can cause trouble even as a striker.

Photo by AC Milan

Paying for a slow start

Milan immediately realized that it would be a difficult afternoon, with Coubis’s own-goal. The young Rossoneri defender, in the heart of the penalty area, was slow to react, and the ball hit his shin before ending up past Mike Maignan.

Two minutes later, the Blues doubled their lead with a header from Joao Pedro (a poor reading of the game from Fikayo Tomori) following an assist from Pedro Neto, who had been left too free to cross by Davide Bartesaghi.

Chelsea dominated because they were technically superior and, moreover, they had the support of their fans, who celebrated winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup in the pre-match build-up.

Maignan and his teammates couldn’t find the right counter-measures, and this time the 5-4-1 struggled against the width that Pedro Neto and Gittens provided thanks to their acceleration, while in attack the 4-4-1-1 (or sometimes 4-2-3-1) – with Loftus-Cheek a step behind Leao – failed to deliver.

Compared to Saturday’s friendly against Leeds, the difference was the calibre of the opponent and Milan’s constant struggles down the flanks. The Rossoneri’s first chance came in the 17th minute with a shot from Saelemaekers parried by Sanchez, and Leao’s subsequent header over.

Allegri attempted to switch Coubis and Terracciano, but seconds after the move, following a Sanchez goal kick, Coubis found himself one-on-one in midfield with the quicker Joao Pedro. The defender let the ball bounce and brought him down, with the referee Michael Salisbury showing a red card.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Allegri reshuffled his team with a 4-4-1 formation, with Musah playing right back and Loftus-Cheek the right winger, who moved inside in possession. The already uneven match becomes even more unbalanced with Palmer’s free kick hitting the left post and then grazing his right foot.

In the final two minutes of the half, Leao’s shot – which Sanchez parried – and Saelemaekers’ effort which went over the bar were bright moments. In stoppage time the home side almost scored a third, only to be saved by a save from Maignan and a clearance from Ricci.

Modric arrives

At the start of the second half, Modric made his Milan debut, coming on for Ricci and positioning himself in the heart of midfield to dictate the tempo. The Croatian, on a counter-attack following a Chelsea corner, fired home, forcing a save from Sanchez.

Milan deserved credit for continuing to play despite being behind, and Fofana, well-placed by Leao, missed a chance to make it 2-1, aided by an inadvertent obstacle from Bartesaghi. Chelsea then scored with a penalty kick from Delap following a naive foul by Musah on Estevao.

Youssouf Fofana made it 3-1 with an assist from Saelemaekers, but before the final whistle, Delap still had the glory, scoring his second and making it 4-1.

It was a tough day for a team that had been outnumbered for over 70 minutes and was capable of showing its best side when down a man. Not everything about the match at Stamford Bridge was to be thrown away, though, as Allegri pointed out.