GdS: Four aspects Milan must improve in to shake off record against ‘lesser’ sides

AC Milan have shone in the direct matches against their top four rivals so far this season, but against the ‘lower’ sides they have struggled.

This is a trend that isn’t particularly new, as La Gazzetta dello Sport write. Last season, Milan won at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Champions League, beat Inter three times including in the Supercoppa Italiana final, and they knocked Juventus out en route to that triumph in Riyadh.

This season, Milan are the best Italian team in the so-called ‘head-to-head’ matches: they beat Roma and Napoli and drew with Juve in a match they could – and perhaps should – have won. How is it possible for a team like this to lose at home to Cremonese and draw against Pisa?

Their last win against a theoretically mid-to-lower-ranking team was on September 20, a 3-0 win against Udinese. Four key things can help the Rossoneri update that record tonight in Parma.

Forwards

Milan have not had much contribution from their forwards this season, at least relative to the quality that Leao, Nkunku and Gimenez should have. Only Christian Pulisic has had consistency, while he was available, though Rafa has been positive since his return.

Parma-Milan is, on paper, the perfect match to make the difference in quality count. Leao and Nkunku will start against a team that will sit deep. They won’t have much space, but they’ll be able to communicate in tight spaces and face defenders who aren’t up to their level: Delprato, Ndiaye, Valenti.

Big teams, after all, win matches primarily with the play of their best players. On the sidelines, keep an eye out for variations on Leao, who, compared to the past, is more dangerous from outside the box and more likely to hurt opposing defences with his headers. They could come in handy against Parma.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Set-pieces

Do you remember the last Milan goal from a direct free-kick? It has been a while. The closest they have come this season was Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s headed goal following a Modric delivery in the win over Lecce.

And corners? Nkunku scored from a corner in the Coppa Italia. Zachary Athekame did so against Pisa and Samuele Ricci against Atalanta, but they were more following a corner rather than from the first cross in. So, Milan are still on zero goals directly from corners in the league.

That’s strange for a team with Gabbia, Pavlovic, a taker like Modric and a coach like Allegri, a specialist in dead-ball goals. That statistic will change sooner or later, and why not at Parma? Suzuki has certainly not been flawless in recent weeks.

Danger

Allegri’s summer mantra was: “Perceive the danger.” The team have largely cut down on errors and have stopped being distracted, inconsistent and dysfunctional. Largely, but not always. Milan have dropped points against smaller teams when they didn’t follow their coach’s first commandment.

Against Cremonese in round one, they were the Milan of last season, with their heads in the clouds. Against Pisa, on October 24th, they didn’t kill the game (how careless they were at 1-0), they conceded a goal, and then were caught out a second time.

Against Parma, focus will count for a lot because Cuesta’s side have scored very little in recent weeks (five goals all season) and are not creating many chances. Maignan, with an attentive Milan ahead of him, has a great chance of finishing with a clean sheet.

Starts

Milan are specialising in fast starts. Against Pisa, Leao scored in the seventh minute. Against Atalanta, Ricci scored in the fourth minute. Against Roma, Pavlovic’s goal came in the 39th minute, but after the first chance Milan created. Against Napoli, Saelemaekers scored in the third minute.

The problem, if anything, in recent weeks has been maintaining the lead, avoiding losing ground and conceding an equaliser. In Parma, against a team that struggles to attack, taking an early lead would be doubly important. It would force Parma to attack and give Leao and Nkunku space to counter.

Showing up on time is a literal requirement, too. Against Roma, the team came onto the pitch two minutes late in both the first and second halves. It was a repeat offence: they’d done it before, so the Sporting Judge fined the club €8k.