GdS: ‘Milan halted’ – similar issues emerge with 13 points dropped against struggling teams

AC Milan got what they were hoping for as Inter and Napoli drew on Sunday night, but they were unable to take care of their own business.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report, the draw against Fiorentina means that Milan remain second, three points behind the league leaders. What is worrying is that it was another game with points dropped against a relegation-threatened side, and another late equaliser needed.

The number of points dropped to teams in the bottom half of the table rises to 13. Scudetti aren’t won this way. Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Genoa was well-earned, while yesterday’s 1-1 had an element of luck with Brescianini and Kean coming close deep into added time.

The Rossoneri had squandered three scoring opportunities in the first half, two of them glaring. Massimiliano Allegri’s team have lost just one game in the league, on the opening day against Cremonese,but have drawn too many times.

Something isn’t right in the management of these matches. In Florence, Luka Modric was sidelined due to rotation, but the 40-year-old Croatian star didn’t shine against Genoa either. The feeling of unease is widespread.

Chances spurned

Give-and-go is the basic basketball playbook, and Allegri – a basketball enthusiast – applied it to his new attacking duo. Pulisic passed the ball to Füllkrug, who passed it back to the American, who attacked the space in behind and got in on goal.

In the first half at the Franchi, the play worked twice, with Füllkrug proving himself to be more than just a tough German centre-forward with his skilled hold-up play. Pulisic, however, was uncharacteristically off-target: the first time he ran too wide and missed, the De Gea stopped him on the second. The American then nearly scored with a diagonal shot after a run into space.

Allegri lined up Milan with an asymmetrical 3-5-2: Loftus-Cheek. The right mezzala was far ahead of Jashari, the left midfielder. Loftus-Cheek, playing as a false attacking midfielder or as a hidden striker, unbalanced Milan’s right flank.

On that side, aided by the return of Gosens, Fiorentina pushed hard. Saelemaekers fought alone against Gosens and Gudmundsson, partly because De Winter rarely came out to challenge the Iceland international. Fortunately for Milan, Gudmundsson  squandered several opportunities.

In midfield, Fagioli caught the eye more than Ricci. In the first half, Fiorentina didn’t create much: Ndour had the best chance but his header was weak. Milan failed to capitalise on their control and what they created. It’s inevitable to look at Modric, Rabiot and Leao sitting on the bench.

Drama ensues

Milan started the second half poorly, and after half-time, it was Fiorentina who took over, as the possession and centre of gravity data ultimately showed. Allegri attempted to shake things up by bringing on Bartesaghi, Rabiot, Leao and Fofana.

To make matters worse, it was Bartesaghi – who had just come on – who allowed Comuzzo to head home from a corner. Allegri opted for a 4-3-3 in response to his side going behind. Pavlovic injured his head and was replaced by Nkunku.

The defence consisted of a Pulisic-Nkunku-Leao trio. Fagioli tarnished his brilliant performance with a stupid mistake: under pressure from Saelemaekers, he let himself fall over, but the referee didn’t buy it, and Milan got a goal as Fofana fed Nkunku.

A healthy Milan would have gone for the win, but this hesitant Milan almost went behind in the 95th minute. Brescianini hit the crossbar and then Kean wasted a chance in front of Maignan. A gigantic double sight of relief, to quote an Allegri expression.

The thing to take from the game is that the 4-3-3 with a Pulisic-Fullkrug-Leao trident could be a breath of fresh air. Milan must reverse the trend: they only have the league, they can afford to play their best players, always.