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AC Milan managed to weather a storm on the lake to come from behind and secure a massive win against Como.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report, what matters is surviving a storm, knowing how to get back up, remembering to always thank the goalkeeper, and singing Le Marseillaise. Why? Because Adrien Rabiot, Mike Maignan and Christopher Nkunku all shone brightly.
It was a big result against a Como side that played very well even hit the woodwork twice, again courtesy of Nico Paz, but lack ruthlessness among their qualities. It also means that Milan have prevented Inter from making their first real breakaway of the season.
Solitary second place is confirmed, widening the gap with those behind, if we only look at the Champions League spots. Massimiliano Allegri also has his sights set on the Scudetto, and that’s something that is becoming increasingly certain.
First half battering
The first half ended 1-1 and not 4-1, and there’s a simple explanation: Como committed a single defensive error and were punished harshly. Van der Brempt lost the ball, then Kempf impetuously fouled Rabiot in the box.
Nkunku barely converted a penalty after Leao’s attempts to take it but being stopped by the bench. With half-time just around the corner, Fabregas went to the dressing room feeling a colossal injustice, due to the performance of his team not getting what it deserved.
Luckily for Allegri, Maignan saved Milan four times, including a double stop on Da Cunha that was a real exhibition of reflex goalkeeping. It’s also true that the home team made only one serious defensive error, but they should have been even more ruthless in front of goal.
Max’s moves
Milan’s difficulties were immediately apparent. The coach’s new formation is a 4-4-2 for the first time this season. He wants to close down the flanks with a double team, perhaps because he learned that Fabregas had the pitch widened.
But the move did not bear fruit: the Rossoneri’s channels were still open, and after 20 minutes, Allegri ordered a 4-3-3, movin g Leao and Saelemaekers wide, attempting to block the service that was coming from the byline.
This attempt fails because Vojvoda and Van der Brempt on the right, as well as Baturina (excellent even in a role not his own) on the left, continue to dominate and send dangerous crosses and passes into the box.
Of the Modric and Rabiot, it is the latter who managed to grow in the match, scoring a brace (his first away from home) that secured the win in the second half. Up front, Nkunku was only visible on the penalty, and Leao was having a difficult night until his gorgeous assist for the second goal.
Como had clear ideas and quality, combined with extensive physical work, and it’s only natural that they would decline in the second half, despite Fabregas’s five changes. When Sergi Roberto came on for Moreno, he reshuffled the cards and arranged them in a sort of 3-3-3-1.
The key duels
When the team still have energy, Como’s movements were designed to confuse Milan’s attempts to track them. There was a three-man build-up with the goalkeeper Butez in the centre, to entice the Milan players, draw them in, and then move out to the playmaker, who dropped deep to develop the play wide with the wingers.
When Como want to pass through the middle, they always look for Paz, who made himself mobile and unpredictable. He’s the best player in the team, even if he comes out defeated in the duel with Maignan and in the one with the crossbar and post.
Como, having suffered their first home defeat, are at their best when they manage to give more space to their system of using the wingers, seeking superiority to overcome the opponents’ aggression and double teams.
They won the game of possession, passing and counter-attacks. But these tell part of the story: Milan’s cunning and the experience of their leaders are ultimately decisive. The Rossoneri hadn’t posted a run of 19 unbeaten results since 2005. Inter don’t feel free and comfortable at the top.
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