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Massimiliano Allegri’s stamp on AC Milan is already being seen out on the field, with the numbers showing a big defensive improvement.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recall how Bologna didn’t even manage a shot on target during Sunday’s game. The comparison with last season’s team, which started terribly defensively, is rather startling.
Paulo Fonseca’s men after three games had already conceded 53 shots in total, and the opponents were averaging 1.79xG (Expected Goals) per game. It’s impossible to win matches consistently like that, as the Rossoneri found out.
Those numbers have changed: this season, opponents have only shot on Milan’s goal 16 times, and their xG figure is stuck at 0.23 per game.
The best in Europe
Milan are ‘the best defensive team in Europe’ at the start of 2025-26, the paper adds. The level of their opponents has an impact, but the trend is clear and not can no longer be considered random.
In the five major leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) 98 teams compete, and the other 97 have figures that aren’t even close. The second-highest number of shots conceded is St. Pauli, second in the Bundesliga: 23 shots conceded, seven more than Milan.
With expected goals the comparison is even more impressive. Milan have 0.23xG conceded per game as mentioned, while Nantes are second at 0.46 and Athletic Bilbao is third at 0.50. Newcastle and Bayern are just above that figure.
The conclusion is obvious: any team in Europe gives at least twice as many scoring chances as Allegri’s. If they keep going like this, Mike Maignan and Pietro Terracciano might need to blow the dust off their gloves.
English (US) ·