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AC Milan managed to come back from behind to win against Como and as highlighted in our tactical analysis below, one change at half-time made a big difference.
The football world is increasingly obsessed with possession and control, not to mention entertaining play through quick movement and passing. Despite all of this, however, Massimiliano Allegri is sticking to what he knows best.
Indeed, his football is brutally simple: defend well, create enough and be clinical. Possession doesn’t matter as much as getting goals, which is ultimately what will get you the wins. And the win against Como was a perfect example of that.
How Como put Milan in trouble
Como adopted man-to-man pressing high up the pitch, similarly to what we saw Stefano Pioli do at Milan. They pressed with two or three players, forcing Milan to play wide, and then the second line jumped out to overload the flanks and suffocate the build-up. A clear, aggressive pressing plan.
Como also built their play with purpose. Their 3-2 model (see image below) gave them a stable base at the back. They constantly formed passing triangles and had many combinations to bypass the pressing from Milan.
Como targeted Milan’s left flank as well. Van de Bremt pushed high while Vojvoda tucked inside, creating a wide overload. These rotations freed Nico Paz to make in–and–out movements, allowing him to receive the ball in the wide channels and threaten from good positions.
Milan didn’t always help themselves either. Modric, Rabiot, Fofana, Nkunku, and Leao pushed up aggressively, but the backline didn’t always follow them. As a result, a huge gap opened in midfield and Butez exploited it smartly, repeatedly finding Paz between the lines to bypass the press.
How Allegri responded
For the goal just before the break, Saelemaekers’ press was the trigger. He won the ball from Van de Bremt, and as Ramon was busy with Leao, a gap opened between the two centre-backs. Rabiot read it perfectly and attacked the space with a well-timed run.
After the break, Allegri shifted Leao back to a true left-wing role. It was a clear move to attack the space left by Van de Bremt. Above all, it pinned Bremt deeper into Como’s back line, preventing them from creating their usual overloads on the right flank.
It was a small positional tweak, but one that disrupted Como’s entire wide rotation and gave Milan better control.
It also proved decisive for the second goal, as Leao attacked the space behind Van de Bremt. Space opened up for a run and Rabiot made the most of that (just like when he won the penalty). It was a really good example of how a small positional change can make a big difference.
For the third goal, Füllkrug’s aerial presence was decisive, winning the initial header. Rabiot then came up with a great finish, generating the power needed to beat Butez decisively. The German’s impact is also something Allegri highlighted before the game.
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