Since Serie A has been in a single round-robin format (’29-30), the Rossoneri had never experienced such a heavy deficit – when you include the cups competitions – there are 64 goals conceded.
Sometimes, just the data is enough to paint the picture. Out of the 27 goals conceded by Milan in the league, 18 came in the second halves of matches. These numbers reveal a dual personality of the Rossoneri. If we extend the analysis to include the Coppa Italia and Champions League, the total goals conceded rise to 38 in 31 matches. In other words, more than one goal per game.
NEGATIVE RECORD
To better understand Milan’s defensive vulnerabilities, we must also consider the last five months of the previous season. Milan ended 2023 with a clean sheet, winning against Sassuolo at San Siro, but with a total of 64 goals conceded in the calendar year across all competitions. This marks a negative record in the history of the Diavolo since Serie A became a single round-robin format (1929-30). A similar trend occurred for Milan in 1933, when they conceded 56 goals. The 1932-33 season remains the one with the highest number of goals conceded in Serie A (62). Today, Milan sits third, despite defensive vulnerabilities.
PROBLEMS
It’s evident that there’s a mental resilience problems. But the physical aspect is also not to be overlooked. Milan always starts strong. They’ve shown this in the new year against Cagliari, Empoli, Atalanta, Roma, Udinese, Bologna, and Frosinone. All matches where Milan scored first, except against Bologna, where they drew before halftime. Even against Salernitana – with Tomori scoring after 17 minutes – or against Monza – with Reijnders at 3 minutes. These are matches where the approach was the common denominator, a key point emphasized by Pioli. It’s a matter of exuberance, a rush to score as quickly as possible to then manage the game.
TACTICS
Looking at the numbers, Milan’s defensive frailty in the second halves is most apparent between the 50th and 70th minutes. The two goals conceded against Napoli, from a winning situation 0-2. The one-two punch from Dortmund at San Siro between the 59th and 69th minutes, as well as goals conceded against Roma and Udinese. Always within that time frame. Milan has a lot of work to do in the defensive phase this is more than evident, but will it be Pioli to work on this the next season, or someone else, remains to be seen.
