OVERVIEW
Newcastle are happy to return home with a crucial point against the Rossoneri. This point could come in handy when they host AC Milan in the final matchday of the group stage in December. Stefano Pioli's side could have walked away with all 3 points, but they were unlucky.
The Italian side now share points with Newcastle as the French champions PSG defeated Dortmund to claim the top spot in the group. It would be pretty fascinating to see how the group of death unfolds.
KEY MOMENTS
AC Milan deployed an excellent and organised 4-3-3 gameplay throughout the match.
The whole team was in sync and completely balanced. Pioli's men played a man-to-man marking system.
THE LOFTUS-CHEEK ROLE
AC Milan shifted to a 4-2-1-3 formation when they were out of possession. Krunic and Pobega held Tonali and Longstaff respectively.
Bruno Guimaraes averaged 51 passes per match with an 84% completion rate last season. The Brazilian can orchestrate the play from the back and come forward to join the attack. He can control the tempo of the game. Hence, Loftus-Cheek- was tasked to cover Guimaraes.
He did an excellent job and did not give Guimaraes any space. Guimaraes made just 39 passes in this match. He was followed by the England international everywhere on the pitch.
It was an important aspect and Pioli dealt with it perfectly.
GIROUD DROPS IN
AC Milan tried this a few times in the match. When Maignan had the ball at his feet at the edge of their box, the two CBs spread the width and positioned themselves on either side of the penalty box. The fullbacks held their width while keeping the Newcastle wingers and the midfielders aware.
Giroud drops down to receive the direct pass from the GK, drawing the defender with him, and creating the space behind him. Given his areal superiority and heading abilities, Giroud is always likely to win the ball. Pobega makes the run forward to receive the touchdown from Giroud. If the pass had been successful, Newcastle would have been opened up defensively. Kieran Trippier would have had a dangerous 2v1 situation with Leao and Pobega. Milan kept pressuring and trying this technique.
THE 18th MINUTE CORNER KICK
I was mesmerized by this set play. Chukwueze and Lucas Hernandez positioned themselves at the edge of the penalty box. AC Milan had Giroud, Thiaw, Tomori, Loftus-Cheek and Pobega in the 6-yard box -- all are tall and good in the air. Trippier was marking Tomori who is a major threat from corners. As Krunic was about to take the corner kick, Chukwueze made a run towards the near post, attracting Antony Gordon towards him; Tomori made the run away from the box. Instinctively, Trippier tracked Tomori. The ball was perfectly placed right in between Gordon and Trippier where Lucas Hernandez arrived. It was a beautiful play and caught everyone off-guard.
FLEXIBLE POSITIONING OF THE FULL-BACKS
The impact and importance of fullback are increasing every day in this modern era. They are no longer just defenders or overlapping side-backs anymore.
I think Pioli likes the flexible positioning of his full-backs. They have the freedom to run forward and create chances. Both Hernandez and Calabria were seen to cut inside centrally and take up an inside pocket role just behind the number 9.
THE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE
AC Milan played a very organised defence. Loftus-Cheek shadowed Bruno Guimaraes, so the Magpies needed to find spaces in the final third. Jacob Murphy or Isak was seen to drop down to receive the ball on a few occasions. Tomori tracked them down, restricting the opportunity to turn with the ball.
I believe Tomori was given this job and not Hernandez (who was ideal since Murphy played on his lane) because Eddie Howe tends to use Trippier in the advanced right-wing role to utilise his crossing ability. Tomori stays close to Murphy and Hernandez keeps his original position preventing Trippier from overlapping into the space behind. The man-marking message was quite evident from their defensive structure. Each AC Milan player had a Magpie over his shoulder.
FLORENZI'S ROLE
Alessandro Florenzi was brought on to replace the Milan captain, Calabria who was booked in the first half. In my observation, Florenzi played quite an interesting role. I believe he was given a bit more freedom to move up the pitch than his former captain.
In this situation below, Florenzi almost inverted as a central midfielder to receive the ball at the centre circle. This created a space in both the wings. He was unmarked in the middle third and had a space to run into. He also drifted inwards to join Krunic as the double pivot, while Pioli's men were in possession.
In the following shot, I would like to bring forward the off-the-ball movement that caught my eye. In the 61st minute of the game, Florenzi makes a run towards the inside channel at the edge of the box. If you look at his hand gesture, you can tell he is making space for his right winger (Pulisic). Anthony Gordon was out of position and Thiaw could easily pick his pass to Pulisic. Florenzi continued his run and positioned himself near the front post inside the box.
Both the teams played organised and disciplined football. Rafael Leao should have scored from the opportunity that he got. Milan will travel next to Germany to face Borrusia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park.
**NOTE: All the match screenshots are taken from the replay stream of the match from Fireleons. I have annotated them to provide my analytical perspectives. The coaching board tactics are completely mine.
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