‘A chain disaster’ – Milan’s long list of defensive shortcomings exposed

AC Milan have not started the season the way they would have liked from a results perspective but also from a defensive point of view, with six goals conceded in three games.

La Gazzetta dello Sport have taken a deeper look into the defensive struggles, starting with the fact that the Expected Goals number from the three games was a combined 5.67, a sign that Milan were not a victim of bad luck but conceded as many as they should have.

The list of culprits is not complex. It is long and begins with Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Davide Calabria and Emerson Royal. In what order, everyone is free to decide. However, it is mandatory to extend it to the other departments because the system is failing the Rossoneri.

In the summer, Fonseca asked for changes compared to the past, when defence was a serious problem. He asked for aggression and possession, to be used also for defensive purposes, to manage the pace of the game.

Little or nothing worked and Milan today appears to be a team full of players who, due to their characteristics and mentality, create many problems in the defensive phase. All the midfielders – except Youssouf Fofana – look forward, they are better at attacking than playing without the ball.