After all the promise and investment of pre-season, the first seven fixtures of the 2015/16 Serie A campaign have brought Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Milan back down to earth with a bang.

Their 4-0 loss to Napoli last Sunday evening was the most humiliating of the four league defeats Milan have suffered so far, suggesting that the team may in fact be going backwards rather than forwards under their new coach.

If ever there was a clear signal that a tactical system isn’t working, the loss to Napoli was it. Mihajlovic has stuck rigidly by his favoured 4-3-1-2 formation since he took over at San Siro, but now is the time to begin considering alternatives.

Here we analyse three different formations that Mihajlovic may consider using with Milan going forward, including brief summaries of each system, examples of other Serie A teams that use them, and illustrations of how each system could work for Milan.

 

4-2-3-1

Working Example: Napoli (2014/15 Season)

The 4-2-3-1 is not one of the most utilised tactical systems in Serie A. While several of Italian football’s top teams have used it in certain games or situations, it has little longevity.

The most obvious recent example of it being used by one team on a consistent basis was Rafa Benitez’s Napoli, who lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape in almost every game, while others such as Inter Milan and Fiorentina dabbled with the system briefly last season.

 

System Summary

The 4-2-3-1 is often an expansive, attacking system. Two central-midfield pivots shield a back four, while there is traditionally at least one trequartista in the central hole between the striker and the two pivots.

Many teams play two wingers on either side, though the nature of these wingers can vary. Some teams use a pair of inverted wingers, some use orthodox wingers that hug the touchline, while some use one of each.

It is also an option for the “3” in this system to be comprised of a trio of attacking midfielders that interchange with one another and the striker.

 

How Could It Work for Milan?

Milan have been using a back four for a long time. Current head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic prefers the four-man defence, as did his predecessor Filippo Inzaghi, so switching to a 4-2-3-1 system would require no drastic change in the structure of the defensive line.

Instead, the changes would come in midfield and attack. Mihajlovic has been using three central midfielders and two strikers, while the 4-2-3-1 calls for two central midfielders and one striker.

The central midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 tend to be pivots capable of guarding defence, preventing opposition attacks and starting attacks of their own. Thus, they require a combination of defensive nous and technical quality.

While most of Milan’s central midfielders have one of these qualities, few—if any at all—possess both.

Mihajlovic would also have a headache fitting Mario Balotelli, Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca into this system given its requirement for one striker.

Bacca’s accurate finishing, work ethic and intelligent movement around the penalty area make him the optimal candidate of the three to spearhead the line and take the chances created by an attacking midfield trident.

One positive of this formation is that it would allow Milan to make use of the multiple attacking-midfield and wide options that are available to them, including Jeremy Menez and M’Baye Niang once both are fully fit.

 

4-3-3 

Working Example: Napoli (2015/16 season)

The 4-3-3 system is what Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri reverted to, having watched his side concede unnecessary goals and drop winnable points early on this season.

Since the change, his side have looked unstoppable, winning five of their last six games in all competitions, including a 4-0 humiliation of Milan.

Other teams to use the 4-3-3 on a consistent basis include Roma, Lazio and Sassuolo, all of whom have been fairly successful with the system.

 

System Summary

Formations, being the fluid concepts that they are, are often imprecise. The 4-3-3 is a good example of how difficult it can be to pinpoint which particular formation a team is using, given how close it is to the 4-5-1.

The distinction can be made that the 4-5-1 is a more defensive take on the 4-3-3, with the wingers dropping slightly deeper when in the defensive phase in the former than they do in the latter.

The 4-3-3 can take several different directions in attack. While traditionally it will see one centre-forward accompanied by two wide forwards, there is also the option of using a false nine accompanied by inverted wingers, or a target man supported by two traditional wingers.

 

How Could It Work for Milan?

Most of the alterations that Milan would need to make if switching to a 4-3-3 would come in attack, as the back four and midfield three would remain from their current 4-3-1-2 formation.

Mihajlovic may be tempted to field all three of his best strikers in a very offensive system, though a more practical choice would see Balotelli chosen to lead this particular line, using his strength, skill and underrated hold-up play to bring the central midfielders and wide attackers into the game.

Looking at the way Napoli play as a good example of the 4-3-3, Milan could use one inverted winger and one wide forward on either side of Balotelli.

M’Baye Niang, when fit, would be a decent choice as the more direct wide option with his pace, while either of Giacomo Bonaventura or Menez could play the role of inverted winger to the left of Balotelli, cutting in onto their favoured right foot to link up and create.

 

3-5-2

Working Example: Torino

Giampiero Ventura’s Torino make good use of the 3-5-2 system and have done for several years since their promotion from Serie B. Reigning champions and fellow Turin club Juventus also used this system regularly under both Massimiliano Allegri and former coach Antonio Conte.

 

System Summary

The 3-5-2 is, generally speaking, set up by reactive teams looking to counter-attack stronger opposition.

Making use of wing-backs whose job is to patrol the entirety of their flank in both defence and attack, the system gets rid of wingers and instead finds space for three central defenders and three central midfielders.

Depending on the aims and nature of the team using it, the system can become a 3-4-1-2, with one of the central midfielders being replaced by a trequartista to link the midfield to the strike force.

 

How Could It Work for Milan?

Milan lack quality central-defensive options, so the 3-5-2 would give them the potentially invaluable opportunity to make up for that deficiency with quantity by fielding Alessio Romagnoli, Cristian Zapata and Rodrigo Ely together in a back three.

Of course, this change would require intensive retraining to ensure that all three—who are accustomed to playing in a central-defensive two as part of a back four—are not confused by the system, something that would only worsen Milan’s defensive organisation.

Using wing-backs would allow Milan to get the best out of Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonelli, both of whom enjoy bombing down the touchline to provide attacking options. 

This system could also allow Mihajlovic to persist with a front two, perhaps of Balotelli and Bacca, possibly backed up by Giacomo Bonaventura in the trequartista role.

 

Which System Should Mihajlovic Pick?

The 4-2-3-1 may be slightly too expansive for a side as defensively vulnerable as Mihajlovic’s Milan are right now, while the 3-5-2 may be too complex a change for Milan’s defenders to handle at a time when the Rossoneri are in desperate need of wins.

The recommended best option of the aforementioned formations would thus be the 4-3-3. This would allow Mihajlovic to retain the same structure in defence and midfield, while offering greater width and freeing up the likes of Bonaventura to create in the final third.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1OVx9I0
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J