More transition worries and second-half fixes: Tactical analysis of Lecce 2-3 AC Milan | OneFootball

AC Milan manufactured yet another comeback under Sergio Conceicao, coming from two goals behind to beat Lecce 3-2 on Saturday night.

There had been links with Nikola Krstovic in the days prior to the game, and naturally he scored a brace to put the home side two goals up. He first was an absolute rocket of a shot from range, and the second a measured sweeping finish to cap a counter-attack.

When they looked down and out, Milan found a reaction from somewhere. Firstly Joao Felix’s shot was diverted in via an own-goal, then Christian Pulisic scored from the penalty spot and Pulisic’s volley capped the comeback inside the final 15 minutes.

Amid talk of being under pressure, Sergio Conceicao made some big changes to the starting line-up. Kyle Walker came back into the side, Warren Bondo got a first start in midfield and Alex Jimenez returned on the wing. Marco Sportiello took the place of the suspended Mike Maignan, too.

Below is a tactical analysis from a chaotic night at the Stadio Via del Mare, by Rohit Rajeev.

Defensive frailty

If one picture could sum up how much Conceicao is under pressure and how desperate he is this season, it might be the one below. Milan’s defensive line is with very high, with Gabbia and Thiaw pushing up, then Walker and Theo on either flanks taking up the space.

With Pulisic inverting inside it created ample space for Theo to gallop forward, and this was the build-up to Gimenez’s disallowed goal due to being offside. It came less than one minute in.

Krstovic got a free shot on goal but the space for the shot came thanks to Theo being distracted by a run down the right. Gabbia was scared to take his man on as getting dribbled past would have meant Krstovic could have been 1v1 with Sportiello.

Lecce boss Marco Giampaolo quickly realised how Milan were desperate and leaving space in the centre. He started making Lecce bait the Rossoneri into pressing and this creating significant space down the middle.

The need for speed

Another problem Milan have been facing since Pioli’s last season has been the quick release of the ball.

In the sequence below, Milan press Lecce and win the ball back. Now instead of advancing quickly before they got back into defensive shape, Musah makes a backwards pass and give Lecce the time to organise.

Milan’s counter-press was also non-existent given how Lecce – who had just won the ball back – had time to take a touch, look up and time to make a pass.

Three Lecce players were left alone for the counter-attack before the second goal. It shows Milan have a real problem when defending in transition.

In the build-up to the own-goal scored by Lecce, Felix expertly runs into space to act as a passing option. This action helped Milan to start their swift counter and helped Leao to get into a 1v1 with the right-back.

Something that happened a lot under Pioli and Fonseca but rarely under Conceicao was third-man runs. For the penalty, Milan stitched a quick third-man combination together, which forced Lecce into committing the foul.

Lastly, Abraham’s run pulled a defender out of position and helped isolate Lecce’s right-back, with Leao in a 1v1 situation. While Leao was setting up for the cross, Milan loaded the box with players it created a 4v4 which they were not able to handle and helped Pulisic to tap the ball in.