More misunderstandings in a game of transitions: Tactical analysis of Cagliari 3-3 AC Milan | OneFootball

AC Milan failed to build on the momentum from a 3-1 win away against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu as they drew 3-3 with struggling Cagliari.

Zortea put the home side ahead early on but Rafael Leao’s brace seemed to have the Rossoneri in command. Zappa got his first to level things at 2-2 before Tammy Abraham restored the advantage, yet the Cagliari full-back would net again in the 89th minute to earn a point for the hosts.

It is a draw that probably feels like a defeat for Milan given that they led so late on and were unable to convert it into a win. It is a stark contrast to a few nights ago, when the team defended so resolutely against Real Madrid and emerged deserved winners.

Ultimately, Milan’s only consistency is inconsistency at this point and now the leaders in the Serie A standings are beginning to pull away.Below is a tactical analysis of the game from Rohit Rajeev.

The first goals

We begin with a look at how both teams opened the scoring, starting with Cagliari who took the lead just over a minute into the game from a corner kick.

It didn’t take long for Milan to draw level after some more back-and-forth action, and it was a goal of fantastic quality. The Rossoneri worked the ball nicely through the midfield before Reijnders lofted the ball over the defence into the leaping Leao who prodded home nicely.

There was some good positional interchanged followed by a great individual effort from Reijnders to create space and a good anticipatory run from Leao which has been explained with this video.

A game of transitions

Milan’s other two goals came from transition situation. Both goals showed how Cagliari were vulnerable during their defensive transition phase where they were picked apart thanks to quick vertical movement of the ball by Youssouf Fofana and Christian Pulisic for the second and third goals respectively.

It showed how they were inattentive to the wide players drifting infield and space opened up, as can be seen in the below screenshots when they are out of their defensive positions.

Did Fonseca make an error?

There has to be a question mark about the in-game management from the coach and whether he made an error in his substitutions. Fikayo Tomori and Yunus Musah could and perhaps should have come on earlier to shut the game out.

Leao, as a player who rediscovered his form, could have functioned as the outlet for counter-attacks. As shown earlier Cagliari was facing issues with Leao’s direct threat and shifting to a five-man defence would have added cover without impacting the counter threat.

The third goal showed issues on an individual and tactical level, which combined is never a good thing. It starts with how easily Cagliari were able to work the ball into a crossing position down Milan’s right, because the defence had collapsed in to protect the box.

Then, as the cross is loaded in, there are three Cagliari forwards against the two Milan centre-backs. Theo Hernandez sees the danger and tucks in to even the numbers, presuming that he would get some help over his shoulder for any late runners.

Noah Okafor was the left winger at the time and with all hands on deck needed given it was the 89th minute, he should have been far more attentive to Zappa’s run. This tactical confusion is also about chemistry and understanding moments in games – if it isn’t fixed then the defensive woes will persist.