AC Milan Blog

Antonio Cassano will start for Milan against his hometown club...
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I want to do a two part tactics piece, Tuesday and Thursday, previously exploring Milan’s toothless attack the last few weeks and today a quick explanation of corner kick marking for those not familiar and hopefully explain how Lecce’s goal could have been prevented.

Set piece, free kick, and corner kick marking is essentially all the same, and if done properly is usually not a problem. But one little mistake in communication or reading of the offensive and even the most experienced and discipline team can pay. Set pieces are a funny thing, and for a team the likes of Lecce, they are sometimes the only hope to get a goal against a big Club like AC Milan. We see it often in the EPL where smaller teams will bury set pieces and make the big boy’s pay, sometimes it is trickery, but more often than not it is simple mistake as was the case with Milan.

There are two ways to approach set piece marking, the traditional man marking and the zonal marking that was both popularized and demonized by Rafa Benitez at Liverpool. Personally, I have always been a strong proponent of man marking simply because it alleviates the fear of two players breaking into a zone and defenders being forced to read and react. Milan’s often relies on the man marking method, thankfully, but on this day even a defender as wily and experienced as Nesta showed how difficult man marking can really be. First and foremost three things will always happen on set pieces, and these three things will always occupy three players if not more. The first being fronting the ball, and the second third being to mark the post, or having the responsibility to fall back to the post if the team is holding a high line on a free kick. The rest of the players are required to do simple math, if the offense sends seven players into the box then the defense needs seven markers. It is also very common to see strikers track back and defend in these circumstances because of their ability elevate and use their heads effectively, Drogba is one of the best, but Edison Cavani is also a very good.

Lecce did nothing out of the ordinary with their corner, but on the first chance which went off the post, Milan already showed some cracks. It never helps to have a second string GK in the goal for set pieces because he holds the immediate responsibility of checking the marks and making sure every attacking players is accounted for. After that the CB’s need to mark the strongest aerial threats and usually in the area between the six yard box and penalty spot. Midfielders often fill in the rest but on the first corner kick the Lecce players broke sooner and in an staggered fashion and Milan was not able to asses this and mark everyone, a deflection and post saved them but the second corner was not as lucky. A great ball played into arguably the most dangerous place on a corner kick, the area between the 18 yard box and penalty spot, and Nesta was unable to front the ball quickly enough to stop Olivera from putting in a great shot. Lecce took advantage and because of this alone deserved the point.

So how could this have been prevented? The simplest way is to overcrowd the box, especially if you have a lead, there is little need to counter quickly so bringing ten men in to defend a set piece or corner should be a given. The other most simple and almost given mantra to set piece marking is simply getting goal side. It can’t be stressed enough, but by getting between your mark and the goal you will at minimum block a shot, but this forces the attacking player to take an additional touch to make space, or look for a pass which at hopefully at this point is non-existent as the defense is pulling forward to put players offside. Teams often devote entire training sessions to this, but as you can see it is simply a matter of players doing their best to get into position and mark their man, if not any team can pay for it, and Milan is no different.

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The Rossoneri will expect themselves to progress from this Round of 16 tie...
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MILAN - Bari’s official website has reported Giampiero Ventura’s press conference, quoting the Biancorossi coach saying: "It’s a delicate moment for us, seeing that we’re playing Napoli in three days and the Azzurri have two more days to recover for the game. It’s not irrevelant. Apart from the result, the match against Milan could have been important also because we could have worked on game situations with Rudolf and Okaka, but unfortunately it won’t be possible due to injuries. Nevertheless, we’re going to Milan trying to win.”
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MILAN - Fiorentina beat Milan 2-1 in the semifinal of the TIM Youth Teams’ Cup. Despite the loss, coach Stroppa’s lads played quite well in the second half and would have deserved to draw. At least they halved the deficit, thus keeping their hopes of advancing to the final alive. Milan finally found the net in the 81st minute, when Ganz slotted home the rebound after a Carmona shot. The Rossoneri striker came close to get the equalizer as well in the 91st minute, but his effort misses the target by inches. The return leg will be played in a fortnight.
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MILAN - Fiorentina are leading Milan 2-0 in the semifinal of the TIM Youth Teams’ Cup after 45 minutes of play. The hosts opened the scoring on 5 minutes, when Iemmello hit the back of the net with a header. Coach Stroppa’s team came close to scoring first with Verdi, then with a solo effort from De Vito, but couldn’t equalise. At the other end, Fiorentina didn’t miss and made it 2-0 thanks to an Acosty goal on 41 minutes.
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Milan coach Allegri underlines importance of Coppa Italia ahead of Thursday's last 16 clash with Bari...
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Just €1 million separates Milan from signing Sampdoria's Reto Ziegler, but the Rossoneri seem reluctant to shell out...
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Balotelli accusing Mourinho of disrespect – can it get anymore ironic? It can…
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MILAN - Here is the official Milan starting line-ups for the match about to begin in Florence:MILAN: Di Fabio; Ghiringhelli, Albertazzi, Pasini, De Vito; De Sciglio, Calvano, Santonocito, Fossati; Verdi, Gaeta. Substitutes: Paleari, Sampirisi, De Sole, Bertoni, Carmona, Cogliati, Ganz.
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Milan are the latest club to be linked with Hercules striker David Trezeguet...
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Fiorentina midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino has pledged his allegiance to the club, insisting he will not leave for Serie A's big guns...
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MILAN - Maurizio Ciampi, appointed to replace Stefanini as referee for the Milan-Bari TIM Italian Cup, was born in Benevento on 24 November 1972. He made his Italian Cup debut in a Lanciano-Arezzo game (0-3) on 7 August 2005. He has also officiated 18 matches in Serie A. Ciampi has never refereed for Milan, but he has been in charge of 8 games of Bari, of which the Biancorossi have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 1.
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MILAN - It has been announced that Maurizio Ciampi is replacing Nicola Stefanini as referee of the Milan-Bari TIM Italian Cup last sixteen fixture. The rest of the refereeing staff appointed earlier remains in tact with Angrisani and Melloni taking assistant referee duties and Gervasoni as fourth official.
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Roma have unshelved plans to offer Philippe Mexes a new deal at Trigoria...
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Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen has made it clear that he's not interested in joining Milan.
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MILAN - Today, Bari had an afternoon training session, as reported by the club’s official website. Biancorossi players Okaka and Rivas practiced separately after undergoing medical tests. Galasso has complained of sciatica and as a result trained in the gym.
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MILAN – Happy birthday to Mauro Tassotti! The Milan assistant coach, born in Rome on 19 January 1960, is turning 51 today. He has spent 31 years at Milan, first serving the club as a defender, then as coach. All our best wishes go to the Milan standard bearer!
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MILAN - After the loss suffered at the hands of Brescia in the championship, the Milan Youth Team is turning its attention to the Italian Cup, hungry for success. In the first leg of the semifinal, the Rossoneri travel to Florence to take on hosts Fiorentina with kick-off scheduled for 14.00 CET. The second leg will take place on February 1.
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Luciano Moggi believes Juventus are making all the wrong moves on transfers...
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Nesta, Pirlo, Seedorf, Del Piero, Inzaghi and Crespo all amongst those players who may be looking for work in July.
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I want to do a two part tactics piece, Tuesday and Thursday, today exploring Milan’s toothless attack the last few weeks and Thursday a quick explanation of set piece marking for those not familiar, and hopefully explain how Lecce’s goal could have been prevented.

The past few weeks Milan have struggled to pass the ball into dangerous scoring opportunities. Thankfully Cassano has made an impact in almost every match he has played slotting home great passes and generally making space where there appears to be none. Speaking of space the compact play of both Cagliari and Lecce puts space in the attacking third at a premium and this requires a simple shift in the way the team attacks in order to create scoring chances.

When a team organizes it defense and midfielders so closely together, as chosen by Lecce and Gigi DiCanio, they actually want their opponents to have possession on the edge of the attacking third. By letting their opponents build up play slowly it allows them time to funnel back in behind the ball and close almost every passing lane and channel with one if not two players. When this happens Milan seems to grow frustrated, specifically Zlatan, as he tries to thread low percentage passes through defenders legs and into the penalty box which is clogged tighter than a drain in a girl’s dorm room. As any good Coach will tell you, “You can’t play the ball through an opponent!”

This defensive tactical deployment is not insurmountable and Milan has often been confronted with it from the Carletto era onward. Thankfully Pirlo has always had a knack for playing a raking ball across the field to disrupt the defense and find space for a 1 v 1 opportunity to goal for players like Pato and Kaka before him. Without this long ball threat, Milan has to take a more simple approach and keep the ball on the ground, passing both quickly and in tight quarters to catch defenders off balance and get them going backwards, which has been done by Cassano in exemplary fashion.

This all starts by keeping possession a bit closer to midfield, no matter how tactically discipline a team is, eventually players will start to creep forward hoping to intercept a pass and start a counter. This requires both patience and precision and as the opponent starts to inch forward the quick one two combination passing can start to carve out the defense. Against Lecce Milan rarely had Zlatan and Pato close enough to combine, let alone create a one-two passing opportunity. When they were able to have a quick combination the only player in the box was Seedorf and his lack of height and movement were not beneficial.

Another simple way to break down the defensive front of a team like Lecce is to spread the field as wide as possible. At times Abate showed he had the skill to do this and his crossing and marauding runs grew more dangerous as the match wore on, but when the flanks are not equally dangerous the opponent can shift and cover the more dangerous side. When this happened Pato needed to move to the opposite side and switch with Zlatan, sadly Allegri and the team didn’t make this move until the start of the second half and by then the match had opened up as Lecce was down a goal and needed to attack. Sadly Milan could not capitalize.

Cassano’s precision passing in tight spaces, and Robinho’s penchant for playing like a jack in the box and popping up all over the pitch will help this alleviate this problem, but in the meantime strikers need to take the few chances created and make the opponent pay for playing so deeply. Until that happens opponents will be happy to defend like this because Milan has proven they can’t deal with it effectively quite yet. Lack of patience and mounting frustration as shown by Rino and Pato at the half will give team’s confidence that this game plan is they way to beat AC Milan.

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MILANELLO - Luca Antonini, interviewed by Milan Channel, has said today: ‘I’m more than happy to be part of this team. I’ve been at Milan for almost three years and I’d like finishing my career here. This is my goal. Of course it’s up to me to prove I’m good enough to stay at Milan and I’m saying this without any intention of stirring controversy. Like everyone else, I accept the decisions of the boss. I’m training hard and I’m always cheerful and serene, because I play for Milan. What else could I ask for?’
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MILANELLO - Luca Antonini has also shared his view on Milan teammate Alexandre Pato: ’He’s very young. He’s an exceptional player and an average performance like he showed against Lecce can happen to anyone. The team knows what Alexandre bring to the table and he knows that, too. During games, there are always some heated discussions, it’s completely normal. I’m sure Pato will do well, because he’s superb player, he has already deonstrated it. When he has played, he has always scored. There’s nothing to be worried about’.
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MILAN - Remember that entrance to the San Siro on the occasion of the Milan-Bari Italian Cup last sixteen game is FREE for all CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON TICKET HOLDERS. The match is scheduled for 21.00 CET Thursday evening.
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Criscito is not leaving the club, according to Preziosi...
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MILANELLO - After having yesterday off, coach Allegri’s men were back to work at Milanello today.Milan had an afternoon training session, which began at 15.15 CET.The first phase of the session was dedicated to the warm-up, which included some running and stretching exercises. This first part lasted for around 15 minutes.Afterwards, the ball took centre stage and coach Allegri had his men play a 30-minute match amongst the squad across the field, with four small-sized sets of goals. Then another training game with eleven-a-side teams followed on one half of the pitch.As for individuals, Andrea Pirlo’s return to full training was the best note of the day, as the midfielder completed the whole practice training with the rest of the squad.Also Christian Abbiati took to the field to go through the technical drills for goalkeepers along with the other netminders. He finished today’s session in the gym.In the meantime, Marco Amelia was rested after medical tests had revealed a mild lesion to the adductor longus muscle in his right thigh.Mathieu Flamini first trained with his teammates, before finishing the session working separately.Tomorrow, Milan are due to train at 11.00 CET.
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Antonini has no intention of leaving the Rossoneri for Juventus...
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MILAN - ’It will be useful to assess the team’s physical and mental condition, not just any training match’, said Vitaly Kutuzov in his press conference today when asked about Bari’s upcoming Italian Cup match against Milan. ’Playing against is always stimulating. We can’t take it lightly as it’s a good opportunity to try to understand what our problems are and also to assess our condition, me included. Then, a berth in the quarterfinals will be at stake.’ (asbari.it)
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MILAN - The Rossoneri will have to do without suspended defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos when they host Bari in last sixteen of the Italian Cup. As for coach Ventura’s team, Andrea Masiello, Salvatore Masiello and Andrea Raggi are one yellow card away from suspension.
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