When AC Milan parted ways with Vincenzo Montella in November 2017, there were few people who
expected his replacement to be club legend and internationally-revered hard man Gennaro
Gattuso.
Although he did have some managerial experience in the lower divisions of Italian football,
Gattuso had impressed the ownership at Milan with a short stint in charge of the Primavera,
Milan’s under-19 team, who he began coaching in May last year.
Since taking over at the San Siro, Gattuso has failed to improve the team’s standing
in Serie A. However, there has been a marked improvement in performances during his tenure
and Milan find themselves within touching distance of the European qualification spots
as the season comes to a close.
During his first season at the club, Vincenzo Montella predominantly favoured a 4-3-3 formation
which largely suited the personnel available to him.
After the club was bought out by a Chinese investment management group early in 2017,
they went on a spending spree in the summer which saw a number of marquee signings arrive
in Milan.
With Leonardo Bonucci added to the defensive ranks and Nikola Kalinic and Andre Silva introduced
as striking options alongside promising youngster Patrick Cutrone, Montella shifted the formation
to a 3-5-2 that permitted him to sit Bonucci in the centre of a back three whilst allowing
for two strikers in the lineup.
Although Gattuso did look to replicate this formation when he first arrived at the club,
he very quickly reverted to the 4-3-3 that Montella had originally favoured and has scarcely
deviated from it since.
With teenage goalkeeping sensation Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, Gattuso lines up two centre
backs in front of him – Leonardo Bonucci and Alessio Romagnoli.
Flanking these two defenders, are fullbacks – Davide Calabria on the right and Ricardo
Rodriguez on the left.
In the midfield three, Lucas Biglia performs a holding role behind Giacomo Bonaventura
and Franck Kessié, who is on loan at the club from Milan’s Serie A rivals Atalanta.
A front three completes the formation, spearheaded by one of André Silva or Nikola Kalinic who
are ably supported by former Liverpool duo, Fabio Borini and Suso, in the wide areas.In
possession of the ball, Gattuso expects his team to engage in patient build-up play which
usually sees the ball passed into one of the two centre backs to allow the team to shift
into a more offensive structure.
Despite lining up in a 4-3-3, in possession, Milan adopt a situational 3-4-3 which sees
the two full backs move into a more advanced position with the defensive midfielder, usually
Lucas Biglia, dropping in between the centre backs.Unusually, though, rather than the wide
attackers coming inside to support the lone striker as the full backs offer width, under
Gattuso, Milan’s wide players – Fabio Borini and Suso – like to drop into deeper
positions to pick up the ball.
While this did mean that the centre forward was left isolated for long periods in matches
at the beginning of Gattuso’s time at the club, he has ameliorated this problem by encouraging
his two central midfielders to play more dynamic roles in the team, driving into the box to
help out the lone striker.
As a result, Milan are less likely to progress the ball in wide areas than they are to carry
it through the central areas, only then moving it into wide positions where they look to
hit the striker.Both Franck Kessié and Giacomo Bonaventura play this central midfield role
well: both are good ball carriers, they are both highly mobile with a good range of passing,
and both can finish well inside the box.
Given their increased attacking function in the team, it should come as no surprise that,
between them, they account for about a third of Milan’s goals in Serie A this season:
75% of which have come since Gattuso took over in November.
This atypical interchange of central midfielders with wide attacking players does lead to problems
for Milan when they are out of possession, though.
In the event of a turnover, Milan implement a relatively aggressive counter-press assuming
a 4-3-3 configuration before settling back into a 4-5-1 block which sees the wide players
drop in alongside the midfield three.However, in light of the fluidity of movement between
the central midfielders and the wide forwards, at times a confusion can creep into the press
as players are unsure as to who is responsible for pressing who.
This regularly results in a scenario where the opposition are able to break the press
quite comfortably, finding themselves with space in behind the midfield facing a Milan
back line who have not yet organised themselves into a defensive structure.If Gennaro Gattuso
can fix this defensive frailty, then AC Milan may be able to mount a challenge on the Champions
League spots in Serie A next season.