Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan side of 2006/07 won both the Champions League and the Club
World Cup. An eight point-deduction following the Calciopoli verdict left AC Milan adrift
at the beginning of the league season, but that allowed Ancelotti to focus his attentions
on Europe, and the competition he’d already won with the club in 2003.
Ancelotti’s tenure at AC Milan was remarkably and consistently successful: he won two Champions
Leagues, the Club World Cup, and Serie A, as well as a number of other trophies.
Ancelotti has been characterised as a tactically flexible man-manager, a coach who regularly
adapts to get the best from star players with whom he is able to build great rapport.
Ancelotti evolved his side from the one he inherited from Fatih Terim in 2001, but midfield
dominance was a central tenet throughout. Carlo Mazzone, the coach at Brescia, had converted
Andrea Pirlo from a 10 to a deep-lying playmaker during Pirlo’s loan there from Inter Milan.
Although Pirlo had been purchased by AC Milan the previous season, it wasn’t until 2002
that the regista was able to make an impact, with Rui Costa another playmaker in the 10
role, and the energy and technical excellence of Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso shuttling
and shielding. This midfield diamond formation evolved into
the famous Christmas tree, or 4-3-2-1, the next season, with Kaka joining the then reigning
European champions. Crucially, Cafu also arrived to combat the deficiency in natural width
that is always an issue for centrally heavy sides. Cafu, one of the world’s greatest
ever right backs, arrived from Roma in 2003, adding dynamism and footballing intelligence
to a side already brimming with creative talent. Fast forward to 2006/07, and AC Milan had
almost perfected the Christmas tree.
Such a formation has two inherent issues: insufficient defensive solidity centrally
if there are too many playmakers, and lack of width. Ancelotti addressed the first by
pairing Massimo Ambrosini with Gattuso to shield Pirlo in the defensive midfield area.
Seedorf played alongside Kaka in the attacking midfield line but, as Jonathan Wilson notes
in Inverting the Pyramid, “Both Pirlo and Ambrosini were comfortable advancing and Seedorf,
equally, could play in a more defensive role.”
Crucially, even Gattuso was a technical competent midfielder, so everyone could pass well and
shift positions – the image of two crunching, aggressive runners alongside the elegant Pirlo
is false.
Width was created as AC Milan moved from a more static, flat back-four to one with attacking
full-backs. Cafu’s acquisition was key, and by 2006/07 Massimo Oddo was pushing him
all the way, even starting the Champions League final. Marek Jankulovski was excellent on
the left, and is generally under appreciated in the history of the role’s development,
possibly because he was one of the less obvious stars in a star-studded squad.
This meant AC Milan could dominate the middle but still defend and attack on the flanks,
without requiring Seedorf and Kaka to shift into more of a 4-3-3 and thereby lose the
formation’s central dominance. So how did AC Milan actually play?
The focal point in attack was Filippo Inzaghi. Inzaghi ran in behind or played in the box
looking for crosses from the full backs, but it’s also noticeable how much he dropped
off to contest aerial balls and even ran the channels so Seedorf and Kaka could play through
the centre. Alberto Gilardino also played a significant
role up front, providing a more physical presence than Inzaghi and actually outscoring him in
all competitions in 2006-07. Kaka and Seedorf had differing roles in the
second line of the 4-3-2-1. Kaka could roam, though usually he’d be found in the centre
or right half space – his key function was to carry the attack through his dribbling
excellence before playing the ball on or shooting. Seedorf, more robust under pressure, excelled
at taking the ball from the deeper midfield line or wide spaces, playing it back, then
peeling off to attack the box. Seedorf would also drop quite deep, especially
when AC Milan were transitioning from a mid-block having won back possession, occupying a kind
of left midfield role.
Behind this, the common conception is of Pirlo orchestrating from deep with Gattuso and Ambrosini
protecting him. While Pirlo did occupy the primary playmaking role, Gattuso would also
drop towards the centre backs to pick up the ball and begin attacks with short passes,
while Pirlo pushed forwards to find space between the lines. Ambrosini would push into
the left half space, especially if Seedorf was more central and Kaka was further forward
or wide. These purportedly destructive midfielders had far more of a role in constructing attacks
than often remembered.
Pirlo was the main threat, though – his ability to play cross-field passes, to dink
the ball forwards towards the attacking runners, or to change the angle of attack with a pass
that left his foot at a 45-degree angle to his body position was extraordinary.
This gave AC Milan the ability to launch quick counters towards the runs of the attacking
midfield two and Inzaghi, but it’s also worth noting that Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini,
often assisted by Seedorf, could also play slick, one- and two-touch football through
the middle.
One of the targets of Pirlo’s longer range passing, but also crucial in the slower build-up
from the back, were the full-backs. Cafu, Oddo, and Jankulovski were very modern full-backs,
compensating for a general lack of width in attack – AC Milan’s mid and low blocks
did look very much like a 4-4-1-1 – with their energy and intelligence. Both could
overlap or cut infield to play with the attacking midfield line or the wide central midfielders,
finding space to cross towards Inzaghi, Gilardino, or the late runs of Kaka.
The full backs flanked the spine of the team, centre-backs Paolo Maldini and Alessandro
Nesta, although it’s worth saying that Dario Simic and Daniele Bonera also played a significant
part. And goalkeeper Dida, a penalty saving specialist, provided a strong last line of
defence, as did his understudy Zeljko Kalac, the tallest footballer ever to play for Australia.
AC Milan were a superb side that year, the product of a process of tactical evolution
from Ancelotti’s first season as players were added and the system refined. While the
side is characterised largely by its rather unusual formation and a slightly reductive
view of the midfield structure, the team played with a greater degree of complexity than they’re often credited with.