"It's well known that Milan use wide spaces for counter-attacks, while things get complicated when faced with well-positioned defenses. Lecce went further, with a tactical system that almost embodies the 'liquidity' of football. No one will ever be able to say for sure how it was deployed, but this organised chaos works, and how. Four defenders build up, but then Pierotti falls back to the right following Estupiñan's lead, creating a highly mobile five-man line."
"Pierotti is the key to the plan, something akin to Conte's Politano as a wing-back. In the middle, Gandelman, Ramadani and Coulibaly constantly move toward their North Star: the man-marking of Milan's three midfielders. In this complicated interplay, Gandelman also has to partner Stulic in the 'attacking' phase. It is in inverted commas because Lecce didn't get forward much and instead were quite happy to keep things in the middle of the field."
"AC Milan did what they had to do on Sunday night in front of their own fans, beating Lecce to keep the pressure up on Inter. As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write, Milan continue to be the only team keeping pace with Inter. Napoli, Juventus and Roma are not a million miles behind but each have had recent wobbles, while the Rossoneri are now on 46 points."
AC Milan beat Lecce at San Siro to maintain pressure on Inter and reach 46 points. Milan were largely kept at bay, requiring several excellent saves from goalkeeper Falcone, until the introduction of the squad’s one true striker decided the game. Lecce deployed a fluid, mobile defensive system that shifted into a five-man line with Pierotti retreating alongside Estupiñán. Midfielders Gandelman, Ramadani and Coulibaly focused on man-marking Milan’s three midfielders and limited forward forays. Milan showed slow, predictable build-up play with little impetus from the back three, while Rafael Leão struggled to impose himself.
Read at SempreMilan
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