GdS: Milan ‘collapse’ – how Palladino engineered a second-half comeback to stun Amorim
Alphadjo Cisse’s brace should have seen him steal the headlines at San Siro, but he was upstaged by Samuel Mbangula’s hat-trick and AC Milan’s collapse.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) begin their analysis by speaking about the ‘Mbangula effect’, as the Belgian scored three goals at San Siro, reminiscent of Nicolo Tresoldi’s performance against Inter in the Champions League.
Then there’s the ‘Palladino effect’: after doing a good job at nearly every club he has managed so far, since arriving at Bologna he has secured 10 points out of 12, winning all three of his away matches. Not only that, but Bologna gave Milan and Ruben Amorim a masterclass in football.
The Rossoblu were superior in tactics, game management, and decision-making. Trailing 2-1, Palladino made three substitutions that turned the match on its head, leading to a resounding 4-2 victory. Mbangula is the true phenomenon, but the service he got is what helped him score three times.
As for the Rossoneri, they have Cissé – who can hardly be called a reserve anymore – but beyond him, there’s simply nothing there. Given how resilient Inter looked in Venice, the derby isn’t exactly shaping up well for Milan.
Super Cisse
The night didn’t end very well, but it didn’t start great either. In less than ten minutes the Rossoblù took over the flanks, and – following a ball lost by Musah in the midfield – they tore the Rossoneri apart from right to left: Pobega, Zortea, Mbangula, goal.
Milan pulled themselves back level fairly quickly thanks to the unforgivable error of Theate, who mismanaged possession in his own box having been pressured by Hutchinson. The ball reached Cisse in the area alone and in an ideal position to score his first home goal.
Before half an hour has passed, Cisse scored again. Fikayo Tomori arrived on the right to fire a loose ball across the face of goal where the young Italian was again waiting to convert, getting his seventh goal of the season. After a rough start, Milan had the game in hand.
Challenge between tacticians
Amorim continued his interesting tactical experiments. Yesterday we saw a 4-2-3-1 but with variations, in which a midfielder (Jashari) moves back in position, Tomori moved up on the right and Bartesaghi as more of a balancer.
Up front, Cisse was always free on the centre left, with Ramos surrounded in the middle of the area, distantly reminiscent of the Benzema-CR7 mechanisms: one occupies men and the other arrives and scores.
Bologna’s 3-4-3 on paper was more of a 3-5-2 in reality. It was in many areas Gasperinian-style man-to-man (Darmian on Cisse, Bernardeschi on Estupiñan) but unpredictable in attack. Odgaard was a false nine, Bernardeschi linked with Zortea and Mbangula occupied the remaining space.
A dramatic turnaround
Bologna’s maturity shines through in the second half, helped by the fact that Milan lost Tomori, adding to their string of misfortunes. Amorim’s tactical vision ultimately proves flawed, with Modrić deployed in the middle and Musah at full-back.
In the 14th minute of the second half, Palladino goes all-in, bringing on Miranda and Cambiaghi down the left flank, while adding Vitík to the back line. It’s not an exact science, but a minute later, Miranda delivers a dangerous free-kick toward the goal line for the equaliser.
Two minutes after that, a link-up between Miranda and Cambiaghi sets up the clinical Mbangula to make it 3–2. Bologna, having been behind, turned the tables on Milan, a trick that backfires for Amorim, whose adjustments only create more chaos.
His initial substitutions (Pulisic and Diawara) are followed by the introduction of Camarda after the two goals. Milan shifted into a 4–2–4 formation, with Cissé, Ramos, Pulisic and Camarda all in the attack. Four forwards don’t guarantee goals, but do create defensive imbalances.
Camarda was doubly at fault: he first squandered a header that would have leveled the score at 3–3, then lost possession to spark a counter-attack for Odgaard, who fed Mbangula on the right to make it 2–4. Game over.
Milan remain fifth, but -7 behind Inter and Lazio. Amorim’s movement is creating something, but the emergency of the situation – Rabiot, Gila, Moreira, Tomori out – suggests some more security is needed. Oh, and that Cisse must now be a fixed starter
