MN: Amorim shows flexibility with switch to back four vs. Lecce – the reasons

A different AC Milan was seen during the 3-0 win over Lecce on Sunday night, one that seemed to play with a bit more freedom.

As MilanNews point out in their analysis, Milan took to the pitch with a 4-4-2 system (or 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 depending on the situation) that surprised everyone a bit given that Ruben Amorim seems wedded to his 3-4-2-1. It was something Koni De Winter also confirmed after the game.

An effective tweak

The reason is quite a simple one: to have more fluidity in attacking positions and be less readable on the wings with the overlapping runs of Pervis Estupinan and Mario Gila. Furthermore, Milan did it to be less predictable in their playmaking when coming out from the back.

If with the 3-4-2-1 the origin of the play was often confined to the central areas (Luka Modric or Ardon Jashari dropping deep, Gila on the centre-right), spreading the Spaniard so wide gave the opponent far fewer reference points.

Add to this Gonçalo Ramos clearly used as a playmaker, and you have a Milan that had many more attacking options. The goals demonstrated this, beyond the beauty of the individual technical moments.

For example, on Strahinja Pavlovic’s pass, Pulisic was ‘free’ because Ramos had drawn attention to himself in the attacking midfield by coming towards him. On Adrien Rabiot’s goal, the Frenchman immediately sprinted forward knowing the space was coming after Gila’s pass to Pulisic.

On Diego Moreira’s goal, Ramos recovered the ball in the attacking midfield, followed by a fine individual run at pace from the Belgian. Three different attacking styles, all three highly effective.

The tendency to seek the space in behind – something that hadn’t been done against Benfica – was immediately apparent. Pulisic, Samuel Chukwueze, Estupinan, and Rabiot took turns trying to launch themselves behind Lecce’s defence.

Rabiot, in particular, demonstrated great tactical intelligence. The short movements of Ramos and Pulisic, while the other attacking players remained high up the pitch, created significant space between the lines which the former Juventus man filled.

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