Milan, don't worry about this year's Champions League, let's keep your ticket for next year

With an away loss to Udinese suffering a three-game winless league run in the top four spots, Metre is also worried about the team's season prospects.

Milan sinks.

The cover of today's edition of Le Sport Milano has a huge headline that catches the eye and heart. Ironically, "Rice Body" also thoughtfully added a note to the title: In Italy. This means that Milan still has a Champions League match to fight, and the sinking of the red and black giant ship is limited to the Apennine field. The question is: when Pioli's side return to January's nightmarish form, is it not only a matter of time before the Champions League sinks?

Capello directly concluded the Champions League last-eight matchup after the game: "Napoli will pass smoothly." But the boss also left a little leeway for Milan: "Of course, it depends on the form of Leo and Te'o in April. To sum it up: if Milan can get the main team back in time, there is still a suspense in the Champions League competition, otherwise the Rossoneri will not only have to end this season's Champions League journey, but also whether they can get a ticket for next season is a problem.

Pioli was in trouble again

In the first leg of the season, Milan completed the comeback thanks to the excellent performances of Dias and Rebic. This time the two sides met again, and Milan failed to break the curse of 15 years of league incomprehensibility.

The world is difficult, and often just when you think that the wind and waves have passed and the road ahead is bright, you are beaten wet by a wave. League wins over Torino and Monza and further wins over Tottenham in the Champions League are enough reasons for optimism throughout Milan. As a result, I did not expect that the undercurrent wave was still behind. With three rounds of winless league matches, Milan's season has begun to take its turn again, and the Champions League qualification spot, which once seemed secure, is now shaky.

Losing to Udinese is not unacceptable for Milan. Since the 07-08 season, Milan have not completed a double-kill against their opponents in a single season, and this season's first leg was also backward. Since there is a historical accumulation, Pioli can only be held accountable for failing to surpass his predecessors, why should he be blamed by thousands of people?

Because losing is too ugly. The score is only a reference for the victory or defeat of football, and the process is the key. Milan fans were discouraged when it came to the course of the game – all three goals conceded were caused by defensive confusion, and the team's much-praised defensive line shattered into slag in front of Udinese, and the black chicken almost effortlessly won the initiative in the game and firmly grasped the initiative to win.

Milan conceded their first goal. The Rossoneri were out of shape from the start of the match and were upset in less than 10 minutes when their opponents punched their balance.

As with Salernitana, 10 days after the Champions League against Tottenham, Milan still don't seem to be recovering from the exhaustion of the London expedition. The poor confrontation and frequent mistakes allowed the game to evolve into a half-court offensive and defensive drill for the home team from the beginning. Milan's first goal conceded began when Bennasser's low flat ball on the right was cut off from a long cross, and the panicked and retreating defense stared at the other, allowing Pereira to easily pick up the leak.

The second goal conceded, Bennaser lost the opposing defense at the back, and the Milan defense instantly panicked. The defensive line, which had already established its position, was crossed by a regular inverted triangle return pass by the black chicken, and the offensive combination of the two men penetrated the entire defensive line. What's more, it was less than 2 minutes before Milan equalised. The home team's psychological shadow of facing Milan's defence has had a great negative impact on the team. Milan could have used the equalizer in front of midfield to cheer up Yu Yong to fight at full strength in the second half, but now the morale was completely depleted and the defeat was done. It was only a matter of time before the third goal was scored.

Confusion of formation: 3 defenders are also unreliable?

In the absence of Olivier Giroud and Te'o, Pioli still insisted on playing as a three-centre-back, a decision that was questioned by the media after the game.

Whether the 3 central defender formation can completely solve Milan's current problems, as early as after the last round of the league, the print media represented by "Mi Body" has raised questions. The question is whether it is worth it for the 3 central defenders to basically sacrifice Leo's attacking power? Because from the goal conceded against Salernitana, the addition of one more person to the back line did not make the team's defense more solid, and as the game progressed and personnel changed, some rotational players showed discomfort with the play style of 3 defenders: such as Salle Markles, who was unable to defend a wide side alone, and Bennasser, who had taken up the retreat space under the 3 back play.

Of course, none of this is as shocking as Leo's complete mute, which is Milan's main attacking point. "Rice Body" compared Leo's data performance in the 4312 formation and the 3412 formation, and concluded that the 3-guard style of play made Leo inevitably adduct to make way for the left winger Teo, which limited Leo's speed advantage and dribbling space, and he could no longer fully play his offensive talent. Milan's attack power has declined, which is greatly related to this. Leo's last goal to date came in a 2-2 draw with Lecce, when Milan were still in a four-back configuration. Since switching to a back three, he has only provided one assist in the 2-0 win over Atalanta.

Ibrahimovic, who started for the first time since January 2022, became Serie A's oldest goalscoring player as captain. Interestingly, Costa Kuta behind him also scored his last goal against Udinese.

Against Udinese, the above three problems broke out in a concentrated manner. Milan could not find a chance in attack (Leo's penalty was Milan's only threatening attack in the first half), Bennaser in midfield was completely unable to take advantage of the confrontation, and Salle Markles' right defence was full of holes. It seems that in the absence of Giroud and Te'o, the two players who are best suited to play as a three-centre-back, Pioli really can't find any reason to stick with three-centre-back.

With the 3-centre-back style of play working well in the past period, the boss's cut-off initial set-up is understandable, but without making any adjustments after a dismal half, Pioli is tantamount to sending a signal that luck alone will dominate the game. Ibrahimovic, who broke the record in the attack, was completely out of the starting line-up, and his many passes in the game ended in failure, and the result of active recovery was that Leo faced the strict formation that the opponent had already laid out alone, and there was no room to play. When substitutions between De Ketlare and Origi on the 60th minute became routine for fans to expect with their eyes closed, did Pioli expect such adjustments to work wonders for Sotier?

Find the next Jiafu

Pioli expressed dissatisfaction with the team's performance after the game. How to get the team back to the winning track, the boss also has to think about the employment strategy.

The lack of change and the use of troops are easily predicted, which is the fundamental reason why Pioli gradually lost his magic and began to rise and fall. The leading bird is always pointed at by countless guns, and the leader is always studied by other opponents. Professional football is so cruel, a team that reaches the peak lacks stamina, and sooner or later it will have to be pulled off the altar by all the giants - Liverpool is an example of this.

Pioli's Europeanization philosophy does have its highlights, and with Milan's squad in order, it can indeed be crushed with absolute strength. The problem is that once the weakness is pinched, Pi Shuai often has no backhand preparation, lacks change to deal with, and can only do nothing in vain. January's endless nightmare was not so much Pioli's successful 3-centre-back play as his lucky pick of Jaffe's potential pearl. Now that the utility of this jewel is becoming familiar to opponents of all stripes, Milan is once again in the rhythm of repeated crises.

Not only the first team, but also the Milan youth team led by Abate also reached the last four of the Youth Champions League. The younger generation is delivering on their potential, which is undoubtedly a good thing for Milan.

How to break? It can only be to find the next Jiafu. Since change is the way to survive, simply continue the idea of change. Bennacer is not recovering enough, not enough confrontation, Pobega and Krunic are fully callable. Diaz's routine is gradually familiar, why can't Adley try it? As for Rebic who has been recovering for a long time, he is often a useful person who can provide inspiration and opportunities for the team. In last year's league victory, Rebic put together a lot of last-minute chances to achieve the team's final victory, and this plug-and-play ability should attract Pioli's attention.

Unlike players, coaches are more akin to short-term jobs to giants, and if they can't quickly turn decay into magic, they can easily be put on the removal schedule. Pioli has led Milan to a breakthrough and has already shown his ability to hold the giants, and it would be a pity to lose his position halfway due to lack of experience in multi-line use and management. Stopping Milan's slow sinking and accomplishing the set goal is not a difficult task. Pioli should not worry about this year's Champions League and keep his ticket for next year.