If you're a coach and you're facing Giampaolo's Milan, then I'll advice you to play with 3 at the back and 5 in the midfield. 5 out of 6 Serie A teams that we have faced this season have played that formation against us, and they all dominated and pinned us back.
The only exception? Brescia, who lined up in a 4312, and we fairly dominated possesion, created chances and won that game.
When teams play 352 against us, they stack up with players in midfield, making it impossible for our players to find any sort of space and create chances. And I'll refrain myself from not mentioning how much space there is on the wings for the opposition fullbacks and wingers. This is a result of Suso not being properly defensively coached - rewatch the Fiorentina game for instance(s).
In order to play a classic Giampaolo formation and play against a 352 team, it is necessary to have 3 technically gifted midfielders, and someone who can dictate the tempo at the base, a la Paredes or Torreira. Then, you can move the ball quickly and incisively & emulate GP's Sampdoria/Empoli teams.
What do we got to offer, as of today?
Calhanoglu, a natural winger and overall, an quite average player, who has a lot of ideas, but is never able to successfully pull those ideas off.
Kessie, a workhorse and too bulky to play GP football. Not the player you'd like to see retain possession.
Bennacer, a good player, but does not have the experience yet. He looks a bit nervous too.
1/3.
Oh, and for the record, we're playing Genoa next. Guess which formation they play?
A man can hope that Maldini or Boban frequently reads the forum, comes across this post and visibly displays it to GP before Saturday. If not, another disappointing result with a dire performance might be on the cards.
