Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

S.Ricci (Bennacer) · Fofana (Yunus Musah) · Theo (Jimenez) · Walker (Terracciano) · Thiaw (Pavlovic) · Tomori (Gabbia) · Maignan (Sportiello) · Reijnders (Liberali) · Leao (Cherki) · Pulisic (Omoregbe) · Morata (Abraham / Camarda)

Milan wants to play a high press and vertical style of football in a 4-3-3. This lineup focuses on winning the ball high up the pitch and moving it forward quickly to exploit spaces in the opposition half. The team looks to use width to stretch the defence and create chances through quick transitions.

Maignan acts as the first point of contact when playing out from the back, using his distribution to start attacks. The back four features Walker at right back and Theo at left back. Theo pushes up as an attacking wing back to provide width, while Walker can overlap the winger to support the right side. In the middle, Tomori and Thiaw defend as a central pair. Tomori uses his pace to cover the space when the team plays a high line, and Thiaw provides aerial strength to win the header. This defensive unit works to hold a compact formation when the ball is lost.

A three-man midfield unit works to bridge the gap between the defence and attack. S.Ricci and Fofana work to shield the defence and win the second ball in the middle of the park. Playing as the left midfielder, S.Ricci helps to recycle possession and find the players in advanced positions. Reijnders plays in a more advanced role to drive forward with the ball and connect the lines. He looks to play through the lines to find the forwards or arrive late into the box to cause trouble.

Leading the attack, Morata acts as a lone striker to hold up the ball and link up play between the lines. He works to pin the last defender to create space for the runners behind him. On the flanks, Leao and Pulisic provide the primary threat. Leao is a wide winger who uses his dribbling to cut inside and move towards the goal. Pulisic operates as an inverted winger on the right to cut inside and look for a shot or a pass. The pair aims to hit in behind on the transition to catch the opponent.

Wide overloads are a key part of this formation, as Theo and Walker provide width through their roles as attacking wing backs. This lineup provides Milan with great speed of transition. Additionally, the team can press high in coordinated waves by using the front three to trigger a press.

The 4-3-3 is built for aggressive teams that want to win the ball back high up the pitch. This lineup is best suited for games against opponents who struggle to play out from the back or leave large gaps behind their defensive line.