Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Santi Castro (Rafa Leao) · Santiago Gimenez (F. Camarda) · Pulisic (Habib Diarra) · Reijnders (Angelo Stiller) · Samuele Ricci (W. Bondo) · Youssouf Fofana (Yunus Musah) · Theo (Jimenez) · Walker (Florenzi) · Lucumi (Pavlovic) · Goglichidze (Gabbia) · Maignan (Sportiello)

Milan focuses on a high press and vertical football in a 4-3-3 formation. This lineup is built to win the ball high up the pitch and break quickly to catch the opposition off guard. By pushing the line forward, the team works to squeeze the space and force turnovers in the final third.

Santiago Gimenez stays between the posts to command the area. A high line is used by the defensive unit, consisting of Santi Castro and Pulisic as the two centre backs. Castro acts as a ball playing defender, while Pulisic works to cover the space behind. Reijnders operates as an attacking wing back on the right to provide width, and Youssouf Fofana plays as the left back to help play out from the back. This back four works to stay compact when the opposition tries to switch play.

In the middle of the park, Samuele Ricci acts as a single pivot to shield the defence and protect the back four. Theo operates as an inverted eight who will drive forward with the ball into the half spaces. Walker plays as the third man in the midfield to connect the defensive and attacking lines. The group works to win the second ball and recycle possession to keep the pressure on.

The attacking unit uses three attackers across the front to stretch the defence. Goglichidze is a wide winger on the left who will hug the touchline to pull the opposition defenders apart. Lucumi plays as an inverted winger on the right and will cut inside to find space between the lines. Maignan acts as a pressing centre forward to pin the last defender and lead the hunt for the ball. They aim to create runs in behind and deliver early crosses to exploit the box.

One major advantage for Milan is the ability to press high in coordinated waves to win it back high up the pitch. The AC Milan side also creates wide overloads from the overlapping runs of Reijnders. Such a formation allows for great speed of transition once the ball is recovered.

This 4-3-3 formation is designed for a high intensity, vertical game. It is best suited for facing opponents that try to play out from the back and leave space behind their defensive line.