Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

J. Cardoso (W. Bondo) · Reijnders (Fazzini) · Angelo Stiller (Youssouf Fofana) · Theo (Hadjam) · Walker (Jimenez) · Jonathan Tah (Gabbia) · Mosquera (Pavlovic) · Maignan (Sportiello) · Rafa Leao (Laurienté) · Pulisic (Chiesa) · Jonathan David (Santiago Gimenez)

Milan aims to win it back high up the pitch and uses a 5-2-3 to play with high intensity. This lineup focuses on verticality and using wide areas to stretch the defence through direct play.

Maignan plays behind a back five. J. Cardoso sits in the middle as the central defender, looking to win the second ball and sweep behind a high line. Jonathan Tah plays as the right-sided centre-back to provide aerial strength and cover. Mosquera plays on the left of the central trio. Theo acts as an attacking wing back on the left, while Walker covers the right side to support the defense. The defensive unit works to squeeze the space and hold a compact shape.

The midfield uses a double pivot to control the center. Reijnders acts as a carrier, driving forward with the ball to connect the back line to the attack. Angelo Stiller works as a deep-lying playmaker, looking to recycle possession and find the feet of the forwards. This pair must shield the defence and protect the central zone when the wing backs push up. They work to intercept passes and win it back high up the pitch to trigger a press and control the tempo.

The attack features three attackers across the front. Rafa Leao operates as an inverted winger on the left, using his dribbling style to cut inside and attack the far post. Pulisic works on the right, looking to isolate his marker in one on one situations and carry the ball forward. Jonathan David acts as a pressing centre-forward, making runs in behind to exploit the space. The wing backs, particularly Theo, overlap the wingers to create wide overloads and deliver early crosses to the near post.

Milan provides wide overloads from the overlapping full backs and wingers. The presence of Jonathan Tah and Mosquera provides the ability to defend in a mid-block and hit in behind on the transition. They also benefit from the speed of transition to break quickly when they win it back in the final third. This makes the Milan lineup very dangerous in open games where space is available.

This 5-2-3 formation relies on high intensity and rapid movement in wide areas. It is best suited for games against teams that play a high line and leave space for runners.