Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Santiago Gimenez (Camarda) · Rafa Leao (Laurienté) · Pulisic (F. Chiesa) · Samuele Ricci (W. Bondo) · Youssouf Fofana (H. Caviglia) · T Reijnders (Habib Diarra) · De Cuyper (J. Hadjam) · Jimenez (Florenzi) · D. Coppola (Gabbia) · Pavlovic (G. Leoni) · Maignan (Sportiello)

Milan aims to dominate through a high press and rapid verticality, utilizing a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup focuses on winning the ball high up the pitch to catch the opposition out of position. The team looks to exploit spaces between the lines by using wide players to stretch the pitch and central attackers to occupy defenders.

Santiago Gimenez stays between the posts to organize the defensive line. A back five provides a deep layer of protection, with Samuele Ricci acting as a ball playing defender on the right side of the central trio. Youssouf Fofana and T Reijnders occupy the other central spots, providing aerial strength and the ability to step up to intercept play. The wide defenders, Rafa Leao as the right wing back and Pulisic as the left wing back, are expected to push high and provide width. These wing backs must track back quickly to maintain a compact shape when the team loses possession.

The midfield consists of a two man unit designed to control the center of the pitch. De Cuyper and Jimenez operate as the central pair, tasked with connecting the defense to the attack. Jimenez works to shield the defense and win the second ball, while De Cuyper looks to drive forward with the ball to break the line. This duo must compress the midfield to prevent the opposition from playing through the center. They also need to pick up runners from deep to stop counter attacks.

In the attacking third, Milan employs three attackers to pin the opposition back line. Maignan operates as the lone striker, looking to hold up the ball and find the feet of his teammates. On the wings, Pavlovic and D. Coppola act as wide attackers. Pavlovic plays as an inverted winger on the right to cut inside, while D. Coppola provides width from the left. This front three triggers a press from the front to force a long ball from the opposition. The movements are designed to create runs in behind and allow the wing backs to overlap the winger.

The formation offers significant tactical advantages, particularly the ability to press high in coordinated waves. By using five defenders and two midfielders, Milan can easily shift into a low block to deny the turn of attacking players. The wide overloads created by Rafa Leao and Pulisic can isolate wide players in one on one situations, creating constant goal scoring chances. This setup also provides a high degree of compactness when defending in a mid-block.

Milan relies on a high intensity style that demands physical output from the wing backs. This 5-2-3 formation is best suited for games where the team wants to overwhelm the opposition with width and vertical speed.