Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Pulisic (Saelemakers) · Rafa Leao (Laurienté) · Luka Modric (Loftus-cheek) · Ardon Jashari (W. Bondo) · Youssouf Fofana (Samuele Ricci) · G. Leoni (Gabbia) · Tomori (Pavlovic) · Maignan (Sportiello) · M. Gutierrez (J. Hadjam) · Pubill (Jimenez) · Santiago Gimenez (Emanuel Emegha)

Milan aims to play a direct and vertical style of football using a 5-2-3 formation. This lineup focuses on winning the ball in the middle third and hitting the opposition quickly through wide areas. The team uses the width of the pitch to stretch the defence while keeping a solid base to protect the goal.

Maignan operates between the posts to organize the defensive line. The back five consists of a central trio of Luka Modric, G. Leoni, and Tomori, with M. Gutierrez and Pubill playing as attacking wing backs. Luka Modric acts as a ball playing defender who can step up to intercept play, while Tomori provides recovery speed to cover behind the line. G. Leoni offers presence to win the header in the box. The wing backs are tasked to push high up the pitch to provide width, leaving the three central defenders to defend zonally in a narrow block.

In the middle of the pitch, Milan employs a double pivot to control the tempo. Youssouf Fofana and Ardon Jashari work together to guard the space in front of the defence. Fofana acts as a carrier who can drive forward with the ball, while Jashari looks to recycle possession and protect the pivot. This duo must work hard to press in a mid-block and prevent the opposition from playing through the lines. They connect the defence to the front three by playing short from the back and finding the feet of the attackers.

The attacking unit utilizes three forwards to pin the opposition back. Rafa Leao and Pulisic act as inverted wingers who cut inside to create goalscoring chances, while Santiago Gimenez plays as a pressing centre-forward to lead the line. Rafa Leao uses his dribbling style to beat men in one on one situations, while Pulisic looks to arrive late into the box. Santiago Gimenez works to hold up the ball and find the feet of his teammates. The wing backs support this by making runs to get to the byline and deliver a cross.

This formation offers specific advantages, such as the ability to press in coordinated waves using the front three and the wing backs. Milan can create wide overloads by having M. Gutierrez and Pubill join the wingers to overwhelm the opposition full backs. The back five also provides great compactness when defending, making it very hard for opponents to find space between the lines.

Milan uses this 5-2-3 to create chances through quick transitions and wide play. This lineup is best suited for games against teams that play a high line or leave space behind their defenders.