Milan Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Maignan (Terracciano) · De Winter (Odogu) · Gabbia · Tomori (Pavlovic) · Estupinan (Bartesaghi) · Saelemaekers (Athekame) · Modric (Ricci) · Loftus-Cheek (Fofana) · Rabiot (Jashari) · Leao (Pulisic) · Nkunku (Gimenez)

Milan plays with a direct and high energy identity in a 3-5-2. This formation is built to control the center of the pitch and transition quickly. The team focuses on being defensively solid while looking to hit opponents on the break with vertical passes to exploit space.

Maignan operates as the goalkeeper to start the play from the back with his strong distribution. The back line uses a back three of Tomori, Gabbia, and De Winter. Tomori uses his pace to cover the left side and step up into midfield. Gabbia sits in the middle to anchor the defense and win headers. De Winter stays close to the central defenders to maintain a compact unit. The unit works to hold the line and defend zonally.

The midfield features a trio of Modric, Estupinan, and Saelemaekers. Modric acts as a deep lying playmaker to recycle possession and switch play with his passing range. Estupinan and Saelemaekers work to connect the defense to the attack. Loftus-Cheek and Rabiot operate further up in the half spaces as attacking midfielders. Loftus-Cheek can carry the ball forward to drive the team into the final third, while Rabiot looks to press aggressively and arrive late into the box.

The attack is led by two forwards in a partnership. Leao plays as a striker who uses his dribbling style to cut inside from the left and run at the defense. Nkunku works as a second striker who moves between the lines to find space and lay it off to teammates. They press the opposition back line to win the ball high up the pitch. This duo relies on quick passes, runs in behind, and combinations to break the lines.

A key strength for Milan is the ability to create numerical superiority in the midfield through the movement of the five players. Having Loftus-Cheek and Rabiot push up allows the team to press in coordinated waves and squeeze the space. The movement of the players also allows for wide overloads and the ability to isolate wide players in one on one situations.

This formation provides a hard to beat defensive block and a quick transition threat. It is best suited for facing teams that try to play through the middle with a lot of passing or those that leave space behind their midfield.