Tonight’s clash between AC Milan and Juventus is a big one for the Champions League race, with the Rossoneri aiming to secure their spot sooner rather than later.
As highlighted by today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan-Juventus will also be a battle between two very different managers. Massimiliano Allegri, the conservative, versus Luciano Spalletti, the experimenter. One changes tactics like clothes, the other barely changes at all.
Parallel paths
Spalletti was announced by Juventus ahead of matchday 10, and since then, Milan and Juventus have been virtually neck-and-neck. 48 points in 23 games and behind the untouchable Inter, who have picked up 60 points in the same period.
Milan are three points ahead of the Bianconeri at 66 points, but only because Spalletti started three points behind Allegri. A draw tonight might be enough for the Rossoneri, but Juventus cannot afford to be complacent after Roma’s win against Bologna last night.
Modric and Yildiz
Allegri and Spalletti are equal, in other words, but from very different perspectives. Milan are playing with a 3-5-2 formation that puts Rafael Leao in the centre of the pitch, forcing him to play with his back towards goal, despite very much being a winger.
However, if a striker is missing in the traditional sense, Milan have something Juventus don’t: the playmaking powers of Luka Modric and the consistency of Adrien Rabiot. The Rossoneri often make the most of the minimum, but in a long season, this is only a strength and not luck.
Juventus often look for vertical plays but are struggling with lapses of concentration, as well as many chances missed. Kenan Yildiz’s position has also been discussed a lot lately, but regardless of where he plays, he’s a player who can decide everything for his team.
Transformation and a 3-5-2
Tonight, Juve are expected to field a 3-4-2-1 with McKennie at centre-back. The American is the embodiment of Spalletti’s transformation: he has played as a winger, a midfielder, a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder, a centre-forward, and a full-back.
It’s the entire Juve team that, over the course of the 90 minutes, continually shifts its identity and adapts with a previously unknown naturalness. The players are no longer dizzy and this ability is what has made them so successful, confusing their opponents a lot.
Allegri did the same in his first Juve stint, when he invented Pjanic as a playmaker, Mandzukic as a midfielder-centre forward, and deployed four forwards. Today, he seeks reassurance by protecting himself with Tomori, Gabbia, and Pavlovic…
Juve are on the up
Juve are definitely doing better, having won five of their last six games, and there is an energy that has helped massively in the UCL pursuit. Meanwhile, Milan have lost three of their last five games and aren’t playing well either, even when they win.
However, thanks to the head-to-head record against Como and Roma, Milan only need seven more points to secure their spot in the top four. As such, the Rossoneri might be heading into tonight’s clash with more tranquillity, which is also very important.
Milan-Juventus gazzetta dello sport april 26