Adapting to resources and environment: How the 3-4-3 has changed AC Milan | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao made the rather bold choice one April night in Udine to change system, and AC Milan have built up a head of steam since.

Prior to that 4-0 victory against Udinese last month, Milan had kept just four clean sheets in Conceicao’s 22-game tenure. The only streaks to speak of were not what the Portuguese had made a strength at Porto, but rather letting in multiple goals for multiple games in a row.

That prompted a change in thinking from Conceicao, and he opted to go with a three-man defence. Now, he himself admitted after the most recent game against Venezia that he doesn’t like the system, which is perhaps as far from his preferred 4-4-2/4-2-2-2 as is possible.

“I am not a fan of this formation and this system, but I also have to adapt to the Italian league and to the team and the characteristics of the players in front of me,” he told DAZN. Football, though, is a results business.

Since switching, Milan have won three out of their four games, scoring nine goals and conceding just once across over 360 minutes of action. The only defeat was a 1-0 against Atalanta in which big chances were missed, and a Coppa Italia final was reached in the process.

What exactly has changed though, with the move from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1? It extends from the individuals to the attitude of the team, as Rohit Rajeev explains.

The major alteration

A lot of Conceicao’s principles stayed the same despite the change from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1, except for one thing that might just hold the key to the sudden turnaround.

The former Porto boss sacrificed an attacking midfielder for an extra centre-back, which meant he was clearly prioritising defensive cover over attacking fluidity. This can be seen in Milan’s build up structure.

In the first picture below, you will notice the empty space in Milan’s rearguard. In the second image, you will see how it is occupied in the 3-0 victory over Inter last week.

The Rossoneri sacrificed a midfielder/attacker which in this case is Yunus Musah, who against Fiorentina occupied the wide right space to allow Christian Pulisic to act as an attacking midfielder.

The results? Increased balance in defence, making up for the disorganised press and lack of counter pressing up front. As we can see from the two visuals below, Milan maintained a very similar line height against Inter but there was more balance in the recent game to thwart the transition threat.

Milan’s defensive line height vs. Inter in leg one (left) and leg two (right).

In chess terms, what Conceicao has effectively done is move a piece back to protect the pieces that matter, in the process shifting the balance of the side towards the areas where the came is won and lost: the middle four squares.

Italian football is often regarded as a chess game, so while Conceicao may prefer a high intensity, heavy metal style (remember how his Porto side played in both Champions League games against Milan in 2021-22?), he is adapting to the tools at his disposal and the environment he is in.

The exultation of the individuals

Speaking of the resources that Conceicao has, the shift is also likely a result of the characteristics of the squad. While many might point to the notion that it has taken him four months to realise what might be the best formula, with no preseason it can be hard to deduce if a team is ready for a big change.

One of the most major alterations is the use of wing-backs, something that brings the best out of Theo Hernandez and Alex Jimenez. Both are known for covering the entire flank at speed but being more proficient offensively than defensively, so this new arrangement works better.

They are playing the wing-back role in different ways, though. The Frenchman – who is in better form after a difficult season – continues to rely on his explosive athleticism, being direct and penetrating. Jimenez is more technical, getting involved in triangles and positional interplay down the right.

Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

Why is it working better for both? There is more cover behind them, so they are less tied to rigid defensive tasks. Strahinja Pavlovic and Fikayo Tomori appear on the face of things to be ideal outside centre-back, and it is a position that both have played before.

The Serbian is aggressive and likes to push up from the line to challenge ball carriers, and often strides out in possession too to open up new angles. The Englishman still possesses remarkable recovery pace and is also a proponent of a more proactive defensive style.

Then, there is Matteo Gabbia anchoring the unit in the middle, someone who has often been very reliable in terms of his consistency. He is comfortable on the ball (barring very rare errors like Dinamo Zagreb away) and good in the air too, while there is added sentimentality with him being the last defender of his boyhood club.

Moving to the midfield, Youssouf Fofana had appeared lost in the weeks prior, perhaps due to physical and mental fatigue, but also maybe because he isn’t a natural sitting No.6. The extra centre-back allows the midfield tandem to both operate as box-to-box players in the right moments.

This has brought a resurgence from the Frenchman who is back to being a vital cog, and he now has nine assists for the season showing why shackling him in front of a back four wasn’t perhaps the best use.

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Tijjani Reijnders, meanwhile, remains the creative metronome contributing valuable goals, and without an attacking midfielder he can make those penetrating runs without worrying about stepping on anyone’s toes, often with more space to attack as a result.

The front three has been interesting to watch too. Both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic have combined well with the now-higher wing-backs, and have the license to drift into central areas to create overloads on one side.

An example of this would be in the first and most recent games with the 3-4-3. Against Udinese, Leao opens the scoring with a sweeping shot from just outside the box having come infield. Against Venezia, Pulisic nets after four minutes (assist from Fofana) following a run deep into the heart of the box.

The centre-forward role is perhaps the work in progress. Luka Jovic has shown in his three starts – especially against Inter – that he can do a bit of everything. He battles hard in his hold-up play, has surprisingly good aerial ability, his movement and distribution are often smart and his finishing is perhaps his main asset.

What remains to be seen is whether Tammy Abraham could offer a bit more with his frame and his speed, or if Santiago Gimenez might be a more natural focal point for the two wingers to play off.

Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Bandage or building block?

The infamous balance that has been missing since the first day of the season has been found, and if anything the big shame – in the eyes of fans and pundits at least – is that we haven’t seen the solution proposed sooner.

Geoffrey Moncada shed some light recently on the change in formation and he actually revealed that it has been in the pipeline for a couple of months, only adding fuel to the aforementioned reflections.

“I think Milan worked on this system during the March break. Now we can have other options: full-backs higher up, a more compact defence, a system that allows a lot of freedom to the players. Stefano Pioli also played with a three two years ago, when we won against Tottenham: it’s to give more balance to the team.”

Like everything connected to Milan at the moment, the big question mark is the future. Will it remain the formation for the rest of the season? Will it be enough to win the Coppa Italia, and potentially keep Conceicao his job? If not, will the new coach see the work being done and try build from it?

All will become clearer in the next few weeks, but for the time being a new system has breathed fresh life into a season that appeared destined to be resigned to the back pages of the history books.