Compaction, aggression and mercato help: How Conceicao plans to evolve Milan into a 4-4-2

SempreMilan

·16 Januari 2025

Compaction, aggression and mercato help: How Conceicao plans to evolve Milan into a 4-4-2

Sergio Conceicao appeared objectively disappointed after the game at the Stadio Sinigaglia in Como, despite the fact his team came from behind to win.

Milan approached the challenge in a disappointing and submissive manner in the eyes of the coach effectively leaving the ball in the hands of the home team, a choice only half-intended by Conceicao who instead was banking on an aggressive and efficient pressing phase.

Video OneFootball

As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it write, Conceicao has recognised early on that the 4-3-3 is not the right formation for his Milan, or at least isn’t the system to go all-in with. The presence of three midfielders, the coach also stated in the post-match, is perhaps not the right way.

“Yes, it’s true, Bennacer and Fofana together step on each other’s toes. Isma went off for a yellow, but they both have to improve,” he said. So what might change from here?

Quality over quantity

Paradoxically, in Conceicao’s eyes Milan need more quality rather than work rate, but quality that however must go hand in hand with intensity in pressing high and in not giving opponents time to build with clarity.

This is why, as revealed in past pressers, Conceicao’s goal is to bring a 4-4-2 to Milan, the main formation he used in his seven years at Porto which brought him 11 trophies, with some slight variations along the way.

Reinforced rearguard

The defence should be the department that will change the least. Mike Maignan will obviously remain the starting goalkeeper, while the full-backs Theo Hernandez and Emerson Royal do not seem at risk.

The latter however will have different instructions; in particular Theo will have the task of creating central options in the possession phase by inverting. The Frenchman can be an extra weapon in an attack that, in the 4-4-2, will need to fill the midfield with dynamism and creativity, which he certainly provides.

In the non-possession phase, both full-backs will move up to the midfield line to press. They will also have the responsibility of covering and possibly doubling up on the preventive pressing of the midfielders and attackers.

The build0up with Conceicao will start from the back but will not necessarily have to be prolonged: the team will play out from the defence but will also often look to attack the space in behind quickly, or invite the press and then play through it with quick one-touch passing and movement.

As for the central defenders, Conceicao seems to have chosen Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw (who is now injured too) at the moment, but it is not excluded that with the passing of the weeks he could also give some chances to Strahinja Pavlovic or Matteo Gabbia.

A mobile midfield

The midfield is certainly the most delicate department in Conceicao’s proposed new set-up. In this sense, the Portuguese wants a constant balance in order to never find the middle of the park outnumbered.

For this to happen, the Portuguese coach has created two well-defined pressing zones. The first is in the opponent’s half made up of one of the two attackers and the two wingers; the second in midfield with one of the two attackers falling back, plus the central midfielders and the full-backs.

What Conceicao wants is a compact and courageous Milan that is also capable of taking risks, but is also difficult to penetrate by teams that intend to build from the back. This type of intense and aggressive approach will force opponents to try long balls, giving time to recover.

In possession, the two midfielders will play higher and will often exchange with the two strikers. In an attacking sense, Conceicao’s Milan focuses a lot on winning and recovering second balls. The midfielders and full-backs will play on the same axis to collect loose balls and avoid immediate counter-attacks.

As for who will play, the two certainties will remain Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana with the addition of Ismael Bennacer and Yunus Musah in the rotations. The wingers will initially be Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, when both are fully fit.

The Portuguese and the American will have an important dual role: pressing high in the non-possession phase and coming inside – both with and without the ball – while the two strikers will widen to throw off marking assignments and create half-spaces.

Conceciao’s 4-4-2: the attack

The attacking department is probably the most incomplete for the implementation of the preferred module by Conceicao. The former Porto boss, who expects a gift from the market, prefers two similar strikers but with specific characteristics.

Both must be physical but at the same time mobile (Mehdi Taremi and Evanilson were often the pairing at his old club) capable of both protecting the ball with their body and moving out wide to create space for overlaps.

In this sense, Milan have Alvaro Morata and Tammy Abraham in the squad – two players with similar characteristics to those sought by Conceciao – but nobody else. The links with Marcus Rashford, a player who can play in a front two, provide further evidence regarding the desire for formational flexibility.

Furthermore, Francesco Camarda, Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic are less complete players and seem unsuitable to play the role of two strikers as intended by Conceicao, in spite of the fact that the latter two have been ‘second strikers’ at previous clubs.

The transfer window should lend a hand, but it is not excluded that Leao could play in the front two in certain matches (or moments of the game). His run in behind against Como shows what the speed and intelligence of his movement can generate.