It came late, but AC Milan secured their second victory under Clarence Seedorf against Cagliari in dramatic fashion – a Giampaolo Pazzini header giving the Rossoneri a late lead that just five minutes prior seemed rather impossible.
A Mario Balotelli free-kick gave Milan hope after an extended period of domination that until that point had been futile, a beautiful curling effort that lifted spirits and seemed to jolt Seedorf’s weary players into action.
Milan trebled Cagliari’s shot total throughout the match 21 to seven and had the lions share of possession but issues of penetration and incisiveness remain with a team that still appears sluggish and unimaginative in attack.
Seedorf began the match with the 4-2-3-1 he has installed since his arrival as new coach, and the extra bodies in creative areas has aided in the sides ability to maintain and recycle possession, stretch defences and get shots away (as evidenced by the stats) but there is still, understandable signs of a team that is getting to grips with a new system.
The lack of width in Milan’s current attack – neither one of the three players behind Pazzini are actual wingers; Kaka’, Keisuke Honda and Mario Balotelli looking to pick up the ball and cut in or create chances centrally – mean that teams are able to focus their efforts on limiting opportunities in front of them, rather than being stretched by the presence of a naturally wide player.
As a result Milan tend to struggle to easily break teams down despite the creative forces in their line-up and the return of Stephan El Shaarawy will be very helpful in that regard, as would perhaps the targeting of another wide player in summer.
That said, Clarence has been clear on reinstalling a “philosophy” at Milan not restricted to a specific shape focused on a creative, enjoyable brand of football that is played by happy players. Speaking at the press conference introducing him as the new Milan coach, Seedorf told media his “philosophy” of football is more important than “specific tactical movements.”
“We’ll develop those as we get to know each other more. Roles are labels, but at the end of the day we are all human beings,” the Dutchman said.
Like the incorporation of a “huddle” that follows every match to reinstall a sense of brotherhood and reinforce a feeling of cohesion that appeared to be lost during some of the darker days of Massimiliano Allegri’s tenure, a come-from-behind victory such as this will help immensely in improving those intangible qualities that are arguably just as important as technique and tactics; self-belief, happiness and mental strength.
After the exit from the Coppa Italia where Milan were legitimately terrible for the entire second half, a return win in Serie A was an important step in wiping that result away and looking to move up in the table, an effort which may be inadvertently helped by the absence of a second domestic distraction.
Two Serie A games, two Serie A wins. New coach, new formation. It’s a small start, but a start nonetheless.
