Gabriel Paletta’s AC Milan own goal symptomatic of modern defending

Date: 6th April 2017 at 7:41pm
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When Pescara took the lead over Milan on Sunday, the Rossoneri’s shot-stopping starlet was considered to be at fault for failing to control the ball properly but he is not entirely to blame

Gabriel Paletta scoring an own goal in AC Milan’s 1-1 draw against Pescara in Serie A on Sunday was a moment that represented one of the flaws in modern football.

Although his young teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma received some blame for not controlling the ball properly, it was puzzling to see Paletta pass the ball back to him in the first place.

Coaches encourage their teams to play the ball out from the back as opposed to simply clearing it out of defence because the opposition can win the ball back and set-up their own attacks.

The concept of passing the ball out of defence has its flaws though. Unfortunately the principles of old-fashioned defending have diminished and Paletta’s own goal is an example of this.

Eleven minutes had gone when the Rossoneri defender as well as Pescara forward Gianluca Caprari were chasing after the ball on the right side of the pitch.

As the players approached the touchline, Paletta played a long and diagonal back-pass which took Donnarumma by surprise. The 18-year-old attempted to control the ball quickly but the slightest deflection was not enough to prevent the ball from rolling into the net and it gifted Pescara a shock lead.

Videos on social media have placed the blame on the emerging goalkeeper but his experienced teammate has not endured enough scrutiny for making such an absurd back-pass.

It would be easily to label the moment as a simple brain-fade by the Rossoneri defender but there has to be more to it. A more logical option would have been for Paletta to kick the ball out of play or clear the ball forward but instead he passed backwards.

Defenders in the past had a no-nonsense approach and it was very rare for them to make such long back-passes but the way football is played today has contributed to this shift in thinking.

Spanish giants Barcelona have been one of the most successful clubs in the last decade or so and their possession-based philosophy has influenced an abundance of intimidators such as AC Milan coach Vincenzo Montella.

Like all football styles, monopolising possession can work if you have the right players, but it can go wrong if players cannot adapt to a certain style or method, and playing the ball from the back can cause problems if your defenders are not comfortable on the ball.

Paletta demonstrated his discomfort on the ball and opted for the easy way out but he also ended up placing the pressure upon another teammate. Donnarumma still needs to work on his foot skills but you cannot blame him for being completely surprised.

Unfortunately the AC Milan defender is not the only player to have made such an erroneous back-pass and other defenders in the modern game have done similar things. Modern football has become more focused on possession and Italian football is no longer as ultra-defensive as it used to be either but some of the old methods can still serve a purpose though.

Traditional defending and common sense should still be applied regardless if it is Paletta or any other defender in the present time and then the amount of defensive errors can be reduced.

 

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