AC Milan are one of the most successful teams in Europe. They have the second-highest number of European titles and are behind Real Madrid in the standings. However, things have not gone in their favour, and their last title came in the 2006-07 season. Milan won the Scudetto in 2021-22, and that gave them some hope to achieve success. A decent title defence led them to another season in the UEFA Champions League.
AC Milan received a setback during the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 group stage draw. The team from Italy was tied in the ‘Group of Death’ along with PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle United. A team lacking consistency from last season is dealing with these three teams in Europe. Adding to their misery is the winless start made by the Italian club in the first two games. Two goalless draws were followed by a 3-0 hammering against PSG. Milan’s attack has been disappointing in Europe, and here is a look at what is going wrong with Pioli’s men in Europe.
Struggles to find the back of the net
AC Milan are the second team in the competition, along with Benfica, who have yet to score a goal. The Rossoneri started their UEFA Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against Newcastle United. This was followed by another nil-nil draw against Borussia Dortmund. AC Milan suffered their first defeat of the season, 3-0, against PSG in Paris.
Stefano Pioli’s men have attempted 45 shots, and 15 have been on target. Of these 15, nine were on target in the first game against Newcastle United. The shot map shows that Milan players have missed a few clear-cut chances from inside the six-yard box. These opportunities have cost them, and the team is at the bottom of the table.
Counter-attacking football
AC Milan are more creative on the counters than creating positional plays. In the first match, the Italian side created 33 positional attacks. Since then, only 18 and 14 were created in the next two games. Milan focuses more on the counters, and here is how things have gone for them.
Against Newcastle United, AC Milan created four counterattacks and attempted a shot from every attack. Three attacks came from the left and were led by Rafael Leao.
In the second match, Milan created four attacks and attempted two shots. This time they favoured the right side.
Against PSG, Milan were unable to keep the ball and created five counters. Once again, they failed to capitalise and only attempted two shots.
In these three matches, Milan focused more on creating attacks from the right side. The opposition knows the threat that Rafael Leao carries and often doubles up on him.
AC Milan have struggled to score. They average 1.8 goals per match in the league and are sitting third. Scoring goals in Europe is a challenge and Milan will look to register their first win in a reverse fixture against PSG at home.
Visuals via Wyscout and the TFA data viz engine
