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AC Milan, a historic football club and one of the giants of Italian football, had been going through a very bad period when Stefano Pioli first took over as head coach from Marco Giampolo in October 2019.
He could not do much in his first season and AC Milan ended up finishing sixth in the 2019/20 edition. The next season, however, the team looked rejuvenated and finished second in the league table - their highest finish since 2012/13.
AC Milan have looked even stronger since and have started this season on a very promising note. They are currently top of Serie A, having one point more than their rivals Internazionale who are in 2nd place.
AC Milan's new style of play
AC Milan's resurgence can largely be credited to the tactical style of Stefano Pioli. The Italian manager uses a 4-2-3-1 formation in which the fullbacks pick up advanced roles on the pitch.
As the game progresses, their fullbacks Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez take up offensive positions, often ending up in or near the striker position.
Defensively, one of their fullbacks tucks inside with the two central defenders turning it into a back three. One of the midfielders enters the vacated space left by the fullback. When they get the ball back, they immediately attack by initiating quick passes and their fullbacks end up near the striking positions in the last phase of their offensive play.
When the team attacks, both the fullbacks take up advanced positions in the center of the pitch. The two midfielders cover the space vacated by the fullbacks, leading to a type of front six and a back four. The team also likes to exploit width by allowing their wingers to stay in wide positions.
Sometimes, the attacking midfielders drop into wide positions and one of the defensive midfielders comes up to that side and the three form a triangle, with quick interchange of passes and establish a 3v1 or a 3v2 dominance. It is because of this that they can put pin-point crosses to the center of the pitch and a fullback usually ends up in that center space.
These tactics and pure grit and determination are what have helped AC Milan reassert their status as one of the giants of Serie A. Their squad is a young and passionate team of individuals who are giving their all for the badge and for the club and its fans. Time will tell if they will win Serie A this season or not but it can definitely be said that the winning mentality of AC Milan has returned.
