Milan, if the midfielder doesn’t score: only 14.3% of goals from midfield

The alert dates back to the beginning of December, after the Italian Cup match against Lazio, saddened by the elimination from the tournament: “The goals from the midfielders are missing”, Allegri said as a partial explanation of the terrible evening but also in terms of a general warning. More than a month has passed, but the issue is far from resolved. Milan can count on Pulisic’s scoring streak (apart from Florence…), on Leao’s exponential increase in goal average, on Nkunku who is finally blossoming, but not on the contribution of the midfielder.

the figures

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At the time – it was December 4th – there were four midfielders who scored – Fofana, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Ricci – and all with a goal each: together they added up to 16.6% of the overall goals. Six weeks later, only Rabiot’s first Rossoneri goal was added. We therefore rise to five goals from the median compared to the 35 total and therefore the department’s incidence drops from 16.6 to 14.3%. Considering that the midfield is objectively the most complete and best-designed sector of the entire team, the figure is – equally objectively – low. And it stands out again especially in this period where, unlike a month and a half ago, the team is struggling more than expected. In reality, Milan remains the third force in the championship in terms of number of goals scored, but this is a misleading figure: several goals are still missing, a consequence of often sensational waste.

the problems of individuals

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Even midfielders. Fofana’s mistake against Genoa – a Fantozzi-esque slip two steps from the wide open goal – is tragicomic but, beyond the easy ironies, it is heavy in light of the final result. In general you can criticize the Frenchman for little – a tireless double phase and some very well executed plays such as the assist for Nkunku in Florence – but he messes up a lot in front of goal (remember the coast-to-coast with an incredible smooth finish against Lazio at San Siro?). Loftus-Cheek, on the other hand, just can’t get back to the (high) levels seen in the first part of the ’23-24 season, blocked by some physical boredom and a competitive shyness that shouldn’t belong to him. Light years away from that period. Rabiot isn’t feeling very well either, after the soleus injury that took him out of action for a month at the very best. And Modric, who has the second minutes of the squad in the league, and the fourth of the season, is in a physiological decline in condition. As for Ricci and Jashari, everything is even more difficult: they are still second lines to all intents and purposes, the Swiss has only put together 276 minutes so far.

collective problems

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This is for individuals. Then there are the overall problems that generate the midfielders’ poor scoring contribution. That is, a game that flows in a less incisive and less fast way. For several weeks now, Milan has become more predictable and more hesitant in the offensive phase, less confident in their abilities, a perception that has led the team to lower itself further even when there is no need. The games straightened out in the last minutes are the classic “hysterical” reaction to the disadvantage weighed down by the passing minutes. There is a tendency to worry too much about blocking the opponents rather than setting up a ball movement capable of leading the midfielders to shoot repeatedly as happened in the first months. A question of intensity and courage lost game after game, sometimes with entire portions of the game handed over to the opponents. In this context, insertions from the median become too sporadic.