Pioli now told to make key change for Milan after nightmare start to big week

AC Milan’s coach Pioli called upon to change approach after rent losses

AC Milan’s challenging week is drawing to a close, culminating with their upcoming match against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. This match holds great significance as the team is in need of a positive outcome following two recent defeats.

As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews), Milan’s recent woes began with a loss to Juventus on a Sunday night, followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat against PSG in the Champions League just three days later. Now, they are gearing up to face Napoli, a formidable opponent, especially when playing away from home, making it one of the most formidable fixtures in any season.

The Rossoneri find themselves in a situation where they must explore different strategies beyond their customary game plan introduced by Pioli since the start of the summer. Despite varying results, all three of Milan’s recent defeats share some common traits: they all occurred in significant matches.

Their two league losses came against their Scudetto rivals, Inter and Juventus, while the defeat in the match against PSG has complicated their path to the Champions League knockout stages.

Milan’s struggles can be attributed to an overly aggressive defensive approach that often left their opponents in one-on-one situations against Milan defenders. Despite setbacks in the derby and against Juve, Pioli has been reluctant to deviate from his established strategy, which proved ineffective against PSG.

 

 

In their upcoming clash with Napoli, Milan has an opportunity to demonstrate a more seasoned and adaptable team, one capable of countering fast teams with strong counter-attacking abilities.

Notably, Milan will be without Malick Thiaw, who has been a starting central defender for the team alongside Tomori at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the last week has been a nightmare for the German player, who received a red card against Juve, resulting in his suspension.

To fill the void, Pioli is considering Pierre Kalulu, who recently returned to the squad in the match against Bianconeri after being sidelined due to injury for about a month. Kalulu is eager to regain his starting position, but he faces competition from Simon Kjaer, who played a pivotal role a few months ago in Milan’s successful Champions League quarter-final campaign against Napoli. It’s worth noting that in that matchup, Milan adopted a primarily defensive strategy, which proved effective.