Milan again paid the price for their shoddy defense in the match versus Roma, as the Giallorossi scored twice late in the game on set pieces. The Rossoneri have been significantly worse than last season in the back. An airtight rearguard had fueled their title run, as they had collected 18 clean sheets, going on a run in the second half. Instead, they have kept just four so far, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
They have been able to blank just Bologna, Sassuolo, Juventus, and Cremonese. They have conceded 18 goals in 17 matchdays, more than one per game. They are miles away from the league-leading Bianconeri, which have been beaten just seven times. But they are also behind Napoli (13), Lazio (15), Roma (16), and Atalanta (17). They are on par with Lecce.
Milan have had issues with their defense ever since the preseason. The injury to Mike Maignan made things worse. Davide Calabria also missed a lot of time due to a thigh strain. In addition, Fikayo Tomori hasn’t been as sturdy as last season.
The Rossoneri have been routinely undone by lapse of focus and superficiality and have had major troubles managing leads. They have had just one shut-out victory in the past eight fixtures against the lowly Cremonese.
Our Take on the Milan Defense
Tomori has taken a clear step back for mysterious reasons. Pierre Kalulu has been totally fine, but they had Simon Kjaer at the peak of his powers last season, and that hasn’t been the case this year after his ACL tear. But the biggest factor might be the absence of a powerhouse like Franck Kessié in the midfield.
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