AC Milan's Nervousness and Stuttering Lead to Defeat

MILAN, SUNDAY — AC Milan appeared nervous in their attacking play and struggled defensively when facing Cremonese. Dominance on the field seemed meaningless if they could not play clinically, a lesson that the "Rossoneri" must learn from Cremonese.

The AC Milan players could only hang their heads after the referee blew the final whistle. They appeared dejected and seemed unable to believe what had transpired in front of their home crowd at the San Siro Stadium, early Sunday (24/8/2025) WIB.

In contrast to AC Milan, the players of Cremonese expressed their joy on the field. The scoreboard displayed AC Milan's defeat to Cremonese with a score of 1-2 in the opening match of the 2025-2026 Italian League. One goal from Strahinja Pavlovic (45’+1) was countered by two goals from the visiting team, scored by Federico Baschirotto (28’) and Federico Bonazzoli (61’).

The defeat of the Rossoneri, or the Red and Black, as AC Milan is nicknamed, does not align with their dominance throughout the match. Milan, who are entering a new era under coach Massimiliano Allegri, actually had an advantage in ball possession with 64 percent.

However, from those statistics, it is also evident how the dominance is meaningless. Moreover, if a team like Milan cannot play clinically when attacking and makes more mistakes when defending.

Despite successfully unleashing 24 shots, Milan appeared nervous when attempting to breach the opponent's goal. Only four shots were on target, even less than half of the attempts made.

One of the accurate shots was taken by Luka Modric, who made his debut with Milan in Serie A after being brought in during the summer transfer window. In the 53rd minute, Modric shot from outside the penalty area, but the ball was still parried away by Cremonese's goalkeeper, Emil Audero.

Like Modric, this Indonesian national team goalkeeper marked his debut with his new club in the Italian League. However, their fates are contrasting. Emil made four crucial saves throughout the match.

The rescue occurred, among other instances, when Milan had an opportunity through a breakthrough pass from Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Fikayo Tomori inside the penalty area in the 47th minute. Tomori took a shot, but due to the weakness of his kick, the ball was easily parried away.

Match statistics ultimately only affirm that dominance does not always equate to success. Moreover, if a team like Milan cannot play clinically when attacking and makes more mistakes when defending. This was also acknowledged by Allegri.

"If you look at our performance, we had more opportunities, but the difference in these matches is our determination in attacking and defending," said Allegri.

In comparison to Milan, Cremonese created significantly fewer long-range shots. The "Grigiorossi" or the Red Gray team made four attempts, three of which were on target.

Their clinical performance is highlighted by the expected goals (xG) matrix, which measures the quality of chances converted into goals.

According to Sofascore data, Cremonese generated 0.30 xG. This means that Cremonese scored two goals from situations that statistically had a very low probability of resulting in goals.

Meanwhile, Milan produced an xG of 1.66, indicating the potential to score nearly two goals. However, in reality, only one goal was achieved.

In the defense sector as well, Milan struggles to cope with the aggressiveness of Cremonese. A new coach, new players, yet Milan's problems remain the same as last season, which ended with numerous failures.

"We conceded two avoidable goals due to careless play... it feels like we didn't realise the danger," said Allegri.

The first goal of Cremonese was made possible by Baschirotto, who was able to head the ball without tight marking inside the penalty area. Baschirotto successfully found space between Pavlovic and Matteo Gabbia to meet Zerbin's cross effectively. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who was already out of position, was powerless in front of the goal.

In a nearly identical situation, Bonazzoli welcomed another cross with an acrobatic kick. Once again, the goal scorer was unmarked by Milan players.

Cremonese coach, Davide Nicola, acknowledged that on paper, it is not easy for his team to conquer the home side. However, they ultimately achieved victory because they were able to read the flow of the game well and build their play throughout the match.

"The victory tonight demonstrates that teamwork is fundamental, and if we do not think in terms of points like this, we will only score a few goals," said Nicola. (AFP)