AC Milan's Victory Was Not the Result of an "Overnight Rush"

UDINE, SATURDAY — For the first time this season, Sergio Conceicao implemented a formation that was very unfamiliar to him. The injury of two right wing-backs forced the AC Milan coach to switch to a three-defender system in a 3-4-3 formation. This change proved fruitful with a 4-0 victory over Udinese at Friuli Stadium on Saturday (12/4/2025) early morning WIB. Although the formation change seemed sudden, it turned out that Milan players were already trained in using the three-defender system.

Conceicao has so far preferred using a four-defender system in the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formations. Throughout his coaching career, Conceicao has been known to rarely implement a three-defender system. However, this choice had to be made by Conceicao when Milan visited Udinese's home ground. The injuries of two right-wing defenders, Kyle Walker and Emerson Royal, forced Conceicao to switch to a three-defender system.

He entrusted the defensive trident to Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia, and Strahinja Pavlovic. They were flanked by Theo Hernandez and Alex Jimenez, who actively contributed to both defense and attack throughout the match.

Although using a three-defender formation for the first time this season, Milan's players did not face any difficulties or awkwardness. Instead, they performed attractively, managing to score four goals through the efforts of Rafael Leao, Pavlovic, Hernandez, and Tijjani Reijnders.

Thanks to this change in formation, Milan players experienced greater freedom of movement. Leao, for instance, did not need to drop too deep to assist in defense because Milan had three defenders on standby in the backline. When using a four-defender formation, Milan's two full-backs actively supported the attack, leaving only two defenders stationed in defense.

"Even in defense, we were more cohesive. With the addition of one player (at the back), I had more freedom to move to the left or right up front. I have good chemistry with (Christian) Pulisic and (Luka) Jovic, and also with (Tammy) Abraham when he came on. We played well and creatively in the attacking line today," said Leao, as quoted by Football Italia.

This decisive victory seems to be a breath of fresh air for Milan's declining performance. The "Rossoneri" had only won two out of seven matches in the Italian League before defeating Udinese. As a result, they were pushed far down to ninth place, despite having consistently competed at the top of the standings earlier in the season.

Milan's win over Udinese leaves them just six points behind fourth-placed Bologna. With seven games remaining, Milan's hopes of finishing in the top four at the end of the season are at least still alive.

From previously worried about Walker and Emerson being injured, Conceicao dared to make a breakthrough that ended in sweet results. No wonder this condition, for Milan, is like a blessing in disguise.

Conceicao was modest, saying Milan's new system had only been tried for a short time. "During the international break, we implemented this system. However, I couldn't change it because many came back two days before the game. The players accepted the idea with and without the ball, with the full-backs more protected," Conceicao said.

Conceicao has not yet decided whether to stick with the three-man defence or revert to his preferred formation. However, given the players' comfort with the system, it is not impossible that Conceicao will continue to stick with it.

“I have a good feeling: we don’t always show it on the pitch, but today we did. Okay, today three points and we are already thinking about the next game. I see a solid and compact team, as we want. The team is ready. It was important to rest for a few weeks,” he said.

Milan Technical Director Geoffrey Moncada expressed a different opinion. According to him, Milan's success in achieving a landslide victory was not achieved like turning the palm of the hand.

Although throughout the season the majority used a four-defender system, Milan players have also been trained to play with three defenders. That way, the fluency of Milan players playing a three-defender formation is not based on a rushed system overnight.

“They have been training with a three-man formation all week. They have been working on this system. We usually leave three players at the back when we build up to give Theo Hernandez a little bit more space. So it’s not completely different,” Moncada said.

After facing Udinese, Milan will face a tough challenge against Atalanta next week. The schedule benefits Milan who have more time to train. Conceicao is very likely to continue to perfect Milan's three-defender system, especially when facing counterattacks.