Coppa Italia 2021/22: How Milan’s positional sense and “maturity” gave them the advantage against Lazio – tactical analysis

The Coppa Italia quarterfinals went more than well for Milan, who put four past Lazio to qualify to the next round, where they will meet their city rivals Inter, who they just defeated in a dramatic Serie A Derby della Madonnina.

Olivier Giroud was among the heroes in the game, scoring a brace in a second consecutive game, with Rafael Leão and Franck Kessié adding two more for the convincing 4-0 victory over Maurizio Sarri’s side.

While both teams had their moments, Rossoneri’s efficiency in front of the goal proved to be decisive, despite Lazio being the much more attacking team. Sarri’s men struggled to retain possession in the opposition half which led to very few chances in front of the goal. Milan were the more confident team when it comes to their actions in the advanced areas and their strong positioning led to quality chances and eventually goals.

Lazio’s inconsistent performance continues which not only threw their Coppa Italia chances away but also threatens their position in the league.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine both teams’ tactics and explain what made Milan the better team, despite Lazio’s efforts.

Line-ups and formations

Stefano Pioli opted for his favoured 4-2-3-1 with Mike Maignan on the goal and a four-man defensive line of Theo Hernández, Alessio Romagnoli, Pierre Kalulu and Davide Calabria. Franck Kessié and Sandro Tonali were strolling around in midfield, with Brahim Díaz in front of them in the attacking midfield position and Rafael Leão and Junior Messias on the flanks. The former Arsenal striker Giroud led the attack.

Most of the changes Pioli made throughout the game were to fix some bits and pieces and bring balance. The team were attacking mainly through the left as per usual, while Calabria, Tonali and Junior Messias couldn’t be as threatening on the right. That led to a few chances in the second half, as Ismaël Bennacer replaced Tonali and Alexis Saelemaekers and Fikayo Tomori replaced Junior Messias and Calabria respectively. The right-back was rather inconsistent defensively as a few lost balls on the edge of Milan’s defensive third could’ve cost them some trouble if it wasn’t for their defensive organisation as a unit.

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