AS Roma Vs AC Milan [1–1] – Serie A 2025/2026: Gian Piero Gasperini Man-Marking & Max Allegri Counterattacks – Tactical Analysis

AS Roma hosted AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico in Gameweek 22 of Serie A, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw that did neither team any favours.

In fact, the draw suits the ambitions of their opponents in the standings, especially those who can benefit from such a draw.

Following this draw, Roma are now in third place with 43 points, just four behind Milan in second.

The battle for the title and for the top four spots is becoming even more fierce as we get closer to the end of the season.

And so far, Roma are having an excellent campaign, getting very close to securing a UEFA Champions League spot, something they failed to achieve in the past few seasons.

On the other hand, Milan were going through a crisis last season as well, so rebuilding the team and holding the second spot in January indicates that Milan have been successful in Serie A so far this term.

In this tactical analysis article, we will explore the impact of Roma’s man-marking system on Milan and the latter’s attacking variations to counter Roma’s disruptive defensive plan.

Roma Vs Milan Lineups & Formations

Gian Piero Gasperini started the match in his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mile Svilar in goal and a defensive line of three centre-backs: Gianluca Mancini on the right, Evan Ndicka in the centre, and Daniele Ghilardi on the left.

The midfield line was composed of Zeki Çelik and Wesley França as right and left wing-backs, with Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné as central midfielders.

In attack, Gasperini used both Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala as advanced playmakers, often as wingers, with the new recruit Donyell Malen as the main striker.

On the other hand, Massimiliano Allegri opted for the usual 3-5-2 formation, with Mike Maignan as goalkeeper, Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter, and Matteo Gabbia as centre-backs, Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi as wing-backs, and Adrien Rabiot and Samuele Ricci as central midfielders.

In addition to both central midfielders, Luka Modrić played as a defensive midfielder, and the attacking line featured both Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leão.

Roma Man-Marking System & Finishing Issues

The game started with great intensity as both teams were very dynamic and tried to surprise their opponent early.

Roma were positioned in a 4-4-2 formation in the attacking phase, with both Dybala and Malen as strikers, while Soulé leaned towards the left wing.

Roma’s plan was to disrupt Milan with their man-marking defence system across the pitch.

Although this system was not useful when Milan players were intelligent enough to play first-time passes or dribble successfully past their direct markers, it proved extremely useful when Roma’s players anticipated their opponents and got the advantage.

In particular, defending with a high defensive block and anticipating Nkunku’s approach when he was about to receive the ball enabled Ghilardi to launch a quick counterattack and surprise Milan’s defence.

Roma Man-Marking Success & Malen Indecisive Finishing

Ghilardi’s tight marking of Nkunku and his well-timed interception and instant pass to Malen allowed the latter to find himself in an inviting shooting situation.

However, the latter looked hesitant and lacked determination and concentration in the process of shooting, which led to shooting the ball in a way that allowed Gabbia to predict its trajectory and block it.

Despite that, Roma were first on the second ball, and Dybala was able to serve Koné, who used a feint to avoid marking and shot on goal.

This could have been Roma’s first goal of the match if not for Maignan’s great save.

At the same time, the action saw Malen get a golden goalscoring opportunity once again after Maignan was not able to catch the ball with both hands and gave it away in front of Malen.

Malen did not deal with this inviting situation as a proper striker, as he did not start his run towards Maignan at the moment of shooting.

He only discovered that there was a possibility of exploiting a Maignan mistake when that mistake actually occurred.

Despite that, Malen was still able to get to the ball first but did not opt for a first-time finishing attempt.

He tried to protect the ball first, then shoot while being disturbed, which limited his goalscoring chances by depriving him of the element of surprise, since everyone was waiting for him to shoot, including the goalkeeper.

Malen missed another big chance at the 18^th minute when he received a key pass inside the box and in front of goal, but failed to orient his left-footed shot well enough to be on target after controlling the ball well using his chest.

Missing such occasions was unfortunate for Roma, as Malen still needs adaptation time as well as extensive work on finishing in training.

Roma Bryan Cristante & Zeki Çelik Attacking Support

As time went by, Roma became even more dangerous for Milan’s defence, with intensified high pressing and a striving for numerical superiority inside the box.

Roma got very close to scoring thanks to this system, but Maignan was decisive in blocking some of the shots.

It is true that Roma’s players could have been more clinical with their finishing, yet the fact that Maignan’s saves were decisive is not an understatement.

The following action highlights the use of Çelik, Cristante, and Koné to the box in order to ensure numerical superiority and be actively involved in Roma’s attacks.

In this action, it was Cristante who made the cross, and Çelik attempted a first-time shot inside the box, as if he were a striker.

These fluid movements without the ball disturbed Milan’s defensive organisation and obliged them to concede dangerous chances, as Roma’s attacks became very complicated to prevent.

But at the same time, it counts for Milan that they did their best to resist despite the intense Roma attacks.

Milan Attacking Plans & Variations

On the other hand, Milan relied on Leão as a wide striker, often leaning towards the left wing, especially without the ball.

At the same time, Nkunku was the one acting like a stationary striker, with Rabiot penetrating into the box so often to ensure numerical superiority and help Milan attack with tall, physically strong players.

Milan’s first attacking action of the match already highlights this organisation and the movement dynamics of their players.

Milan Roles Of Nkunku & Rabiot In The Attacking Phase

The action saw Nkunku retreating to the middle of the pitch with his back to the goal, receiving a pass from Bartesaghi and using a back-heel pass to Rabiot, who quickly moved at the back of Nkunku to exploit the space he left within Roma’s defensive line.

His intelligent movement without the ball helped Milan advance quickly, and he was also quick enough to serve Saelemaekers on the right, while all of Leão, Nkunku, and Rabiot re-positioned themselves inside the box and waited for a potential cross.

Saelemaekers chose to cut inside and shoot with his weaker foot, but his shot went off target, knowing that the chance could have been more dangerous if he had opted for a cross with his right foot.

Following a few similar attempts during the first minutes of the game, Gasperini was reactive enough to make the necessary defensive changes and apply marking on Rabiot whenever he advances to the box in order to limit the threats of such penetrations.

This, along with Roma’s continuous, progressively more efficient high-pressing, man-marking defensive plan, limited Milan’s attacking options and forced them to create fewer chances.

Milan Bartesaghi Role In Transitions & Rabiot Continuous Threat Inside The Box

Despite Roma’s efforts to limit Milan’s threats and the penetrations of midfielders such as Rabiot, Milan surprised Roma with very quick attacking transitions at times.

He used the wings to set up Rabiot, who was well-positioned inside the box.

Milan’s threats in this match were mainly created thanks to their quick attacking transitions to exploit the spaces left at the back of Roma’s defensive line.

What helped Milan do so was Bartesaghi’s excellent accelerations on the left wing and his ability to get past his direct opponent before accelerating.

In this particular action at the start of the second half, Bartesaghi’s creative back-heel feint to get past his direct opponent and create spaces for himself helped create a very dangerous attack for Milan.

Rabiot’s systematic advancing into the box was effective, as he provided the best passing option for Bartesaghi while positioning himself well and escaping marking.

Unfortunately for Milan, however, Rabiot’s shot was deflected by the goalkeeper.

Milan Exploitation Of Roma Second-Half Intensity Drop

In the second half, Allegri made another attacking change to his two strikers’ positions, switching Nkunku to the left wing and Leão to the main striker inside the box.

This helped disrupt Roma’s man-marking plans and added variety to Milan’s attacking approach, with Leão succeeding in winning more duels with his back to the goal, and Nkunku making the difference on the left wing, supported by the midfielders and Bartesaghi.

Milan exploited Roma’s drop in intensity in high pressing and man-marking, and had more possession in the first part of the second half.

They also scored the first goal of the match thanks to Nkunku’s press on Ndicka, which forced him into a passing mistake that led to a corner.

And with an excellent cross from Modrić, De Winter exploited the confusion inside the box and scored a header after he moved well to escape from marking, since he positioned himself behind Ndicka and in front of França, before getting the advantage on França in the air.

Conclusion

Despite their advantage, Milan were unable to protect their lead, mainly due to a handball inside the box that led to a penalty.

Other than that, Milan resisted well against Roma’s attacks and were close to adding a second goal in the last minutes of the match as well, exploiting Roma’s advancing and using counter-attacks to try to use the spaces they left behind.

On the other hand, Roma lacked clinical finishing in this match, having created more chances than Milan but failing to convert them into goals.

Working on attaining a level of decisive finishing will be crucial for them in the coming games in order to secure wins when they play better and when they create more chances than their opponents.