Analysing why Milan have conceded so many goals from corners this season – set-piece analysis

We have all witnessed the stunning goal of Edin Džeko from a corner kick in the eighth minute of the clash between the two Milanese poles in the first leg of the 2023 UEFA Champions League semi-final. You might be astonished to discover that the previous derby also featured a goal from a corner kick by Inter’s Argentine forward, Lautaro Martínez.

It is evident to all that football has undergone a significant evolution in set-piece analysis, especially at the elite levels, and no team can survive in the Champions League semi-final while conceding numerous goals from set pieces, particularly from corners.

This tactical analysis will discuss Milan’s defensive structure in corner kicks, going on a journey through this season to observe the tactics that AC Milan started the season with, then the problems of this system and the changes that occurred to this structure to tackle those problems.

Number of man-markers

Milan started this season with a hybrid system of zonal and man marking in their defensive corners, as illustrated by the first image that depicts the team structure in defending against in-swinging corners.

Milan adopted this approach in their season opener against Udinese with five players, highlighted in green, forming the first zonal line and a zonal player in yellow covering this area, especially against flicks and to get the first touch.

This player is also instructed to move to the short corner, should the opponent opt for that type of set piece, to help the black-marked player avoid a 2v1 situation.

Ahead of them, two players, highlighted in blue, are man-markers instructed to mark two of the runners and one player in red was positioned in the rebound zone.

For out-swinging corners, Milan opted for this structure displayed in the lower image which involved the same duties but with a different alignment of the first-zone defensive line (highlighted in green), which was more slanted towards the outside.

The other positions stay the same. The yellow-marked player covers this area to intercept the first touch and moves to the near post if required to support the blue-marked player. Meanwhile, the two red-marked players are man-markers and the black-marked player is ready for the rebound.