5 Issues AC Milan Need to Work on During International Break

While many fans lament the fact that the exciting world of club football has to be paused for the international break, it does at least give managers a chance to spend some time thinking about some of the issues surrounding their teams.

Rookie manager Filippo Inzaghi certainly has a lot to ponder before his Milan side is back in Serie A action on October 19.

Here are some of the issues that he might be tinkering with over the next couple of weeks.

How to Fix a Leaky Defence

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Milan have conceded nine goals from their six Serie A games this season, making them the team with the worst defensive record in the top 12.

Inzaghi has a highly effective defensive midfielder in Nigel de Jong to provide a screen for the back line, as well as a handful of decent, albeit not exceptional centre-backs to call on.

The team should really not be leaking so many goals, then, even if they are a unit geared towards attacking football.

The 41-year-old manager could perhaps switch to a three at the back in order to take advantage of the personnel at his disposal, a suggestion that is very well made by Bleacher Report's own Jason Ross here.

Resisting the temptation to use two defence-minded midfielders, De Jong and Sulley Muntari, and selecting a player who is better at ball retention could be another way to take the pressure off his back line.

Either way, Inzaghi needs to come up with a few alternatives to his current tactical scheme if the Rossoneri are to tighten up at the back.

How to Get the Best out of Fernando Torres

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It has been many a year since Fernando Torres was terrorising opposition defences.

As a young striker for Atletico Madrid and then Liverpool, and with his national side, the Spaniard seemed to be the perfect combination of athleticism, guile, skill and composure as he not only found the back of the net regularly, but he did so in the big games as well.

Since his high-profile move to Chelsea, however, the goals have dried up and so, apparently, has his confidence.

If anyone could restore a forward's love of scoring, it would be Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi, who was renowned for his impressive strike rate and crazy goal celebrations.

Thus far into his Milan career, Torres does not appear to have rediscovered his mojo. In four Serie A appearances, he has only managed the one goal, but more worryingly for Inzaghi, the 30-year-old often looks like he has no real desire to be out on the pitch.

If the manager can somehow instil the new signing with some of his own enthusiasm, the team will become so much more intimidating in attack.

What to Do About Stephan El Shaarawy

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Comments made by Inzaghi in the press indicate that he is already thinking about how to keep Stephan El Shaarawy's confidence up as the attacker undergoes something of a form slump.

The Italian international had a fantastic season in Milan colours in 2012-13, scoring 16 goals but since then he has been hit by injuries and some patchy form.

The Milan manager gave the player his backing by starting him against Juventus but since then the 21-year-old has only seen about 20 minutes of action when coming on as a substitute in the win against Chievo.

If the youngster is not playing well enough, Inzaghi is right in not giving him game time, but the coach must be careful not to erode his confidence entirely.

"Pippo" made the following observations about the situation, as reported by Goal.com.

"

I respect him a lot and he had a great match versus Lazio. Then he had an injury. I made him play against Juventus as a sign of how much I rate him.

We have seven players up front. Unfortunately it’s hard to leave three on the bench. I will try to send four out on the pitch.

Let's not forget his age. It's normal to have highs and lows at this age.

He's in an environment that loves him and that rates him highly. It's down to me to cultivate his talent.

I need to give precedence though to the team and not the individual. I always choose for the good of the team. Everybody is important.

"

How to Ease Riccardo Montolivo Back into the Side

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Reports indicate that midfielder Riccardo Montolivo is doing well in his recovery from the broken leg he suffered back in May, so Inzaghi and his medical staff will already be planning the best way to integrate him back into the side.

Though he is said to be nearing the end of his rehabilitation process, the doctors will certainly be wary of rushing him back.

And as is so often the case, a player who has been out of the game for such a long period of time and has missed all the pre-season preparation could well be off the pace for a number of weeks to come, even if his injury is healed.

Tactically, too, Inzaghi will have a few decisions to make when Montolivo regains full fitness, as at present he has two ball-playing midfielders in his starting XI, in Keisuke Honda and Jeremy Menez, as well as the ever-improving Giacomo Bonaventura.

The Playmaking Pecking Order

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There may have been nothing much to it, but the squabble between Honda and Menez over who would take a free-kick against Chievo could be a sign of disharmony in the side. 

Menez set up over the dead ball in the 78th minute of the clash but it was the Japanese star who took matters into his own hands and promptly dispatched the kick into the back of the net.

Though it was a fairly minor incident, it may hint at a degree of disharmony between the two creative midfielders, who are both capable of directing a side's attacking play on their own.

So far, Inzaghi's tendency to use both at the same time has worked out well enough. Menez has been excellent as the chief playmaker, while Honda has been scoring goals.

It is important that each knows his role in the overall scheme, however, so the whole side can run as fluidly as possible and there are no more little spats on the pitch.