Meek Midfield Sinks AC Milan in Limp Loss to Juventus

Saturday's match between AC Milan and Juventus was the biggest between the two clubs in some time.

Both teams had built momentum going into the international break.  Juve won consecutive games for the first time this season, clawing their way back up the table.  Milan took 11 points from their last five games and were putting themselves in position to make a run at a European place.

For Milan, the game at the Juventus Stadium was a chance to make a statement.  With a win, they could open a five-point gap between themselves and the Bianconeri, consolidating their hold on their position— and with Roma drawing against Bologna earlier in the day—gaining some ground on at least one of the leaders.

Unfortunately, the Rossoneri weren't able to capitalize on the opportunity.  Much like their last league game two weeks ago, they failed to keep possession of the ball for any extended period of time and were gradually pushed back into their own half.

Like he did in that game against Atalanta, 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma played like a man twice his age.  But unlike that game, the youngster wasn't able to get to every shot that came his way and Milan went down 1-0.

Milan was always at a disadvantage to Juve on paper, but recent form had put them on more even footing.  But the biggest gap on paper between the two teams fell in the most important part of the pitch: midfield.

Even with Juventus missing Sami Khedira, who failed a late fitness test, the Bianconeri midfield is simply better.  That difference was exacerbated with Milan missing Andrea Bertolacci, who had just begun to recover from his poor start to the season when he suffered a thigh injury against Lazio.

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With Bertolacci out, coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was faced with a dilemma.  Should he start the hard-working but creatively challenged Andrea Poli in midfield?  Or should he move Giacomo Bonaventura from the left wing back to midfield, injecting some more creativity in the box-to-box position at the risk of exposing Bonaventura's defensive weaknesses.

He chose the latter option—and while there's no way to say that the other one would have changed the outcome—this one certainly wouldn't work out.

Just as it did two weeks ago, Milan's midfield failed to string together the passes that would have allowed Milan to put together extended periods of possession—and break the ones that Juve were establishing on a regular basis.  They were also beaten to loose balls on a regular basis, allowing Juve to end any Milan attack or to extend their own.

The unit was completely unable to gain traction or get anything going with simple passes. By the end of the game, the Rossoneri were resorting to sending long balls over the top and hoping that Carlos Bacca or Alessio Cerci would manage to get to them before one of Juve's defenders.  Bacca, who has been scary accurate this season but often starved of service, was held without a shot despite playing the whole game.

After Paulo Dybala's opener in the 65th minute, it was all but over.  Milan had looked more and more demoralized as their inability to threaten became apparent. And now they would have to try to come back against one of the best teams in the world at holding a lead.  Only once did it look like an equalizer was remotely possible—in the last minutes of stoppage time when Cerci unleashed a long-range effort that was stopped by Gianluigi Buffon.

A word about Cerci: He did not play well.  While he did manage to get into dangerous areas on occasion—more so when Alex Sandro had to replace an injured Patrice Evra 30 minutes in—he routinely failed to make those moments count.  While WhoScored.com credited him with three key passes, for the most part they created half-chances at best.

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He also displayed a stunning lack of awareness at times.  When receiving a pass in space down the right wing in the first half, he casually flicked the ball backward. But no one from either team was there, and the ball trickled out for a Juve throw.

Not long after Cerci managed to beat Sandro and get himself into the box for a free header, instead of testing Buffon, he used the opportunity to center the ball. But he had no one in the box to latch onto the pass.  It bounced through the box, allowing Juve to recover the ball and reset their stretched defense.  If Mihajlovic is going to continue in a 4-3-3, Cerci needs to do better.

It's impossible to say how a healthy Bertolacci would have changed the game in midfield.  His presence would have had some effect, but the end result likely would have been the same.  Juventus have way too much in the tank in midfield for Milan to compete with effectively—and this needs to be addressed immediately.

The obvious answer is to look again to Axel Witsel.

The Belgium international was the subject of Milan's interest this summer.  Witsel even told the Daily Mirror (h/t Football Italia) that he had been hoping to make a change in the window.  But Milan failed to reach a deal with Zenit St. Petersburg.

Witsel would be a major upgrade to the likes of Poli and Juraj Kucka.  His presence would allow Bonaventura to focus more on attack, and his passing abilities are sorely needed to keep the team in possession.

A move this January seems highly unlikely.  Zenit are a point away from clinching the top spot in their Champions League group and look set for a dogfight with Lokomotiv Moscow and Rostov for Russia's second Champions League place.  They'll need their best players.

If that's the case, Milan needs to find another target or simply make do until next summer's window and find an upgrade then.

Milan haven't done well when facing the league's elite teams this season.  Fiorentina and Napoli both dominated them, and they failed to break through in the Derby della Madonnina. Now against Juve—who are still elite despite their struggles this season—they failed to create any true threat until stoppage time.

The return of Bertolacci from injury will help. But Milan's midfield needs fixing on a larger level if they're to be expected to return to the top of Serie A.