Frosinone vs. AC Milan: Winners and Losers from Serie A
AC Milan survived a first-half scare to emerge with an important 4-2 win away to Frosinone at Stadio Matusa on Sunday evening in their last game before the winter break.
Milan head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men were off-colour in the first half, failing to threaten consistently in the final third while showing defensive vulnerabilities of their own.
Those vulnerabilities were exposed for Frosinone’s opening goal on 19 minutes, when Daniel Ciofani ran right through the middle of Milan’s centre-backs before slotting home to give the home side the lead.
Frosinone sat back and tried to defend their lead, but those negative tactics, combined with individual errors, allowed Milan to get back into the game before taking over.
First, Ignazio Abate found far too much space on the right as Milan counter-attacked early in the second half. The right-back surged forward into the open area before finishing to equalise on 50 minutes.
Five minutes later Nicola Leali flapped at a loose ball in the box, allowing Giacomo Bonaventura to square to Carlos Bacca, who smashed home into an unguarded net from close range.
From then on Milan had a firm grip on the game, dominating possession with Frosinone unable to offer much of an attacking threat.
Milan went 3-1 up on 77 minutes as Alex found time and space in the box to head home from a corner, though Frosinone pulled a goal back in similar circumstances six minutes later through Federico Dionisi.
However, any hope of a Frosinone comeback was snuffed out as Bonaventura drove inside to make it 4-2 in injury time.
Here are B/R’s winners and losers from an eventful game.
Winner: The Partnership Between Giacomo Bonaventura and Carlos Bacca
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Bonaventura continued his fine form with another influential attacking display against manager Roberto Stellone’s Frosinone side.
Furthermore, the lithe Italian attacking midfielder built on his working relationship with Bacca, which has been a rewarding combination for Milan all season.
Bonaventura bravely beat Frosinone ‘keeper Leali to the ball in order to set up Bacca’s strike on 55 minutes.
The assist was, according to WhoScored.com, the third time this season Bonaventura has created a Bacca goal, making them one of the most productive double acts in Serie A.
While other areas of Mihajlovic’s team look less than certain, the left-sided attacking partnership of Bonaventura and Bacca is a real source of hope.
Loser: Milan's Defence
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Milan’s 4-2 win represented the fifth time this season they have conceded two or more goals in one game. Meanwhile, they have kept just three clean sheets in 17 Serie A fixtures thus far.
The numbers suggest that, while they are an improved defensive force compared to last season, Milan remain vulnerable defensively.
The reasons behind this weakness vary between individual concentration and collective discipline.
For Frosinone’s opener, Milan were far too slow in transitioning from attack to defence, leaving them exposed for the counter-attack. For Frosinone’s second, Luiz Adriano switched off to allow Dionisi to head home unmarked.
Milan remain a capable attacking side, but as demonstrated here, they still lack defensive nous.
Winner: Federico Dionisi
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Dionisi had a good game up front for Frosinone, pestering Milan’s defence throughout to create and score one goal.
In spite of his team’s defensive tactics, the 28-year-old made it his job to hassle Alex and Alessio Romagnoli. He worked hard without the ball and showed good hold-up and link-up play with it. For this he earned a strong 7.79 rating from WhoScored.com, who rated him as Frosinone’s best player.
If Stellone’s side are to stay up, they will undoubtedly require more performances like this from their star striker.
Loser: Frosinone's Defensive Strategy
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According to OptaPaolo, before this clash, “Milan lost each of the five league games in which they've been trailing this season.”
It was always going to take something spectacularly poor, then, for the Rossoneri to come back, score four goals and win the match, yet that is exactly what Frosinone managed to allow.
After going in front, the Ciociari were far too negative, defending in two banks of four with only one player—Dionisi—anywhere near Milan’s defence.
This only worked up until the 50th-minute mark, from which point Frosinone’s defensive play collapsed as Milan proceeded to tear it apart far too easily.
If Frosinone are to play to their strengths going forward, they should consider utilising a less defensive strategy.
