Vincenzo Montella Shows Pragmatism vs. Old Club as AC Milan Draw with Fiorentina

Vincenzo Montella’s Fiorentina legacy was one of excellent results and beautiful football. But in his first return visit to the Stadio Artemio Franchi since becoming AC Milan head coach, he displayed an entirely different side to his managerial style.

Milan’s trip to face Fiorentina was seen as a genuine test of the team’s recent resurgence. Following their desperately disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Udinese, victories over Sampdoria and Lazio restored confidence among the players and optimism among the fans. But travelling to Florence presented them with a tough challenge.

Montella was replaced in the Viola dugout by Paulo Sousa in 2015. While unpopular due mainly to his past as a Juventus player, the Portuguese quickly won over the locals by building on the football his predecessor had left behind.

With a unique 3-4-2-1 system and a wonderfully intricate possession aesthetic, he led Fiorentina into a surprise Scudetto challenge during the first half of last season. And, while they ultimately fell away, he successfully asserted himself on the job.

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Following the dismissal of temporary appointment Cristian Brocchi, Montella was named Milan coach over the summer primarily because of the type of football it was believed he could, and would, bring to the club. So far, however, he has not been able to fully implement his vision. Indeed, as his side drew 0-0 with Sousa’s Fiorentina on Sunday evening, there was a suspicious pragmatism about his tactics.

Milan lined up in the fluid 4-3-3 shape that has been embedded since the new boss took charge of the squad, with M’Baye Niang and Suso as wingers who tucked back into a midfield five out of possession. Riccardo Montolivo acted as the midfield anchor, with the powerful Juraj Kucka and the subtle Giacomo Bonaventura on either side.

In this system, Carlos Bacca takes up the lone striker role. While he comes to life in the final third with the creativity of Suso, Niang and Bonaventura behind him, he is often left without support for concerted periods in games where Milan spend the majority of their time defending. This was glaringly highlighted against Fiorentina, where he often looked isolated.

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Per WhoScored.com, the home side enjoyed 62 per cent of ball possession. That statistic only tells a part of the story, but it is an important part. For while Montella’s men did threaten from time to time when they had the ball, those occasions were far too rare, and they became rarer as the match wore on.

Fiorentina trequartista Josip Ilicic was heavily involved in the first half, flashing a left-footed shot just wide from outside of the box on six minutes. And, 15 minutes later, he would have a decisive influence on the game’s outcome.

Spatial issues in Milan’s defence led to a mistake from left-back Mattia De Sciglio, whose missed interception allowed Ilicic in to cross from a dangerous area. Another defensive lapse followed, with right-back Davide Calabria failing to clear his lines and subsequently pulling back Borja Valero to give away a penalty.

Ilicic stepped up ominously with an outstanding record of eight goals from eight attempts from the spot in Serie A, per Opta Paolo, but while his strike was clean and veered away from Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, it hit the right post and bounced to safety.

Fiorentina then had defensive work of their own to do, as Niang caused problems with his pace and skill down the left flank, but the French forward’s lack of end product was frustrating. Even Bacca, one of Serie A’s most ruthless finishers, couldn’t find the target when presented with a decent chance, with his audacious flick from a Suso cross coming to nothing.

Federico Bernardeschi, operating at right wing-back for the home side, frequently drove infield on to his favoured left foot, defying Milan’s marking in the process. His whipped cross before the end of the first half led to uncertainty, though Nikola Kalinic was unable to apply the finishing touch.

The second period saw Fiorentina exert increasing control over proceedings through their domination and usage of the ball. Donnarumma got his fingertips to a Borja Valero shot to deny the lithe Spaniard, though the Rossoneri also countered well every now and then, with Suso having an almost certain goal blocked by Milan Badelj.

On 67 minutes, Montella made the first of two substitutions that showcased a level of tactical conservatism many did not expect upon his being appointed Milan coach. He brought off Niang and sent on 18-year-old central midfielder Manuel Locatelli, moving Bonaventura to the left wing.

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Then, on 78 minutes, he made his second cautious change, replacing Bonaventura with Luca Antonelli—a player who has spent the best years of his career as a left-back or wing-back. From this moment on, there was absolutely no doubt about Montella’s ambitions, or lack thereof.

His side gutsily saw out the 0-0 draw to seal an unspectacular but positive point, something they perhaps could have added to had Luiz Adriano not been brought down by Hrvoje Milic in the dying embers of the game only for referee Daniele Orsato to wave away Milanese complaints.

There were shades of last season’s Milan at times in the performance, not only in the pragmatic approach but in the occasional bouts of defensive panic. But the record now shows that, following on from the 4-2 defeat away to Napoli, they have conceded just one goal in four matches. And, in their last three fixtures, they have kept three clean sheets—something the club had not achieved since May 2013, per Opta Paolo.

Montella indicated that this defensive display was deliberate in his post-match interview with Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia), saying: "Fiorentina had more of the ball, but that was to a degree because we decided to allow them that. The teams got stretched out as time wore on and I liked the desire my side showed. We faced a difficult exam and I think we passed it, albeit not with flying colours."

Between his time with Fiorentina and his hiring by Milan, Montella coached Sampdoria. There, he showed a great deal of flexibility, altering his basic shape and style to the opponent at hand. Few expected him to take a similar mentality into his current job, but he has done just that, and it appears to be paying dividends for Milan.

Already the chaos of the opening two games of the campaign, when Milan held on to beat Torino 3-2 courtesy of a last-gasp penalty save by Donnarumma before capitulating to Napoli, is forgotten. Defensively, Montella is improving the solidity of the side.

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So far, the statistics seem to show a different style of play to that which was envisaged under his auspices. WhoScored.com’s figures show Milan have averaged 49.3 per cent possession, the 11th-highest in Serie A. Meanwhile, only six teams have played fewer short passes per game than their 343.

Montella was brought in to imbue Milan with a sense of verve and panache that has been missing in recent years. Yet while the team’s buildup play is more patient, their primary successes are coming through sound defence.

The Milan seen on Sunday night isn’t the team the club’s owners and fans expected, nor necessarily wanted. However, if Montella’s pragmatism continues to take the team up the Serie A table, complaints will be minimal.