Serie A Prospectus: AC Milan

AC Milan
Offensive Vital Signs
Offensive Vital Signs
Deep Completions: Good (4th in league)
Pass Difficulty: Very Easy (2nd easiest)
Completions Above Average: Good (6th best)
Field Position: Average
Shot Generation: Very Good (2nd highest)
Good Shot%: Bad (16th highest)
Possession Length: Very Long
Zones They Progress Well From: 2, 3, 4, 6
Zones They Progress Poorly From: 7
Zones Reminder

Defensive Vital Signs
Deep Completions Allowed: Average (12th)
Pass Difficulty Allowed: Very Easy
Completions Above Average Allowed: Very Bad
Field Position Allowed: Slightly Below Average
Shot Generation Allowed: Slightly Above Average
Good Shot% Allowed: Average
High Press: Nonexistent (2nd lowest)
Zones That Are Easy To Progress Through: 5, 6, 7
Zones That Are Tough To Progress Through: None






Key Passing Combos, Blue=Franck Kessie-Suso, Orange=Suso-Franck Kessie

Quick Summary
Milan’s offense controls the ball and generates shots extremely well but they shoot from poor positions too often. Defensively, they do little to disrupt opposition passing almost nothing up high and their right side gets torched too often as it seems to be focused on attacking mainly. They are a team who will play lots of shootouts but might have an elite striker in name-only, Higuain might not be enough to pull this high-flying team into the Champions League.
Player Profiles
Lucas Biglia, 32, midfield
No one does more defensive actions per 90 in Serie A than Biglia and he progresses the ball through the midfield about as good as anyone. He often wins the ball and starts a possession: 48% of his passes are either the first or second in a possession, highest on the team outside of GK Donnarumma. If you want a midfielder to win the ball and simply play it forward, Biglia does it about as well as you can. Not a dynamic attacking threat and getting old but he deserves recognition. Maybe in a more physical league or on a team with any high pressing he couldn't hang, but he certainly functions here.
Giacamo Bonaventura, 29, midfielder.
Bonaventura has the best shot rate of anyone at AC Milan, taking 2.3 shots per 90 to lead the team despite getting much less dangerous service than striker Gonzalo Higuain. Bonaventura carries the ball a lot and is a good ball progresser. While Suso gets the top-line numbers and Kessie is probably the teams best overall prospect, Bonaventura has a good argument to be their best offensive player overall. He’s shooting a ton, completing the ball in deep areas, carrying the ball a ton (both >90th percentile) and a great passing progresser. He’s not doing much defensively, so might be quite a nicely typical AC Milan player. Leave Biglia to clean all that up, and let's go play offense.

Franck Kessie, 21, midfielder.
When I was looking at midfielders who do 4 different passing things well: complete more passes than average, progress the ball, and complete the ball in dangerous area in volume and efficiently: Franck Kessie’s name popped up with the very best. Alongside Kai Havertz, Kevin Kampl, Carlos Soler,Dani Ceballos, and Ever Banega and right behind Modric and Silva. Not bad company for Franck.
Individual Standouts
Deep Completions-Completions Per 90 Within 30 Yard Radius of Goal
99th Percentile: Suso
93rd Percentile: Hakan Calhanoglu
83rd Percentile: Giacomo Bonaventura
Great Ball Progressors
Ricardo Rodriguez, Zones 4-6
Lucas Biglia, Zones 3-6
Hakan Calhanoglu, Zones 2-3
Alessio Romagnoli, Zones 4-5
Poor Ball Progressors
Diego Laxalt and Tiemoue Bakayoko
Defensively Active
100th Percentile: Lucas Biglia
96th Percentile: Davide Calabria
Shooters-Shots Per 90 minutes weighted for closer shots
92nd percentile: Giacomo Bonaventura
84th percentile: Gonzalo Higuain
Ball-Carriers, Yards Ball Carried Forward Per 90
97th Percentile: Ricardo Rodriguez and Suso
85th Percentile: Giacomo Bonaventura
82nd Percentile: Hakan Calhanoglu, Davide Calabria
"Low-Touch" Passers
83rd Percentile: Gonzalo Higuain
80th Percentile: Lucas Biglia
79th Percentile: Davide Calabria