GdS: Why Conceicao faces a dilemma regarding use of three-man defence

In partnership with

SempreMilan

·20 April 2025

GdS: Why Conceicao faces a dilemma regarding use of three-man defence

The three-man defence could give AC Milan new life over the Easter weekend, but Sergio Conceicao has a dilemma regarding its use.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Conceicao is likely to use three centre-backs again versus Atalanta on Sunday night, and has a decision to make for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia derby. There are good reasons to go with a three and a four.

OneFootball Videos

Change pays off

Milan added a central defender in Udine as Conceicao played with Tomori, Gabbia and Pavlovic, using Alex Jimenez and Theo Hernandez as wing-backs. It is an advantage for pretty much every player, at least on paper.

Pavlovic is much more comfortable as a left centre-back than as part of a pairing, a position in which he has made many mistakes this season. Theo has more coverage and can attack, without Milan paying for his defensive distractions. Jimenez can give his best by accelerating out wide.

Rafael Leao even gave it the thumbs up: “I found myself very well with this system. I found the movements up front, I created danger, those up front looked for me a lot. The coach came up with a good strategy. We are more compact, there is one more man to defend. And then up front we are freer to attack.”

A dilemma emerges

However, in the four games against Inter this season Milan played with two central defenders, not three. In the first leg of the Coppa Italia, Conceiçao started with Walker, Gabbia, Thiaw and Hernandez.

In Riyadh for the Supercoppa Italiana, he played with a particular 4-2-4, with Abraham and Morata up front. With Fonseca on the bench during the 2-1 win last September it was a four-man defence, so an obvious question arises: why change a formation that clearly troubles Inter?

Conceiçao will choose in the next few days and Milan-Atalanta on Sunday could be a dress rehearsal, because Atalanta play with a three-man defence, like Inter. There are some similarities, and obviously more than a few differences.

Possible tweaks

The return of Walker, who absolutely wants to be available against Inter, opens a duel for the right centre-back spot with Tomori. They are two players who share speed as one of their qualities, but aside from that there are many differences between them.

Jimenez in a three-man defence seems perfect, while in a 4-2-3-1 he risks being too attacking to play as a full-back and only an alternative to Pulisic as a winger. Reijnders on paper would play a few metres further back but by now it is understood, with his natural running he almost always gets where he needs to.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

In Udine, Milan often built from the back with the three central defenders, pushing Jimenez and Theo to the midfield line, with Fofana-Reijnders as the central pairing and Pulisic often moving towards the centre, as a right winger-attacking midfielder.

Other times, Conceiçao built with four defenders and two central defenders, almost drawing a 4-2-3-1 with Jimenez as a winger. Nothing different from what we’ve already seen, for example in the first leg of the league.

Without the ball, it changes a lot, especially for Jimenez. In the cup derby, Milan defended in a 4-4-2 and Jimenez dropped back, let’s say as a fifth defender, when Carlos Augusto attacked on the wing.

In Udine, however, Milan immediately set up five at the back and defended with a very narrow 5-2-3, in which Pulisic and Leao closed the central lines. It was something already seen against Inter at San Siro and in Riyadh.