Pulisic, Torriani, defence: Three things learned from Milan’s 1-0 loss vs Arsenal | OneFootball

Milan defended as a unit and saw Christian Pulisic drop deep to collect the ball in the first half: here’s what we learned from the Rossoneri’s loss against Arsenal on Wednesday.

A Bukayo Saka goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over Milan in their Tridentity Cup debut in Singapore.

It was the Rossoneri’s second summer friendly after a 3-0 win against Milan Futuro last week. Massimiliano Allegri deployed a 3-5-2 formation, but made several changes in the second half.

Mike Maignan, Youssouf Fofana and Alex Jimenez were not fully fit, so they were not involved during the 90 minutes.

Luka Modric and Santiago Gimenez are still on holiday as they finished the 2024-25 campaign after their teammates due to Club World Cup and international commitments.

But what did we learn in Milan’s loss against Arsenal? Let’s find out.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – JULY 23: Massimiliano Allegri, Head Coach of AC Milan looks on prior to the Pre-Season Friendly match between Arsenal FC and AC Milan at National Stadium on July 23, 2025 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

Resolute defending

Allegri seems to have already brought his style to Milan. Rossoneri fans were accustomed to seeing their team press high and try to win the ball high up the pitch, although they appeared to lack tactical organisation, especially in the 2024-25 season under either Paulo Fonseca or Sergio Conceiçao. Allegri seems to have partially addressed that issue as Milan defended with tight lines against an Arsenal side that dominated possession and had enough chances to score more than once. Saves from Pietro Terracciano and Lorenzo Torriani did the rest as they helped the Rossoneri in an eventual narrow defeat. It’s no secret that Allegri prioritises defensive organisation and freedom for his strikers, so it was predictable to see Arsenal dominate proceedings, with the Rossoneri trying to hit on counter-attacks. Also, don’t forget Allegri has been in charge of this Milan side for just 20 days, while Arsenal have been playing under Mikel Arteta for many years now.

Pulisic and strikers

As previously mentioned, Gimenez is unavailable for Milan during their pre-season tour in Asia, so the only centre-forward available against Arsenal was Lorenzo Colombo, who is not even expected to remain at San Siro this summer, with Genoa ready to secure his signature. Leao and Pulisic started in attack against the Gunners, but the Portuguese star was more of a centre-forward, while the USMNT captain, who seemed in good shape already, often helped Samuele Ricci in the build-up by dropping deep and collecting the ball in the middle of the park. Pulisic was subbed off during the break, while Leao was replaced with just 11 minutes remaining and showed a very good attitude, with and without the ball. Surely, we’ll see a different Milan once Gimenez returns and Igli Tare signs another centre-forward.

Goalkeepers

With Maignan still not fully fit, Terracciano and Torriani had a very busy day at the office, but didn’t disappoint. The ex-Fiorentina goalkeeper, who only joined Milan a few days ago, produced some good saves in the first half, but Torriani’s interventions were perhaps even more spectacular and even helped Milan win the penalty shootout, which took place despite Arsenal’s win across the 90 minutes. The 20-year-old keeper saved three penalty kicks: he’s undoubtedly one to watch for the future.