Montolivo questions decision to stick with ‘4-2-4’ system: “I don’t see a team with balance” | OneFootball

Riccardo Montolivo believes that Paulo Fonseca’s system of using two strikers and two midfielders is no longer working because it is leaving AC Milan too exposed.

Fonseca made the brave decision to switch to a 4-4-2 formation just before the derby against Inter, with Alvaro Morata playing off Tammy Abraham up front, and it yielded a brilliant performance in a 2-1 victory.

A 3-0 win against Lecce followed at San Siro, but since then there have been defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Fiorentina – with three goals conceded in the two games – that have raised the pressure on the coach to find solutions again.

At the end of the game the Sky Calcio Club analysed the defeat for the Rossoneri, focusing above all on the formation with Montolivo in particular raising doubts.

“The Rossoneri have less chance of changing than other teams, especially if you start with a 4-2-4, in the second half what do you do? You have your best attacking department on the pitch, then you have Okafor and Chukwueze, but you are a bit short,” he said (via Radio Rossonera).

“However, I think that this 4-2-4 is not [the long-term solution]… The surprise in the derby and with Lecce at home is fine, but if I think about the league marathon and the Champions League marathon, I don’t see a team with balance.

“Everyone has to be good, in the middle of the pitch they have to work hard and even there you are a bit short, they have to give up Loftus-Cheek who in my opinion is an important asset for this team. It could be a solution during the match or at home against a team that is perhaps weaker, but seeing it as a basis…”

Leonardo Bonucci responded to Montolivo’s previous assessment and focused on balance, a well-known problem for Milan arguably since the 2021-22 Scudetto-winning season.

“Yes, then you have a formation that gives you little balance, because even the two full-backs push hard, Theo and Emerson Royal, so even the two central midfielders and the two defenders are forced to expend a lot of energy to play all the games like this.”