AC Milan have more to worry about this season than a Champions League run

AC Milan deserved to lose the first leg of their Champions League last 24 tie to Feyenoord. Sergio Conceicao’s team offered next to nothing in an attacking sense, mustering just 0.57 in Expected Goals (xG). They failed to create a single Big Chance (as Opta defines it). It was a demonstration of the Rossoneri at their toothless worst.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time that AC Milan have failed to take the game to an opponent this season. The 2024/25 campaign has been a messy one for the San Siro club who have changed managers and rebuilt their attack since last summer. Milan must be better, more proactive in Tuesday’s second leg.

If, however, Conceicao’s team were to exit the Champions League in the first knockout round, there would be a silver lining. With AC Milan at such a fragile point of their reconstruction, it would allow them to focus on domestic matters. It would unclog the schedule and give Conceicao more time to remould the team in his own image.

‘Conceicao-ball’ is very different to what AC Milan were playing – or trying to play – earlier in the season. Paulo Fonseca wanted his team to control matches with the ball. His aim was to turn AC Milan into a more possession-orientated side, but suffered problems as he lacked the players to make this work.

Now that Fonseca is gone, the San Siro outfit are playing something closer to the style of play favoured by Stefano Pioli over a number of seasons. AC Milan are now essentially a counter-attacking team with the likes of Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao given the freedom to attack open space at speed.

Against Feyenoord, AC Milan did a good job of limiting their Dutch opponents in a defensive sense. Indeed, Feyenoord registered just 0.50 in xG with their winning goal coming as a result of a mistake by goalkeeper Mike Maignan. This part of Conceicao’s game plan worked as he would have hoped.

In an attacking sense, though, the Rossoneri were extremely limited. There were no possession sequences beyond the halfway line. Joao Felix looked like the only player capable of finding the back of the net and that was because he was taking it upon himself to make something happen, dribbling and shooting from the edge of the box.

Pulisic had arguably his least effective match of the whole season. After finding scintillating form in the first half of the season, the American was so quiet against Feyenoord that it has been reported Conceicao could drop him for the second leg. Pulisic only came off the bench in the weekend win over Verona, raising questions over his participation in Tuesday’s match.

Felix and Santiago Gimenez arrived at San Siro in the January transfer window and both players have made an immediate impact for their new team. Felix has shown glimpses of his ability in a free role in the final third while Gimenez has scored two goals in his first four games, his latest being the winner against Verona.

Gimenez has the makings of the perfect centre forward for Conceicao’s approach. The Mexican international wants to get in behind and is comfortable using his physical attributes to gain an advantage in the opposition box. Felix is a more confusing fit, but Conceicao seems determined to build around him.

Sitting in seventh place, AC Milan are currently five points off the top four in the Serie A table. It might seem backwards to suggest the Rossoneri going out of the Champions League would be a silver lining, but focusing on a more-attainable top four place is the safer bet to bring them back to the competition next year.

Guaranteeing a place next year would make it easier to attract better players in the summer transfer window. To be sure, showing progress in Serie A and finishing in the top four would suggest AC Milan are on the right path again under new manager Conceicao after a sticky start. The Rossoneri need a solid foundation to build on if they are to achieve sustainable success, and a short-lived extension of their Champions League run may derail Conceicao’s ability to do that.