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