Fonseca’s defensive dilemma: Analysing Milan’s centre-back pairings

Paulo Fonseca’s AC Milan has faced persistent defensive challenges this season, conceding 20 goals in 15 matches across Serie A and Champions League. With only four clean sheets to their name, the Portuguese manager has experimented with five different center-back pairings in search of stability.

Gazzetta dello Sport report how the most effective partnership appears to be Matteo Gabbia and Fikayo Tomori. In 450 minutes together, they’ve conceded just 5 goals, averaging 1.00 goals per 90 minutes. Gabbia’s tactical discipline and technical quality complement Tomori’s physical exuberance and athleticism.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Tomori-Pavlovic duo has struggled the most, allowing 7 goals in 270 minutes, averaging 2.33 goals conceded per match. This pairing’s vulnerabilities were exposed in losses to Parma and Liverpool, as well as a draw against Lazio.

Other combinations have shown mixed results:
– Thiaw-Pavlovic: 5 goals conceded in 360 minutes (1.25 per 90)
– Thiaw-Tomori: 3 goals in 180 minutes (1.50 per 90)
– Gabbia-Pavlovic: Solid in a 4-0 win against Venezia

Notably, Milan have conceded 15 of their 20 goals in Gabbia’s absence, highlighting his importance to the team’s defensive stability. Fonseca himself has acknowledged the need for improvement, stating after a recent draw with Cagliari, “These are goals we can’t concede. The entire defensive line can do better.”

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