Behind the roar of the San Siro lies another crucial game: the relentless pursuit of financial advantage. For a club like AC Milan, it’s huge dealing with Financial Fair Play rules while still paying for a team good enough to compete everywhere.
During the summer of 2024, a considerable amount of capital was applied to enhance the squad, yet it still generally reflected the very small margins that the management operates within. Looking ahead, as every transfer window brings new needs, the same question remains: where will the money come from?
The world of sport requires new ways to generate revenue outside of traditional sponsorship and game day revenue; however, the question will be whether clubs will start looking down the digital pathway for alternatives, everything from fan tokens, blockchain partnerships, to new things like crypto lottery sites for both fan engagement and funding for the team through these partnerships.
The Tactical Mismatch
Lately, there have been times when experiments aimed at flexing individual skills have messed up the attacking balance. Sometimes, it feels like there’s no clear focal point in the attack. For example, Rafael Leão playing alone up front hasn’t always worked. When he’s cut off, he struggles to link up with others. He looks way better when he can drop back into his favorite spots with a typical striker ahead of him.
This gets to the main thing: tactics are usually made for a certain type of striker. If they don’t have that type, the attack gets random and depends on individual moments. Players may begin to attempt to do too much, taking difficult shots instead of recognizing someone in a better scoring area as the defender closes down, and just shoot. Anything works when a team tries to score in any way it can.
The Data Doesn’t Lie
Stats usually show how things really are. If a team’s attack is off, you’ll often see a big difference between the goals they should have scored (xG) and what they got. This means they blew some good chances. Additionally, if a forward is not making many touches, then that signifies there is a problem with the delivery to the forward. And if you are an attacking midfielder or winger who is the one scoring all the goals, it is highly unlikely your offense will win you a title.
Even though AC Milan made chances with an expected goal (xG) of 69.5 in the 2024/25 season, they were able to score only 61 times. The ~8.5 goal shortage indicates a definite problem in finishing.
The concern was more pronounced in the game, where they managed to get only 42 goals out of 48.3 xG. To make the matter worse, the leading attackers such as Pulisic had an average of 25 touches per match, which implied that the system was really having a hard time bringing these players in consistently.
The Path Forward
The response is simple, but it will take a strong effort to be successful. The club will need to have a dedicated effort for smart squad development while building the correct profiles to match their tactical philosophy. This will not be an optional resource; it will be essential to maintaining the aspirations for this season. The resources to undertake such work will need to be found as a result of the same astute and considered financial planning that allowed a recent rebuild.
Management should consider each avenue, from player sales to opening new commercial partnerships. In this globalized arena of sports business that teams are now part of, to succeed, clubs must turn commercial success into sporting success. The result of this balancing act inevitably lends itself to being part of what determines the club’s pathway not only through one calendar year, but fundamentally, the pathway to the future of Milan’s project.
