Posted by Ogo Sylla

It was a tough ask for the Rossoneri, even admittedly against lowly Cesena, considering the laundry list of injuries they were entering this match with. It was a makeshift attack indeed with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho [still] unavailable and Alexandre Pato the latest addition to the infirmary. Allegri therefore lined up a tridente (trident) of Antonio Cassano, Urby Emmanuelson, and Stephan El-Shaarawy.


It was a strange experiment but one that was forced upon Allegri. Since before that match, there had been some interesting rumors emerging about the potential of Allegri deploying Cassano as a false 9. In the end Allegri did not and as interesting an idea as it might have been, it would not have been the best tactical choice in my opinion. In this tridente, Cassano playing as a false 9 while Emmanuelson and Shaarawy offered the width makes does some sense on paper, but only to certain extent. However it would have been strange for Allegri to opt to play Cassano in that role since his abilities don’t really lend themselves to playing as a prima punta (target striker). But then again that is the exact point of a false 9, fitting those without the characteristics of a prima punta into advanced positions. As we all know, Allegri made his name as a 4-3-3 coach and the inclusion of Emmanuelson and Shaarawy would have dictated – to me at least – that the two would operate as wide forwards within the context of the false 9 strategy. It was not what transpired however as the tactical scheme evolved into Allegri’s usual 4-3-1-2, and that mainly because of Cassano’s tendencies. Cassano did very well in both creating & getting into goal-scoring positions but it was obvious that a certain lack of synergy in the frontline – understandably so – was missing.


In fact it is probably futile for me to even attempt to play Cassano as a False 9 in Milan’s weekend setup. The False 9’s effectiveness is not only contingent on one’s own individual ability to intelligently use the space to either call for runs in the verticality and/or drop deeper to create. The fact is the position is also contingent on the other two wide men and their ability to score goals & operate as auxiliary strikers. Emmanuelson is a winger by trade – or least an all-around left-sided player as he can also play as a left-back and left forward – and Shaarawy is a trequartista (playmaker). The point I am making is that there is no natural goal-scoring coming from those two and that would make a false 9 setup unbalanced. As much as the false 9 setup would dictate a 4-3-3, the formation is also narrowed out to Allegri’s usual 4-3-1-2 by Cassano’s movement. Cassano has tendencies to drop deep & drive forward at open spaces. This is where Allegri’s tactical savvy came to the fore as he also recognized Cassano’s tendencies and his tridente lack of goal-scoring ability. Consequently Emmanuelson was played in the trequartista role with the same though in mind that he would use his pace & running to press the opposition à la Kevin Prince Boateng. The difference is that the Dutch & Ghanaian have very different technical and physical abilities, and so the tactics cannot be completely replicated. As for Shaarawy, he was forced into a prima punta role to allow Cassano the freedom of movement to operate in his favored and most natural position.


The position Cassano plays [best and most naturally] is that of a neuf-et-demi (nine-and-a-half). Unlike a trequartista the neuf-et-demi doesn’t simply drop into space but instead drives at it from deep position as an attacking midfielder would. He plays directly and transitions individually from a playmaker role to a seconda punta (second-striker) role in a single play. Think of Kaka’s role back in the 2007 Champions League run or even Wayne Rooney’s role today for Manchester United. In fact Cassano’s best position has never really been as a trequartista behind the striker but as a neuf-et-demi. After all, we all remember the Italian’s exploits alongside Giampaolo Pazzini when at Sampdoria in Luigi Del Neri’s 4-4-1-1.


In the match against Cesena, whether it was knowingly, by accident, or simply the fruits of necessity in lining up a starting eleve, Cassano was played in his natural position. The Italian has done very well, especially from a fitness point of view, to play consecutive matches and putting himself at the service of the team. Cassano is very much repaying Allegri’s faith and proving that he has it within himself to be one of the strong pillars of this team.