In the first leg, AC Milan was completely overwhelmed by Real Madrid's fast pace, both in terms of performance and score. Especially, Silva's absence left the defense utterly exposed to Ronaldo's assault. Bonera, who replaced Silva as the central defender, scored the lowest points in the whole team after the game. Facing the attacking trio of Ronaldo, Higuain, and Di Maria, Bonera obviously couldn't handle the pressure. Last weekend, Ronaldo, who scored two goals in the league, concluded his perfect October. Defending against such a strong weapon like Real Madrid, Milan's defense will surely face a significant test. In the second leg back at Milan's home ground, with the return of Silva from injury, Allegri can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The partnership between the Brazilian central defender and Nesta is much more reliable than Bonera.
The current head-to-head record between Milan and Real Madrid stands at 6 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses for AC Milan, with a 5-1 advantage in home games. Except for last season (Milan drew at home and won away), all other encounters were dominated by the home teams. While Allegri celebrates the return of his defensive cornerstone, how he arranges his midfield and forward lines is key. So far this season, Allegri has experimented with at least eight different forward combinations. Although successfully transitioning from a 4-3-3 to a 4-3-1-2 formation, the question remains: who should be the first choice for the playmaker position— Ronaldinho, Robinho, or Seedorf? The answer will be revealed in the match against Real Madrid.
In the game against Juventus, Robinho proved to be just a "pseudo-playmaker." The young Brazilian could not provide effective support to the forwards, Ibrahimovic and Pato. Instead, he habitually drifted to the left flank, causing Milan's formation to revert to a 4-3-3. This forced Pato to be confined to the right wing area while Ibrahimovic was left isolated in the front. With Ronaldinho's contract renewal talks still unresolved and Italian media speculating about Robinho's rise, it became clear through the Juventus game that AC Milan still relies on Ronaldinho. The Brazilian superstar's role on the field cannot be compared to that of the young Robinho. In the first leg at Bernabeu, Ronaldinho was the player who posed the biggest threat to Real Madrid. Despite being past his prime, the Brazilian legend still delivered two key passes in the limited 72 minutes he played. His running distance reached 7,342 meters, averaging 102 meters per minute, which was higher than that of Ibrahimovic and Pato. Such diligent efforts make Ronaldinho the key to Milan's success.
Last weekend, AC Milan lost at home to Juventus, ending their strong four-game winning streak in the league. Despite having the upper hand in the game, their offensive efficiency was low. Robinho, starting as the playmaker, performed abnormally, and Papastathopoulos, replacing Silva as the central defender, made frequent mistakes. According to the latest injury report on the Milan official website, both Ronaldinho and Silva have returned to training. This means the return of these two core players in attack and defense will replace the positions of Robinho and Papastathopoulos. These two Brazilian superstars will form the backbone of Milan's lineup.