Why AC Milan's win was much more than "parking the bus"

A team pulls off a shock win against Barcelona – Check.

Fans all around the world complain that the other team played Anti-Football – Check.

Fans create memes and GIFs of the other team apparently parking the bus – Check.

This is probably the most consistent pattern that repeats itself in the world of Football. I’m no fan of Barcelona but you still get mesmerized by the way they play. So, it is natural that they have so many fans. And at times, the complaints of these fans are perfectly arguable. Chelsea and Celtic did park the bus when they defeated Barcelona. But, AC Milan‘s win last night was much more than just parking the bus.

You can conceive the match in two ways – AC Milan did just enough to win the game or Barcelona didn’t do what was required to close out the game. AC Milan’s game might have been defensive but it was schemed, it was technically planned finesse.

Xavi was marked and closed down

Before AC Milan scored the first goal, they played with a flat four. Full backs Abate and Constant played much like central defenders and the midfield trio of Ambrosini, Montolivo and Muntari played just five yards above the central defenders. So, Barcelona had a simple task – pass their way out in an area which is congested with the Rossenari shirts. And they weren’t able to do that.

The reason was simple. Instead of man-marking Messi, which most teams usually do, AC Milan man-marked Xavi and cut off plays even before they started. They pressed Barcelona players whenever they had the ball and tiki-taka was put out of the question. So Xavi and Iniesta, who are so used to passing the ball in succession, had to resort to long range balls. Since Xavi and Iniesta were marked, Messi had to go deep and work hard to get to the ball. Barcelona usually keep on passing the ball until they find an opening but since they were pressed, they didn’t have the time to do it.

Kevin Constant did a remarkable job of closing down Lionel Messi

Milan were not just defensive. When they had the time, they quickly put on three or four counter attacks which pushed Barcelona’s defense to the brink. Sulley Muntari’s performance last night was top-notch. He played the role of the vital cog between the defensive and the offensive line. Then there was Kevin-Prince Boateng. Although his goal will be much debated, he was present at the right place in the right time. And personally I feel that the handball was not deliberate. Kevin Constant, who was playing for a League 2 Genoa CFC just two years back, was put up against Lionel Messi and did a remarkable job controlling him. Although a gap was present between him and Mexes, Barcelona players were never able to exploit that.

Another thing that other teams usually do is fall back after they score a goal. But Milan were already very much deep. So, after scoring the goal, Milan became more fluid and less rigid. By this time, Messi was becoming ineffective and Alexis Sanchez didn’t provide the spark that was needed. Most importantly, what happened was Barcelona were not able to change the pace of the game. Even after scoring twice, Milan kept up the tempo and continuously marked Xavi, preventing him from changing the pace of the game. If the game slowed even a bit, Barcelona would have forced their way into a goal. But that didn’t happen.

At the end of the day, Barcelona were the team that failed. They were never able to play with flair, something they usually do effortlessly. They were never able to hassle the defense of AC Milan and were not incisive. Milan on the other hand set out to defend but moved the ball well on counterattacks. They stood tall and won a match that they clearly deserved to.

The match by no way is over. Barcelona is very much capable of winning 3 – 0 against any given opponent and that too at their own backyard but last night was a defeat to them and their way of game play.

There is no one correct way to play a football game. Yes, the way Barcelona play is attractive and it brings the ‘beauty’ into the beautiful game. But the way Milan played was theoretically correct. Rather than defending for their lives and getting a goal out of fluke, they played according to the plan devised. They set out to play like warriors and came out victoriously.