Any thoughts on Milan's supposed plan to switch back to 4-3-1-2 next season?
Balotelli's arrival, and the spaces he occupies, does seem to have signalled an end to El Shaarawy being effective playing on the wing and drifting inside into scoring positions. Might allow him to be less predictable if given a free-ish role from SS.
With Balotelli dropping short to get the ball a lot of the time, he and a trequartista may almost end up getting in each others way.
4-3-1-2 also puts more strain on the fullbacks than 4-3-3 - since they don't have the defensive protection from the wingers and they are also expected to provide the width when attacking. Milan ain't strong at fullback.
It is a move that would probably make it easier for Juve to playe against them, though. 4-3-1-2 is a much more comfortable tactic for 3-5-2 to play against than 4-3-3, since there isn't the difficulty of dealing with wingers.
Anyway, with Milan having picked up so many point with 4-3-3, it seem odd to me that they are already looking to move away from it.