The space behind a high full-back

Torino against Milan on Sunday. One structural detail to watch before the ball moves.

Milan's width comes from the full-backs pushing high. That leaves space behind them. Torino's wide players will look to sit on the shoulder and run into that channel. The first few minutes will show whether Milan's covering midfielder drops to protect that zone or leaves it exposed.

If the covering player stays central, the space behind the full-back becomes the danger area. Torino will try to exploit it early.

The first ten minutes often expose a bad pre-match read. Watch where Milan's full-backs stand and who covers them.

Question: Does Milan's midfield drop to cover the full-back's space, or do they stay compact and trust the centre-backs to deal with crosses?