What the full-back positions told us in Milan's opener

Torino arrived with a 3-5-2 shape in round one, but the space that decided the match was behind their wing-backs. Milan's wingers stayed wide in the first phase, forcing Pedersen and Cacciamani to choose between pressing the ball and protecting the inside channel -1-13.

Watch the opening goal again. The full-back is caught too high, Leao's run goes unchecked, and the covering centre-back has to step into a zone that should already be occupied. That single broken line forces Torino's entire block to shift, and Milan work the second ball from that recovery position -1.

A well-drilled press starts with the front three's spacing, but a compact block lives or dies by its full-back decisions.

Give that match ten minutes. If the full-backs are leaving space behind, the read you made before kickoff needs adjusting.

Question: When you watch a team defending with a back three, where do you look first to see if they're vulnerable to the switch of play?