Massimo Mauro Questions Juventus and AC Milan’s Attacking Approach
Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro has delivered a blunt assessment of the attacking problems facing Juventus and AC Milan, arguing that both teams struggle when opponents defend deep. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Mauro said the clubs’ reliance on wide players who frequently cut inside rather than deliver crosses is limiting their ability to create clear chances.
His comments offer a pointed perspective on a familiar tactical challenge in modern football: possession and individual skill do not always translate into effective attacking play. Against compact defences, teams need variation, accurate delivery into the box and a reliable connection between the wings and the centre-forward. Mauro believes Juventus and Milan are not doing enough in those areas.
Mauro Sees Similar Problems for Amorim and Spalletti
Mauro compared the difficulties faced by teams coached by Ruben Amorim and Luciano Spalletti, suggesting that both can look uncomfortable when opponents sit deep and protect the space in front of goal. While their systems and personnel may differ, he sees a shared issue in how their sides attempt to break down organised defensive blocks.
According to Mauro, attacks can become predictable when wide players repeatedly move infield to shoot instead of using the full width of the pitch. That approach may create opportunities when there is space to exploit, but it can be less effective against opponents who crowd the central areas and make it difficult to find a clear shooting lane.
“The difficulties stem from their insistence on building attacks through wide players who never put in a cross and never pass the ball to the centre-forward,” Mauro said. He added that if those players score only a handful of goals each season, their tendency to finish attacks themselves may not provide enough value to the team.
Why Crosses and Centre-Forward Service Matter
Mauro’s criticism is not simply a call for teams to send more balls into the penalty area. Effective crossing can give an attack another route to goal, particularly when opponents defend narrowly and block combinations through the middle. A well-timed delivery can force defenders to turn towards their own goal, create uncertainty between centre-backs and full-backs, and give strikers a chance to attack space.
Service to the centre-forward also helps prevent a team from becoming overly dependent on shots from wide positions. When the striker is involved, the attack can be built around layoffs, runs behind the defence and quick combinations near the box. Even when those moves do not lead directly to a goal, they can draw defenders out of position and open space for arriving midfielders.
By contrast, if wingers consistently cut inside and shoot, the opposition can anticipate the next move and concentrate players around the edge of the area. That makes it harder to penetrate, especially when the central striker is isolated or rarely receives the ball in a dangerous position.
Alajbegovic’s Crosses Provide a Case in Point
Mauro highlighted Juventus’ match against Cagliari as an example of the difference a more direct wide option can make. He noted that Juventus created two or three opportunities only after Alajbegovic came on and delivered two proper crosses.
The example underlines Mauro’s wider argument: changing the type of delivery can alter the rhythm of an attack. A cross gives defenders a different problem from an attempt to dribble inside or shoot from distance. It can also make a deep defensive line shift across the pitch, potentially creating gaps for a second phase of play.
That does not mean crossing should become the only attacking solution. Poorly judged deliveries can simply hand possession back to the opposition. The challenge for coaches is to encourage variety—combining crosses with cutbacks, through balls, overlapping runs and passes into the striker—so that defenders cannot focus on one predictable pattern.
Wide Players Should Support the System, Not Carry It Alone
Mauro acknowledged that the wide players at Juventus and Milan are talented, but questioned whether they should be treated as the main answer to their teams’ attacking needs. In his view, they can contribute important goals and moments of individual quality without becoming the focal point of the entire attack.
That distinction is significant. Wingers are often expected to create and score, but a balanced attack depends on several players sharing responsibility. Full-backs can provide width, midfielders can make late runs, and strikers can occupy defenders or link play. If the burden falls too heavily on wide forwards to beat opponents one-on-one and finish moves themselves, the team may lack alternative ways to progress.
For Juventus and AC Milan, the question is not whether their wide players should stop cutting inside. That movement can be valuable when it creates space for an overlapping full-back or gives a winger a clear shooting opportunity. The issue, as Mauro frames it, is whether teams have enough variation to make that movement effective rather than predictable.
What Mauro’s Comments Mean for the Season Ahead
Mauro’s remarks give fans and analysts a useful lens through which to assess both clubs’ performances against compact opponents. Results alone may not reveal whether an attack is functioning well: a team can dominate possession yet struggle to create high-quality chances if its forwards repeatedly choose the same option.
For supporters considering a football prediction, tactical adaptability is one factor worth watching. Teams that can switch between patient build-up, direct delivery and quick combinations are generally better equipped to handle different defensive approaches. Juventus and Milan will need their attacking players to make sharper decisions, involve their strikers more consistently and use the full width of the pitch when central routes are blocked.
Mauro’s assessment is ultimately a call for balance, not a rejection of individual talent. Cutting inside and shooting can remain part of the plan, but it cannot be the whole plan. Against well-organised defences, the most effective teams are those that offer several threats at once—forcing opponents to defend the cross, the pass into the striker and the shot from the edge of the area. If Juventus and Milan can add that variety, their wide players may become more dangerous precisely because they are no longer expected to do everything themselves.
