After a year to remember came a month to forget. Little more than six months after triumphantly reclaiming the Scudetto, AC Milan’s title defence lies in tatters.
The Rossoneri’s implosion has been spectacular since the turn of the year, leaving pundits and players scrambling for an explanation.
After beating Salernitana on 4 January, Milan’s form went from bad, to worse, to inexplicable.
They were knocked out of the cup by 10-man Torino, hammered 3-0 by Inter in the Supercoppa and thrashed 4-0 and 5-2 in back-to-back Serie A games against Lazio and Sassuolo before losing again to Inter, 1-0, in a league derby.
With critics sticking their knives in and fans exasperated, Friday’s narrow 1-0 win over Torino came as a huge relief, ending a seven-match winless run in all competitions.
Nevertheless, Milan are in a bad way ahead of the resumption of their Champions League campaign and their domestic goal is now a top-four finish rather than a title defence, with Napoli 18 points ahead.
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The performances have been every bit as alarming as the results, with Milan shipping five at home to a Sassuolo side that hadn’t won since October and losing four games in a row for the first time in six years.
Could it be a mentality issue? Some believe so. Mental toughness defined Milan’s Serie A win last season, but that unshakeable belief has disappeared.
“Something has changed mentally…I can’t find the right explanation,” Krunic added.
One boost is the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was an unused substitute against Torino and could soon make his first appearance of the season after a long lay-off.
Even a man with the astonishing confidence of the 41-year-old Swede can’t expect to make too blistering an impact on the pitch after such a long absence.
However, his influence in the dressing room is undeniable; Theo Hernandez described the Swede as a “player-manager” and said the victory over Torino “was also thanks to him” – despite Zlatan not having stepped foot on the pitch.
But back to the causes for concern. Milan’s defence has been in the crosshairs after making unwanted history.
In January, Milan conceded 18 goals in a single month in all competitions for the first time, shipped five in a Serie A home match for the first time since 1997 and conceded at least four in back-to-back league games for the first time.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who has been out injured since September, has been hugely missed.
But three of the title-winning back four of Hernandez, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori and Davide Calabria started in the capitulations to Lazio and Sassuolo, so absences can only be blamed to a certain extent.
Pioli sought to address the issue by lurching to an unfamiliar back three for the 1-0 defeat to Inter, but it was ineffective as they were outplayed, leading to a scathing assessment from legendary ex-Rossoneri coach Arrigo Sacchi.
“Inter didn’t play against an opponent, but a sparring partner,” Sacchi said, before adding: “Moving to a back three created confusion and cancelled out the last few years of work”.
Nevertheless, Pioli ignored the critics and stuck with it for the win over Torino, and he intends to do so again when Spurs visit.
Additionally, off-pitch uncertainty around star man Rafael Leao has started to impact on-pitch matters too.
Leao, Serie A’s player of the year last season, is out of contract in June 2024 and high-profile negotiations over a renewal have become a major distraction.
Speculation about his future became so rife in January that the club felt the need to issue a public rebuttal.
“The journalistic narrative of a cold relationship between the two parties is not only totally unfounded but also damaging to the club and its player,” Milan tweeted.
After that, Leao was left on the bench for the defeats to Sassuolo and Inter, a decision that left fans baffled. He was restored to the starting side against Torino but is yet to rediscover his best form.
The seven-time European champions don’t have their troubles to seek, but with Ibra back on the sidelines and a win finally on the form sheet, they do at least have a glimmer of optimism to cling onto going into Tuesday’s clash.
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