AC Milan’s troublesome time. Unsurprisingly, AC Milan had a good start to the year. After all, 2022 had treated them well. They achieved their first Scudetto since 2011 in May. Then, by making it to this season’s Champions League knockout round, they recovered their position among Europe’s top.
But it’s become obvious that something is wrong at Milanello with just over a month left before their round of 16 matches with Tottenham. In fact, if it weren’t for Juventus’ terrible week, the Rossoneri would undoubtedly be dubbed Serie A’s crisis team right now by the restless Italian media.
After all, Stefano Pioli‘s team lost four points in the fight for the championship, was eliminated by Torino from the Coppa Italia, and was subsequently destroyed 3-0 by Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Derby losses are never popular, and Milan’s performance in Riyadh has raised concerns considering that they currently trail league leaders Napoli by 12 points before playing Lazio on Tuesday.
Maignan’s injury: Mike Maignan can’t receive Milan in the league last season alone, but he had a significant impact. In 32 Serie A games, the Frenchman preserved 17 spotless sheets and allowed just 21 goals. He actually outperformed Gigi Donnarumma, who infamously went for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, which is a little unbelievable. This makes it extremely important that Maignan hasn’t played for Milan since September due to a calf issue that just won’t go away.
He’s not simply a great shot-blocker; he’s also very skilled with his feet and absolutely necessary to Milan’s strategy. Just look at his magnificent assist for Rafael Leao in the 1-0 victory over Sampdoria from last year. Ciprian Tatarusanu, Maignan’s assistant, simply doesn’t provide the same level of quality or instill the same level of confidence in people around him.
Milan’s mental block: Milan’s attempt to win the Scudetto has unquestionably been hampered by significant absences, and Maignan is not the only important player to have had an injury this season. Milan’s recent fall, however, is exclusively due to exhaustion or lack of fitness. As Pioli himself acknowledged, there is a psychological component as well.
After the Supercoppa defeat, he said, “We are currently failing to react to an error, trying to remain unified as a team, and, collectively, the lack of positive results is starting to weigh on us. The Rossoneri have obviously not yet recovered from the shock of losing a 2-0 lead against Roma at home on January 8. They had utterly dominated the game, but in the closing three minutes of play, they let up twice from set pieces, and they haven’t won a game since.
The fallout from France’s World Cup final frustration: Two players in particular, Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud, have had their mental states questioned. Since returning from Qatar 2022, both players have appeared sluggish, and it is understandable that they would require some time to process France’s painful World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
Neither man had anticipated the outcome of the game. Before the break, Giroud, who had previously been questionable due to a slight injury, was taken off, while Theo was replaced midway through the second half. This week, Giroud acknowledged that his relatively early departure “surprised” him, but he insisted he is optimistic about the future. In fact, the seasoned forward claims he may continue playing at the international level and that he wants to stay at San Siro longer. But the fact that he hasn’t scored for Milan in 2023 hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Milan’s main men have been mediocre: It’s critical to emphasize that other teams have experienced a drastic decline in form in addition to Milan’s France duo. Several athletes are currently far behind the pace. The entire season, Fikayo Tomori has not felt quite right. The England international was one of Serie A’s top center-backs in the previous season, helping Milan win the Scudetto. However, he started the current season badly, as even he conceded.
Then, in the doubleheader against Chelsea in the Champions League group stage that had been hailed as Tomori’s final opportunity to persuade Gareth Southgate to select him for Qatar 2022, things only got worse. Tomori hasn’t yet returned to anything close to his spectacular best because he failed both auditions.
Summer signings are struggling: Milan is not a spendthrift city. A series of clever acquisitions by Paolo Maldini and, more lately, Ricky Massara, can be partially blamed for their success. Although the entire operation is clearly ahead of schedule, there is speculation of the partnership leaving this summer if the squad does not place in the top four. Remember, Milan was in financial devastation just a few years ago.
Tension over transfers is the main driver of such rumors. After winning the title, Maldini and Massara both agreed to new, two-year contracts, but problems persisted. Maldini received the transfer market authority he desired, without the budget. As a result, Milan spent only €46 million last summer improving the team, part of which was used to make loan agreements permanent.
Leao’s never-ending contract talks: Therefore, Milan could use a boost in the transfer market right now, and signing Rafael Leao to a new contract would be the biggest one in their eyes.
The Portugal international’s current contract has more than a year left on it, but negotiations for a new one have dragged on for months, which has only increased the fans’ anxiety—especially considering how many Premier League clubs exist that have more money than common sense. There is concern that a sizable offer could be made even before the present transfer window closes.
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