GdS: All the reasons behind Milan’s collapse into crisis as eight-point gap disappears

AC Milan have seen their Champions League cushion evaporate over the past few weeks, but how have they collapsed so badly?

La Gazzetta dello Sport recall that after 33 games (we are now on 36) the gap from Milan to fifth place was a staggering eight points. Now it is zero, meaning that two wins from the last two games are needed to get a top four spot, thanks also to the head-to-head advantage over Roma and Como.

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The fact is that this is a team in complete collapse. The last two games yielded two defeats and five goals conceded, against opponents whose position in the table didn’t suggest they were particularly hungry.

The fundamental problem is that we’re not talking about a team with some issues that need fixing: we’re talking about a team that doesn’t exist right now. The 42 points earned in the first half of the season (average 2.21 per game) have become 25 in the second half (average 1.47).

Physical drop

Among the most obvious is the dynamic aspect, tied to the intensity of the game and to running. Allegri explained on the eve of the Atalanta match that at this point in the season, the mental aspect matters more than the athletic one.

Yes, but only up to a point. It’s true that the mind moves the legs, but when the ball carrier raises that head and sees nine team-mates standing still on their respective turf, it’s time to reflect on their physical condition as well.

Alexis Saelemaekers’s lungs have been empty for weeks, Rafael Leao (aside from his mistakes and his attitude) has been hampered by groin pain for months, Adrien Rabiot gives his all in midfield but is fatigued, and Christian Pulisic missed Sunday’s game amid terrible form.

One answer could be that the year-long preparation hasn’t managed to fuel the team enough to last until the end of the season. This should have been Milan’s great advantage over the competition, a year without European football, but the benefits haven’t been seen.

A partial explanation: the squad was designed with too few players, even though there were no European commitments. Having only 19 outfield players (which became 20 in January with Füllkrug) meant that the same 14-15 players are always playing, due to injuries and deputies not up to task.

Minds as well as legs

The worst thing is that Allegri hasn’t been able to fix an increasingly evident and profound decline in the mentality of his team, despite seeing and talking to his players every day. The feeling, quite clearly, is that the team switched off after the defeat to Lazio.

While the derby victory had evidently allowed them to seriously entertain the possibility of the Scudetto, the loss at the Olimpico dashed those dreams and likely left the players in a Champions League comfort zone, a limbo between the big target and the one already secured (or so they thought).

From late September to late November, Milan were a pleasure to watch. They could count on various attacking options, their play was capable of bringing different players, they were more vertical and they defended with structure.

Then, in December, the first creaks began to appear, which worsened in January and which Allegri was unable to remedy. In 2026, Milan were mostly slow, predictable and boring. They no longer managed to service their attackers, and courageous transitions became sideways safe passes.

The general atmosphere completed the picture, as angry fan protests and talk of summer overhauls continue to swirl. The three-match mini-tournament Allegri mentioned the day before yesterday has been reduced from 270 to 180 minutes. Now the match point is gone.