AC Milan’s only chance of a top four finish could well be if the courts decide to punish Juventus after they were beaten 2-0 by Spezia last night.
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Calciomercato.com writes how the defeat is one of the lowest points in the season for Milan, who have played a lot of bad games this year, as Spezia won two months after their last victory which coincidentally came against Inter.
Pioli can point to the numerous key absences he had to deal with plus the fact morale has been damaged by the defeat to Inter and general poor form, but his management of the rotations must also be taken into account as well as a shocking record against the bottom-half teams.
Of course, Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara must come under scrutiny too because the squad does not seem anywhere near well enough equipped to fight on multiple fronts, with the lack of depth being exposed.
Milan have collected 10 points in seven games, winning only two. They seem tired, mentally shot and out of ideas. It has been a long season with a deep European run, yet one only has to glance over to Inter who seem fired up and are finishing the season in a very strong way.
Is this enough to send Milan into crisis? Probably not, but once again Pioli has not found the right measures to counter the opposing midfield with Spezia lining up in a 3-5-2 system to try and mimic what Inter did.
Now, it seems as though any hopes of overturning the deficit against Inter are a real long shot. Leao’s return should help, but it will need far more than that to pull off a miracle, while Champions League qualification for next season is currently a mirage too.
