Stefano Pioli has achieved plenty during his four and a half years in charge at AC Milan, but one theme has run through his tenure as a constant: damaging defeats.
Calciomercato.com recall that there have been 19 defeats with at least three goals conceded since Pioli took charge at Milan, with the most recent being a 4-2 loss to Monza on Sunday.
Not only was it their first ever win over the Rossoneri in the league, but it was the first time they had ever scored four in a Serie A game. The report lists the defeats in question:
➤ Atalanta 5-0 Milan
➤ Inter 4-2 Milan
➤ Milan 3-0 Lille
➤ Milan 1-3 Juventus
➤ Milan 0-3 Atalanta
➤ Inter 3-0 Milan
➤ Lazio 3-0 Milan
➤ Fiorentina 4-3 Milan
➤ Milan 1-3 Sassuolo
➤ Inter 3-0 Milan
➤ Chelsea 3-0 Milan
➤ Milan 0-3 Inter
➤ Lazio 4-0 Milan
➤ Milan 2-5 Sassuolo
➤ Udinese 3-1 Milan
➤ Inter 5-1 Milan
➤ PSG 3-0 Milan
➤ Milan 1-3 Dortmund
➤ Monza 4-2 Milan
From that embarrasment against Atalanta on 22 December 2019 to the loss against Monza, what worries most is that Pioli does not seem to have been able to rectify the constant fatal dips in performance level despite having a better squad available.
The defeats against Inter deserve almost a separate chapter because the coach’s derby record has actually gotten worse over time, as seen by the five losses during the 2023 calendar year
Instead of gaining new momentum from the Scudetto win in 2021-22, the title defence was virtually non-existent and although a run to the Champions League semi-finals came, it was ended by the Nerazzurri.
The sackings of Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara and the strengthening of his position showed the faith of the ownership, as did the over €100m spent on 10 summer signings, yet the team are heading for another trophy-less season.
Poor performances in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund resulted in early elimination from the competition, while two defeats against Atalanta showed that perhaps not much has been learned since 2019.
A run of nine games without a defeat was abruptly ended by Monza and the return to the collapses of the past. The ones that keep you in a middle ground, dangerously closer to mediocrity rather than excellence, which is not good enough for Milan.
