As AC Milan sit on the top of Serie A after first half of the season, their performances of late have been in stark contrast to what the Rossoneri faithful have experienced in the past decade.
One man who did not see this coming is former manager, Fabio Capello, who was quick to point out his surprise at Milan’s rise to the top.
Speaking to daily Milan newspaper, Il Giornale (via MilanNews), the Sky pundit said: “I didn’t expect to see Milan at the top. They played an exceptional, fantastic 2020 and the real surprise was the consistency of the performances.”
The Rossoneri’s success in the top flight can be largely attributed to their defensive performances, having conceded 22 goals in Serie A. The fourth lowest in the league after Verona, Juventus and Napoli.
Milan sit on top with 43 points, two more than Inter and seven more than Juventus, who have a game in hand. While Inter and Juventus are not far behind, Capello made his thoughts known on the current standings.
“I expected to see Inter and Juventus in the lead for various reasons. The Nerazzurri are a team who have already been tested and favoured,” he said.
“Conte is in his second year and therefore there is a sort of continuity. Juventus has had the entry of Pirlo but have come from nine consecutive years of victories and he has a strong club behind him.”
He made it clear that Scudetto winners need to pick up points from the ‘small’ clubs in order to end up victorious at the end of the season.
“I did not expect such a long run-in because he (Pirlo) lost several points with the small teams and those who want to win the Scudetto usually do not let down many points with the small ones.”
This season’s Serie A is poised to go down the wire but Milan do have a realistic chance of winning the club’s first league title since the 2010-11 season.
