AC Milan are experiencing yet another rough patch of form under Stefano Pioli, but he has never started a season as badly as this since becoming the head coach.
La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that on Thursday morning, 11 days before Christmas, Milan could find themselves out of the Champions League (perhaps out of Europe altogether) and potentially out of the Scudetto race too given they are nine points behind Inter in Serie A.
That would be a huge blow that risks seeing the season evaporate towards becoming meaningless if an early Coppa Italia exit were to happen too, for example.
Milan started well, then foundered. After 15 games in the league in 2020-21 Milan were top of the table, then a year later second but only one point behind the leaders, and in 2022-23 second at eight points behind Napoli. There is a trend.
If we look at the goals, the same: the goal difference went from +18 (2020-21) to +15 (2021-22), then to +14 (2022-23) and now to +8 (2023-24). It is the worst start since Pioli has coached Milan and in Bergamo there was a clear impression that several players are in confusion, disoriented by the absences, by the high pace, by the match plans that change every three days.
Milan, who won a Scudetto also thanks to tactical adaptations, seem to change too much. It is a team with fewer certainties than before, and Pioli must steady the ship or he will be thrown overboard.
