AC Milan clinched a comfortable win against Lecce on Saturday afternoon and thus extended their winning run to seven games. Comparing the points tally with previous seasons under Stefano Pioli, this is the best one after 31 games.
The Rossoneri opened the scoring early on through Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud added to the party shortly after. Rafael Leao sealed the deal with his 3-0 goal and Pioli’s men thus took their points tally up to 68 points for the season.
As compiled and highlighted by MilanNews, this is indeed Milan’s best record after 31 games since Pioli took over the club. Even better than the Scudetto season (2021-22), when they clinched 66 points after 31 games.
2019/20: 49 points (7th place)
2020/21: 66 points (2nd place)
2021/22: 66 points (1st place)
2022/23: 56 points (3rd place)
2023/24: 68 points (2nd place)
Of course, it will likely not be enough for another Scudetto as Inter simply have been too good this season. It does show, however, that Pioli has done a good job with the team despite several injuries and so many new signings in the summer.
It remains to be seen if the derby struggles can be put to an end later this month, with the clash scheduled for April 22nd (a Monday).
It is kind of a pointless comparison!
This year Napoli, Roma, Lazio have been terrible and changed managers mid season.
Atalanta and Juve have also been well below their usual standard.
So this has probably been the easiest season to pick up points
I disagree. It’s an important comparison to make.
If we were able to be in first place on 66 points then clearly all the other clubs had consistency issues in 21/22.
Our level in that season was a very solid platform to this point and then a very strong finish. Dropping hardly any points.
We can do exactly the same thing this season but it won’t be enough.
You got it wrong and SFJ got it right. Stronger clubs overall means it will be harder to always win, hence the total number of points would be lower.
As strong as inter are right now, I don’t see them steam rolling every single one of Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Juve,… of 2021/22 or 2022/23 and even with our form in 2024 we would pretty much guaranteed to drop points against the above mentioned.
A good example would be la Liga. When it was a 2 horses race (Barcelona and Real Madrid only), the champion had 100 points, but when Atletico was competitive, the champion had 90 points, because a more competitive league means less likelyhood of always winning.
But in the end, it is a meaningless comparison. It doesn’t matter if we got 66 points or even 44 points after 31 games in 2021/22 because we won the scudetto, we’ve done what is enough to win the title. This season we won’t win the scudetto (and we’re unlikely to win anything) and we’re 11-14 points from the top spot. Perhaps we’ve done exactly the same as in 2021/22 but in the end it amounts to nothing.
We can pat ourselves on the shoulder as much as we want to convince ourselves that being second to inter is equivalent to some sort of trophy but it won’t bring us any trophy. The only thing it does is creating a loser mentality where actual titles don’t matter much and just reaching an imaginary threshold is some sort of an accomplishment. That might be enough for a team like Atalanta or Lazio, but Milan should be more ambitious.
Excellent comment, I completely agree!
Re your comment below, Inter didn’t win the champions league and super cups don’t matter.
The only things that matter are the Scudetto and the champions league (maybe Europa league and cup), and it absolutely kills me inter will win the Scudetto this year (although I reject their 20).
To have a chance at the Scudetto or anything else next season we need to keep the second best coach in Serie A (based on the league table).
“Inter didn’t win the champions league and super cups don’t matter.”
Inter didn’t win the champions and neither did we, you know why ? Because whe GOT ELIMINATED by them. Supercups are still titles and it’s not like we went there with a B team, you’re just making excuses for losing. If we want to win titles, we can’t afford to have a game we’re almost always guaranteed to lose.
Pioli is NOT the second best coach in serie A, if we consider the achievements relative to the team strength, Motta is actually a better coach than him. Also you’re contradicting yourself on this, you always say that coach/player who won titles are better, well Allegri, Sarri and Inzaghi have way more titles than Pioli, so to say that he is better than any of them is simply ridiculous.
This is it.
If every team was the level of Man City, everyone would be on similar lower points.
Im not commenting on Milans form simply the mathematics of the table.
At the end the best team wins, unfortunately that’s Inter.
I always want to see the big clubs do well, it is important for the league. This includes wanting Italian teams to succeed in Europe. Whats good for Serie A is good for Milan.
Particularly disappointed with Napolis collapse this year. We need strong representation in Europe.
It does not reflect well when Inter who dominated the league get knocked out by Athletico.
Here’s hoping for a better more balanced league next season, with Milan coming out on top!!
Thank you my man.
Said it all for me.
And we had injury storms to be honest. No matter, Pioli need to go if he can no longer win derby.
Another Inter loss would be tough to swallow. But no credible management sacks a coach based on derby results.
He has done well integrating many new players in and getting the best out of them. I mean even Chuk is starting to look better.
I’m open to a Pioli upgrade but one isn’t available this summer. So I am perfectly fine keeping him another season.
Consecutive derby losses, how many times will it be before the “credible” management called it?
Who cares about being Inter?
I’m convinced this is another FIFA thing.
FIFA fans only play matches against the big teams and this is all that matters.
In the last year, we were eliminated from UCL against inter, lost a supercoppa again against inter and the years prior we were twice eliminated from coppa italia against inter.
Does losing titles not matter to you ?
Sorry but I never play FIFA game. I don’t even know what type of game that is. Is is something like winning eleven or something like football manager?
If we cannot beat Inter, how are we supposed to win titles? We got knocked out at UCL by them, we lost suppecoppa to them. Remember, in our scudetto winning season, we won once against them in serie A and draw the other.
To win titles you need to beat Lecce’s not Inter’s.
Unfortunately we drew with Lecce earlier on this season. That annoys me more.
Inter are an irrelevance. A team that broke Italian football. They’re a disgrace.
Really? Turn our victory against them during our last scudetto winning season into a draw (let alone loss) and it will become their scudetto winning season.
yeah if its Pioli its easiest season
Next season if Motta comes and does worse it’ll be ‘omg serie a is harder’
I can see the excuses you fans are already creating lmao, thankfully they wont sack due to twitter pressure
Yes, Pioliin
both SJF AND WARREN made. good observation in different aspect, but let us know that the best team come first. but coming first doesn’t portray you are the best team because during the period pioli rested some players inzaghi doesn’t and when Milan was battered with injury inter has less injured players. mind you the stat only shows how less competitive the league is this season contrary to change of coaches by teams, transfers, tactical change and the likes
and also All teams started from ZERO POINT , The teams were paying wages, taxes and some incentive to the players so the stat is meaningful
nobody have the right to condemn someone view and opinions
Very true. Clubs have been poor. They were also poor in our title season..
Kinda feels we only win titles when the opposition is poor..idk when we properly dominated a league. Probably in the 90s
Atalanta and Juventus didn’t spare us this season
What a long way we’ve come since 19-20!
Last year it took a 10 pt deduction for Juve for Milan to finish 3rd. Otherwise, they finish 5th.
Last year Milan factored in Juve’s points deduction to focus on the champions league where we reached an incredible semi-finals.
Well maybe it simply shows that our Scudetto was nothing but a glitch, lol.
Definitely not a glitch and it’s crazy there are fans who still thinks like that especially with how well we played that season.
Complete glitch
No it’s not.
We got a lot of improvement since Pioli took over Giampolo. His half season in 2019-20 put Milan at 6th place including beating Juve 4-2 and qualified for EL.
The next season, 20-21, we got 2nd place in the league and qualified for CL again after absent for what 8-10 years? And Pioli did it with a squad consist of old players like Ibra and Kjaer mixed with plenty of relatively unknown but talentend young players.
Then the scudetto season, 21-22, Pioli won with an old player like Giroud after we lost Hakan, Donnaruma, and Kessie but some young players like Kalulu, Tonali, Alexis, etc are stepping up combine with an amazing new GK Mike.
Even when last season we only got 4th place but we reach CL Semi-Finals again since 2007 and Pioli did it with mediocre new players like Origi, CDK, etc.
Now we’re in 2nd place in the league again and also quarter finals EL after we lost important player like Tonali and a lot of injured players. Heck. It’s not an easy job for a manager to make new players performed well on their first season. But here we are with Pulisic, RLC, and Jovic made two digits contributions of goals + assists and combining well with old playerd.
Again. It’s just crazy how some fans disrespecting Pioli’s contribution and thinks the scudetto season was a glitch when he keeps Milan at the top of the table despite the limitations since he took over 5 years ago.
Exactly.
It’s all these pretend expectations that people have where they imagine that some other manager or players will suddenly make us world beaters!
It’s how advertising works. Constantly push people to desire what they don’t have. It might work when it comes to a pair of shoes but it’s no way to support a football team.
I think like you. Inter dropped the Scudetto but we were at the right place at the right moment, definitely a great season and a great team.
True. We can’t control what other teams do. That’s why we must keep playing well and keeps the hope alive. The scudetto 21-22 was the reward for our team who keeps playing well and never give up for the whole season.
If you can’t appreciate a Scudetto what is the point?
Good result, but if they play like this against Inter, especially considering the Scudetto could be won in the ‘home’ game by the team’s biggest rivals, then they’re in trouble. The midfield was bypassed way too easily on numerous occasions, and Inter will punish that brutally if given even a sniff of a chance. Lecce could have had at least two goals on counters if their players had been up to snuff.
There’s simply no way we can fire Pioli.
What person gets fired for getting better results?
Maldini. And the one who fired him is the one in charge of Pioli’s fate.
And that was a disgrace. And firing Pioli would be a disgrace. There’s only so many disgraces one can put up with.
How is any of this helpful and useful if they are not winning the league, seems like a pointless Stat. At least the scudetto season came with an actual something.
Oh what was it again…. Ooo I know A SCUDETTO😒🙄