Inter’s loss at home against Sassuolo means that AC Milan’s draw against Salernitana has seen them gain a point on their city rivals, but now they must reset and get back into a winning run.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recalls how it was Sassuolo who knocked the Rossoneri off top spot late last year allowing Napoli to overtake and meaning Inter went from four behind to one point behind, and this time with the win over Inter they have kept Milan top, until Cagliari-Napoli later at least.
With Udinese next up on Friday at San Siro and Napoli on Sunday 6 March at the Maradona, then the Coppa Italia derby nestled in the middle on Tuesday 1, Milan have a difficult and potentially season-defining stretch of games.
Milan must prove as they did against Sampdoria that they can win against tricky opponents, while the Rossoneri are the team that have amassed the most points in the matches against those who occupy the European zone: 12 out of 21 available, with 11 for Inter and Napoli (respectively out of 27 and 21 points available).
The recovery of key men is key, because the likes of Maignan, Tomori, Tonali and Giroud all underperformed in Salerno and if four of the backbone do not show up, it becomes a real problem. Work must be done at Milanello to ensure they are ready for Friday night, which is another must-win game.
Pioli plans to get Ibrahimovic back and against Udinese the Swede could get a few minutes in his legs and then return fully for the cup derby. He was not there against Salernitana but against Sassuolo, Udinese and Spezia he was, and Milan slipped up anyway, so there is more to be fixed.
