AC Milan are about to enter a crucial stage of the season, one where it will be crucial to balance the commitments domestically and in Europa.
MilanNews outline the next nine games for Milan, which are Lazio, Slavia Praha (first leg), Empoli, Slavia Praha (return), Verona, Fiorentina, Lecce, the possible first leg of the Europa League quarter-final, Sassuolo then the possible return leg of the Europa League quarters.
After drawing with Atalanta, the Rossoneri find themselves firmly in third position but with a reduced advantage over fifth place, momentarily occupied by La Dea with 46 points but they have a game in hand. Bologna are currently fourth on 48 points, only five less than Stefano Pioli’s men.
Milan season has been a story of inconsistency, and just when it seemed that the team had found some stability, the trip to Monza put everything into doubt . The other evening against Atalanta the response was good, yet the winning goal never came which would have been huge for the table.
With Atalanta in better shape than ever and Bologna on a roll, it is likely that the Champions League fight could last until the end. The month of April could therefore end up being decisive.
If the Rossoneri were to qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals, they will have to play on Thursday 11 April, then against Sassuolo on the 14th, again on the 18th in the Europa League, on the 21st against Inter and the following week, on the 28th, against Juventus.
The management of games and rotation will be important, because there needs to be a comfortable buffer going into those games against the two biggest rivals, while not compromising the dreams of getting to the final in Dublin.
It’s why you have to beat the Monzas. Plain and simple. Two weeks ago we had a 10 point lead on the 4th placed team and the feeling was we could focus on the EL, now that lead has been cut in half. Regardless, a big team should be able to handle this. Inter is still dominating in Serie A and getting the job done in the CL. They do have a better coach, so maybe that’s the main difference.
We are focusing on EL, that’s why we had all that player rotation for Monza.
The only thing I’d get from Inter is their physio… their low injury count is the real difference maker
I have said this several times. I will continue to say it. We don’t have team to play two competitions. We should better concentrate on the league and forget Europa ,otherwise we will end up not achieving any of this The team is mostly made up of players with weak mentality with just few flashes of brilliance here and there. I think our recruitment ability is the big issue. We play one good game today and tomorrow we play like crappie. No consistency.Pioli too is another problem At times I wonder what he teaches them in training.