AC Milan failed to clinch all three points against Salernitana on Friday evening and had to fight hard for a point. Therefore, it was yet another disappointing night for the Rossoneri, who may have hit rock bottom now.
Many conclusions can be made from that performance, mainly negative ones, and it’s a general pattern that we have seen before. Below, we have collected some of the key stats, with the only positive being Jovic’s goalscoring form as of late.
Overall stats
Milan created many chances and the stats prove it, as you can see below. Many believe that the Rossoneri should have killed the game in the first half, but then Salernitana equalised and the home side continued to cause problems for the Rossoneri backline.
📊 The stats from the draw against Salernitana pic.twitter.com/TqKmibKxrD
— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) December 22, 2023
Yet another injury
Fikayo Tomori pulled his hamstring just before Salernitana’s second goal and it will probably be a long absence for him. It’s injury number 30 (!) for Milan this season and that says a lot about the situation, with Pioli and his staff deserving all the criticism.
Something needs to change, first and foremost the athletic staff perhaps, but we might not even get that far if Pioli is sacked next week. The game against Sassuolo, in fact, will be the last straw if Milan were to lose.
Jovic scores again
The Serbian has scored three goals in his last three league appearances and while he did miss a double chance against Salernitana as well, he deserves praise. We can all agree that the No.9 role no longer is a disaster, which it sort of was at the start of the season.
It remains to be seen what Milan will do in January, but the main focus will likely be on the defensive department. The fact that Jovic has started performing is thus reassuring, but Milan cannot afford to get too comfortable either.
Worse than last season
Taking a look at Milan’s record after 17 games this season, compared to the last, they have done worse this time out. And that says a lot given that last season was a disappointing one, which ultimately got Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara sacked.
#ACMilan's record after 17 games in the current season compared to the last one.
➤ Games
➤ Points claimed
➤ Goals scored
➤ Goals conceded[via @Gazzetta_it] pic.twitter.com/N2uaycNQ0s
— MilanData📊 (@acmilandata) December 23, 2023
Pioli has not improved the team, it is clear, and you could even argue that he has hurt it given all of the injuries. Milan fans are keen on a change and it remains to be seen what Gerry Cardinale will do, but the pressure is certainly on.
This is a tad bit misleading as it only shows the results from Serie A which have been okish.
If you add in the results from CL matches, it gets worse. A lot worse.
Just looking at Serie A data is cherry picking results at best.
Salernitana 19 shots…