Arrigo Sacchi believes that AC Milan are out of the Scudetto race at the moment because they are too inconsistent and they are being plagued by several problems.
Inter’s win at home against Frosinone last night means that they are now eight points ahead of Milan at the top of the table, while Juventus are six ahead and do not have any European distractions.
The Rossoneri’s recent results in the league have seen them slip behind their rivals, with a 1-0 defeat to Juventus followed by a 2-2 draw away against Napoli (from 2-0 up), a 1-0 home loss to Udinese and another 2-2 draw away at Lecce, again from a two-goal advantage.
Milan now have a lot of ground to make up if they are to climb back into the title hunt. Speaking on La Gazzetta dello Sport (via ItalyPress), Sacchi commented on the weekend’s Serie A action and where it leaves Stefano Pioli’s side.
“It is still early to say that the fight for the Scudetto is limited to the duel between Inter and Juve, but there are many clues in this sense,” he began.
“The games are almost always decided between March and April, when the international competitions come into full swing and can take away energy, but the Nerazzurri and Bianconeri, so far, have demonstrated a continuity of performance that makes them preferable to their other rivals, who are often victims of incomprehensible stumbles and a lack of attention.
“Juve, moreover, compared to Inter, has the advantage of not playing in Europe: this allows Allegri to work throughout the week with his group avoiding long and stressful travels. On November 26th, when the season resumes after the break for national team commitments, there will be a direct clash in Turin which will not yet tell the whole truth, but at least it will direct the judgement.
“At the moment Milan and Napoli seem out of the game. The Rossoneri are too fluctuating. A good performance, like the one against PSG in the Champions League, is followed by a negative performance like the one against Lecce.
“And to say that, leading by 2-0, the match seemed to be in the icebox, and instead Pioli’s team was able to resurrect their opponents and almost lost (if it hadn’t been for the intervention of the VAR we would be here talking about a sensational thud).
“The Diavolo have some problems. More than one: of a technical nature, of a tactical nature, of a physical nature (many injuries) and, probably, also of a management nature. The recovery must indeed start from the coach, but even before that from the club.
“Napoli, having concluded the magnificent experience of the Scudetto with Spalletti, have slipped into a tunnel from which they seem unable to escape. The defeat against Empoli certifies the bad moment. However, it is also right to congratulate the Tuscans who played their hardest per hour for the entire match, just as Lecce must be praised, who always believed in a comeback against Milan.
“It is the revolt of the peons, and those of Empoli and Lecce should not be offended if I define them with this term. Every time I see a ‘little’ team put a ‘big’ team in difficulty I admire and I’m happy: it is proof that in football, and in life, nothing is impossible.”
“It is still early to say that the fight for the Scudetto is limited to the duel between Inter and Juve, but there are many clues in this sense,”
Spitting facts as usual.
I said before there are two bands of teams. First there’s Juve and Inter who by looking at their defensive prowess (less than 10 goals shipped for a third of the season) are in a band of their own and will likely battle for the scudetto.
Then there’s us and Napoli but soon others (Fiore, Atalanta, Roma, Lazio) may join us for the 3rd/4th spot, though Napoli is doing worse than I expected.
Basically it’s going exactly how I’ve predicted it to go before the season started, “magnificent” signings and all.
Now, this is not to say we can’t overcome 8 points but our current form doesn’t lead me to think we can.
Just say it like you always do. It’s Leao.
With our current form, winning the league is very difficult. We have to be very consistent in our winnings