AC Milan’s season arguably hit its lowest point on Saturday evening as they were beaten 2-0 by relegation battlers Spezia at the Stadio Alberto Picco.
Milan have had struggles against the lower-ranking sides in the league recently and there was no exception to that rule in Liguria, with the warning signs there after a tepid first half that it was not going to be a good night.
The first goal of the game came in the second half when Przemysław Wiśniewski reacted to a header against the post to fire in from close range, then Salvatore Esposito’s wonderful free-kick doubled the advantage and sealed the victory.
Here are five things we learned from the game…
1. Definition of insanity
When you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, that is insanity. Admittedly it must be mentioned that Rafael Leao was not risked and Olivier Giroud was rested, leaving Stefano Pioli a bit bare on attacking options, which is not a good start.
However, there was never really any attempt to field an attacking combination that would cause a problem for Spezia’s low block 3-5-2, which aimed to limit the spaces available to Milan’s forward.
Ante Rebic was way off the pace but was also marked out of the game, Divock Origi’s size was wasted out on the wing, Brahim Diaz never has joy against teams that play with a No.6 and three centre-backs, and Alexis Saelemaekers just wasn’t at the races.
Yacine Adli came off the bench and looked bright, so questions must be asked about his bit-part role so far. Pioli knows that he needs to use his reserves yet it is the same plug-and-play style line-up choices, ones that keep yielding poor results against lesser ranking sides that offer no space or opportunities to counter.
2. Shaken and stirred
The game provided a chance for Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer to rebound after a torrid night in the derby on Wednesday, given they were facing an attack that had scored just 28 goals all season and five in eight games prior to the match.
However, when the game became more stretched in the second half and the team went in search of a winner more forcefully, the defence buckled at the other end. The first goal came from failure to deal with a set piece but there had been warning signs before that with Gyasi’s saved shot.
The old adage in football is if you cannot win then don’t lose, and yet Milan’s poor defensive record in terms of conceding against the lesser sides continues. The cheap free-kick given away for the second goal was a further embodiment of just how nothing is going right at the moment, but it was a good strike.
The worry now is that the defensive department will have another confidence crisis as happened after the bad results in January. The doubts have already started seeping in with either rash decisions or indecision, which must be cut out in view of Tuesday.
3. Middle of the road
Milan have lost Ismael Bennacer for the season and did not have Rade Krunic due to a slight knee issue, which caused a real problem for a midfield that has already been thin on the ground for most of the season.
That department has struggled since Franck Kessie left in terms of having guaranteed quality depth, struggling to dictate the tempo of games and control possession at the best of times, but things are looking dire now.
Tommaso Pobega lost the ball 17 times which is of course a real issue when playing as a deeper midfielder. While he does provide some physicality, he is simply not at the level of being a starter nor does he look like he could become a functional player in that deeper role.
Criticism shouldn’t be isolated, but it is hard when Aster Vranckx continues to be snubbed and Tiemoue Bakayoko has been limited to two cameo appearances. All we can do is judge what we see, and that is not positive when it comes to Pobega.
4. Heads drop
The team can be criticised for a lot of things this season, especially when it comes to these frustrating dropped points (29 this season against teams outside the European spots) but it would be tough to call them out for a lack of effort.
Milan have sometimes resembled headless chickens, running around plenty – like in the game against Inter – but without any real feeling of co-ordination or strategy.
Intensity and the desire to move the ball and win the ball back quickly have been a strength for this team, now it seems it is their weakness and they are being picked apart.
However, in this particular game the body language was not good. Several times players stopped and flapped their arms after misplacing a pass, implying the recipient was at fault and not even attempting to look like they wanted to track back and help out.
Little signs have begun to creep in suggesting this team are frustrated and upset with how things are going, but also with some dejection and even apathy.
Simon Kjaer’s interview after the game showed just how low the morale is right now, which is a massive worry at this stage of the season with two major objectives still to fight for.
5. An extra push
Pictures and videos circulated not just around the Milan social media circles but also around the world showing Stefano Pioli, Davide Calabria and some other squad members deep in discussion with leaders of the Curva Sud after the game.
From what emerges it was not a heated confrontation but rather a reminder from the Curva that the team still have the full support of the fans ahead of Tuesday’s derby against Inter, which now has extra meaning in terms of pride.
It is important for everyone close to the club – and that includes the most vocal supporters who travel all over the country to watch the team – to form a protective bubble around the squad in difficult moments.
They have the backing of the fans for Tuesday, but a response is needed. The patience of everyone has a limit and the Curva will be no exception to that: either the Rossoneri show up, or things could turn sour.
