AC Milan have fallen 10 points behind Inter after taking one point from their last two games, and the Scudetto dream is now over.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport ask the question: if things end this way, will anyone say that ‘Milan lost the Scudetto’? They will not, because the Rossoneri were not the favourites nor even the second-favourites going into the season, and yet second is where they sit.
It is also important to acknowledge that Milan were keeping pace with Inter until a few weeks ago. When the Nerazzurri’s pace could have dropped as European games came back, instead it was Massimiliano Allegri’s side that fell away. But why? The paper outline three reasons.
Inter are too strong
As hinted at above, Milan are not losing the title, rather Inter are romping to it. They are clearly the most complete team in the league. Their only real rival could have been Napoli, but Chivu was able to count on an even stronger squad than last season.
The Nerazzurri, under Simone Inzaghi, had tremendous potential but also obvious limitations. Just consider their attacking line-up: Taremi and Arnautovic were replaced by Bonny and Esposito, effectively two additional starters.
Chivu was better at rotating than Inzaghi, thus allowing the starters to catch their breath and keeping the others on edge. However, it’s also true that, even in midfield, he had a greater number of options at his disposal.
So Allegri’s Milan actually deserve a bit of praise for being able to keep up the fight for so long, especially with such a small squad numerically, having gone into 2025-26 with 19 outfield players.
European (non) factor
Did Milan fail to capitalise on the advantage of not playing in European competitions? The numbers never lie. After 26 games last season Inter had 57 points, just three more than Milan have at present.
Had they maintained the same pace, Milan would now right in the heat of a battle still, instead of 10 points behind. It’s Inter who accelerated, and now stand at 64, not Milan (compared to Napoli last season) who slowed down.
Napoli had 56 points after 26 rounds last season, essentially where Milan are today. That’s why they then had the energy and skill to capitalise on the leaders’ decline. This time, things are very, very different.
Napoli also better equipped
So, was Conte last year better than Allegri this year? No, the conditions have changed completely, and one thing can be said: last year’s Napoli, who started off with a run of form like the Rossoneri this year, were better equipped.
That summer brought Buongiorno, Gilmour, Neres and above all Lukaku. Milan, who also had to contend with Santiago Gimenez’s injury, have played an entire season without a true striker, until Niclas Füllkrug arrived and quickly got injured.
Milan do not have a player capable of winning a match on his own, to score the easy goals. This also explains some of the missteps against the smaller teams, when all it takes is a ball into the middle, knowing there’s someone who can solve the situation individually.
In short, Allegri’s Milan has done very well so far. If they reach the Champions League zone, as they seem on course to do, they will have completed their task, also revitalising some players who seemed to have given everything. Then, next season should bring about a true Scudetto push.