AC Milan use up their final mulligan in European chase

Date: 24th April 2017 at 9:11am
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Having fought back to earn a point in last week’s Milan Derby, the Rossoneri capitulated at home to one of Serie A’s worst teams on Sunday

To say AC Milan‘s season has been a rollercoaster would be a tragic understatement and undeserved positive spin. A more appropriate comparison would be a yo-yo; uneventfully predictable.

This umpteenth disillusion was crystallised by the substitution of Mattia De Sciglio as well, who left the pitch on Sunday to a chorus of boos and whistles.

After Inter’s 5-4 loss to Fiorentina on Saturday, the Rossoneri had the chance to widen the gap with their city rivals. It didn’t go according to plan, however, with Empoli defeating them 2-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and former Nerazzurri youth product Mame Thiam adding insult to injury by grabbing the match-winner.

After the relief of the club’s sale finally being announced and the euphoria of a last-gasp equaliser against Inter, the loss to the Azzurri has once more deflated the hopes and aspirations of the San Siro faithfuls.

That frustration was made clear at the 71st minute when De Sciglio was given the hook. The full-back was wearing the captain’s armband on the day, which did seldom to endear him to the fans given the lingering doubt over the Italian’s contract renewal. A difficult afternoon quickly became a nightmare as the 24-year-old was one of the worst on the pitch.

It leaves the Milanese outfit sixth in Serie A, with Inter two points behind and Fiorentina just three off. This situation is all the more frustrating when considering that the statistics were in favour of Vincenzo Montella’s men.

The Rossoneri’s defeat snapped a four-game winning run at home, with their last defeat dating back to February 5. Moreover, Sunday’s result was Empoli’s first win over Milan since October 2007, following three defeats and three draws.

The hope would have been that Inter dropping points would have buoyed Montella’s men. Instead, it looked to have the opposite effect. Many may have questioned the Italian coach’s tactical choices — especially in midfield with Sosa, Matias Fernandez and Mario Pasalic — but attitude was clearly the issue. The team was lackadaisical and ponderous, going through the motions and playing as though they’d been in the lead the entire time.

In fact the hosts’ fightback only seemed to come after Empoli had doubled their lead in the 67th minute, by which time the game had long gone.

The Rossoneri huffed and puffed, Suso missing a penalty, Lucas Ocampos hitting the woodwork, Gianluca Lapadula reducing the deficit while substitute Carlos Bacca failed to sort his feet out to convert from close range. In the end, the Azzurri sealing a deserved three points.

The chase for the Europa League spot thus heats on, with Fiorentina now challenging the Milan duo. Games are running out for Montella and his troops, with the worry being that they can’t afford anymore slip-ups as they likely used up their final mulligan of the season.

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