After an impressive start of the season, Milan had slowly cemented themselves as actual Scudetto contenders after leading the Serie A standings since the beginning of the campaign.
Although most of their fans were skeptical at first, Stefano Pioli’s men forced them to believe in a surprising triumph.
Who can ever forget the emotions portrayed after the Rossoneri’s last minute victory over Lazio in December? When Paolo Maldini left the stands to hug Theo Hernandez, the hype had reached its peak.
Juventus and Inter were considered as the favorites before a ball was kicked in 2020/21, but the reigning champions were struggling to win matches for the first time in 10 seasons, whilst the Nerazzurri were still wasting easy points here and there.
Therefore, the Diavolo’s unbeaten run set them up as the unlikely favorites for the Italian crown.
Although their first loss in the season came against the Bianconeri at home, the real alarm bells were heard after their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta.
Milan were beginning to lose their grip on the Scudetto race, and a shocking defeat at Spezia was followed by a humbling loss to their city rivals in the Derby della Madonnina.
Suddenly, Stefan Pioli’s men looked out of form and unable to play as a team. Although they miraculously managed to salvage a point against Udinese on Wednesday, their performance was arguably the worst of the season.
On Thursday, Inter will have a golden chance to further extend their lead at the top for 6 points as they travel to meet the struggling Parma.
Even though six points doesn’t seem like an enormous gap between the two Milanese rivals, it might just be an impossible task for the Rossoneri if they continue to perform this poorly.
Therefore, unless Milan can find an IMMEDIATE solution for their ongoing problems – even in the absence of key players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Hakan Calhanoglu and Ismael Bennacer – they will surely have to kiss their remaining Scudetto hopes goodbye.