Milan had been leading the Serie A table since the beginning of the current campaign. Nonetheless, a series of bad results saw their city rivals Inter overtake them after a shocking defeat at Spezia in Round 22. Moreover, the Rossoneri were completely dominated in a humbling 3-0 derby defeat, which saw the Nerazzurri break away at the top. So is it time for Milan to change their priorities for the rest of the season?
Before facing Inter in the Derby della Madonnina, Stefano Pioli understandably opted to rest several of his key players last Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League round of 32 against Red Star Belgrade.
Whilst a 2-2 draw away from home can be considered a decent result, it was far from being a reassuring one, nor it was a particularly satisfying display against a club that features in a much weaker league.
Before their defeat against Inter, few Diavolo fans would have truly been upset if their club ended up cutting its Europa League campaign short to focus on winning their first Scudetto title in 10 years.
Although a four-point gap doesn’t rule out Milan from the competition, but last Sunday’s display proved that their neighbors are well-ahead of them in almost every department – at least at this stage of the season.
Milan’s 3-1 defeat against Juventus last month was also a sign of concern for their ability to fight against the biggest clubs on the long run.
So while a Europa League triumph wouldn’t be easier to achieve in the presence of a host of strong European sides like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but the black and red side has proven throughout its history the ability to successfully overcome all obstacles in the knockout stages on the road for European glory.
Despite the fact that winning the Europa League would be a far less satisfying achievement than winning another Champions League trophy, or even the Scudetto, but adding a European title would surely be a sign that Milan are on the right track once again, comparing to where they were standing a year ago.
Therefore, if wouldn’t be such a terrible idea if Stefano Pioli decides to give a little bit more attention to Europe’s second competition.