AC Milan secured another crucial win this weekend as we look to put our slump firmly behind us and put together a decisive run of form to end the season.
While we rode our luck at times against Monza, we were ultimately able to keep a clean sheet – our third in a row – while making it three consecutive 1-0 wins after seeing off Torino and Tottenham respectively prior to this weekend.
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Before that, a seven-game winless streak threatened to derail our season entirely as we crumbled in cup competitions and fell into a battle for a top-four finish in Serie A rather than trying to defend our title.
That is now the main objective this season as well as trying to go as deep as possible in the Champions League, but having drawn two and lost five in that run while conceding 18 goals, something had to change, and it has.
With a switch to a 3-4-2-1 system and a tweak in personnel, Pioli’s priority was to rediscover our defensive resilience and solidity, as that has been the foundation on which we’ve built our success previously.
After three consecutive clean sheets, it’s fair to say that he has achieved that aim, and while we’ve won each game by a 1-0 scoreline, we’ve also rebuilt confidence and belief within the squad after coming through a really sticky patch.
That run has alleviated the pressure on both Pioli and the players, allowed us to build ourselves back up and hopefully now maintain this form while continuing to improve and be more convincing as we go.
There’s no denying that there is still a long way to go in getting back to our best, and there are still glaring issues in this squad that need to be addressed to provide long-term solutions as we’re clearly still lacking in certain departments.
Nevertheless, for now, we’re back on track and have positioned ourselves well to advance in Europe as well as establish ourselves in the top four in Serie A, and coupled with the expectation that we’ll welcome back key individuals from injury soon, there is a much more positive atmosphere around Milanello no doubt.
As always, there are big games ahead, but with Milan now rediscovering our defensive strength and finding moments of quality to win games, albeit by slender advantages, it’s hoped that it gives Pioli the confidence and room to now become more aggressive and expansive with his ideas to ensure we’re more convincing in our performances and results moving forward.
