AC Milan collapsed and suffered a 3-0 defeat to Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night, leaving our Champions League qualification hopes in tatters.
The Rossoneri made a fast start as we went close to a goal in the first minute, but seconds later we found ourselves behind.
READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Lazio: Key figures struggle in 3-0 defeat
As we pushed forward to get back into the game, we naturally left ourselves vulnerable to the counter attack and paid the price for wastefulness in front of goal with Lazio coming away with a comprehensive win.
As a result, Milan fall to fifth in the Serie A table and with just five games remaining and clashes with rivals Juventus and Atalanta to come, we have it all to do now if we want to secure a place in the Champions League next season.
Five games to rescue our season
This is it for Milan. We’re now heading towards throwing away all our hard work this season as we’ve picked the worst possible time to lose form and confidence and so it’s win or bust from this point onwards.
That said, we’re still in the race and it’s in our hands as we still play Juventus and Atalanta.
Our recent form would suggest that we’ve blown it already, but Pioli and the squad need to regroup, put this result behind us, fully focus on getting three points against Benevento on Saturday and build back from there.
Tomori struggling after positive start
Fikayo Tomori’s impact after arriving on loan from Chelsea was a real positive, as he slotted into our defence seamlessly and looked a class addition.
However, he has started to struggle in the last few games and he was arguably culpable to an extent on all three goals conceded against Lazio.
He did a lot of positive things in the game too, but he has to be better in these key moments as it’s now seven games without a clean sheet for Milan, something we have to fix quickly.
Calhanoglu falling short in big spot
While his desire and commitment can’t be faulted as he constantly looked for space and time to pick up the ball and make something happen, there just isn’t enough quality from our No.10.
He had two big chances to score which he wasted, and his final ball wasn’t there as he couldn’t provide the bit of class to unlock Lazio.
Especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic out, he’s one of the senior figures in the final third and a focal point in our attack. Milan need more from him to influence these games.
Pioli under major pressure
The same could be said for the entire squad and for management, but if Milan were to collapse and fall out of the top four in Serie A in the latter stages of the season, it could be curtains for Pioli.
Naturally, it’s too early to start thinking about that as there is a lot of football still to be played, but that will surely be on his mind heading into this final stretch.
While the quality hasn’t been there from the players, Pioli hasn’t covered himself in glory either as we’ve looked nowhere near our best from the first half of the season. It’s a big few weeks for the Milan boss too.
Ibrahimovic inspiration needed
Missing again on Monday night due to injury, the expectation is that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return to face Benevento this weekend.
The 39-year-old signed a contract renewal last week to extend his stay at Milan for another season, and it’s now time to show it was deserved once again.
While we’re far from a one-man team and don’t have a major reliance on the Swede, there’s no denying the influence and impact he has when leading the line. Milan need some inspiration from our talisman, starting on Saturday and right the way through these last five games.
