It’s been both a positive and promising start to the Serie A campaign from AC Milan, having made some sensible decisions in the transfer market over the summer.
Three wins in three with eight goals scored and just two conceded have left us joint-top of the standings, with our closest rivals up next after the International break, as we prepare for a fascinating showdown with Inter on September 16.
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While the results have been positive, the performances are catching up too as although we weren’t particularly convincing at Bologna on the opening weekend, we’ve seen signs of development and progression in the victories over Torino and Roma.
Admittedly, there was concern at the start of the summer due to the changes being made. From Paolo Maldini’s departure to the sale of Sandro Tonali, question marks were raised over management and the direction in which we were heading.
Now, three wins don’t just make the whole thing a success as we’ll see how the season as a whole plays out before making serious judgements, but it can’t be denied that we look to be in a much stronger place after the work done this summer.
While the football on the pitch has been a success in terms of results, and Stefano Pioli deserves praise along with his players for integrating the new faces and getting us playing a fresh brand of football to maximise the talent we now have at our disposal, the club’s hierarchy deserve credit for the work done in the transfer window to make it a reality.
Milan’s transfer business has raised the level in the squad
It’s not just those who have arrived that has made it impressive, either.
Sure, Christian Pulisic has certainly made a positive impact already with his goals and energy down the right side to add balance and a vital new dynamic to our attack, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders look capable of leading our rebuilt midfield with quality and substance.
Samuel Chukwueze, Noah Okafor, Yunus Musah, Marco Pellegrino, Luka Romero, Marco Sportiello and Luka Jovic will hopefully all prove their worth as the campaign plays out, but there’s a real feeling that we’ve got so much more quality available compared to where we were at last season.
Milan have done a superb job of moving on those who simply weren’t good or consistent enough to warrant continuing to have a key role to play for us, and that has perhaps been the most pleasing aspect in that they’ve identified exactly where our problems were.
Tonali’s sacrifice has helped fund this rebuild so we’ll separate that particular deal from the rest, but offloading Junior Messias, Ante Rebic, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ciprian Tatarusanu, Divock Origi, Fode Ballo-Toure and Charles De Ketelaere, while Brahim Diaz, Sergino Dest, Aster Vranckx and Tiemoue Bakayoko all saw their respective loan deals end and let go, we’ve done what was needed as far as possible.
This Milan now feels more like a modern-day contender. We’ve added the characteristics needed to compete at the top level against the best domestically and in Europe, and the standard of quality in the squad is arguably so much higher now having struggled significantly last season, despite what our league standing and Champions League semi-final run might suggest.
Again, all this must be proven on the pitch over a longer period of time for it to be deemed as fact, but the early signs have been encouraging and refreshing to see, and it’s hoped that we continue on this new trajectory towards achieving our objectives for this season and beyond.