AC Milan Shown How Much They Have to Do by Dominant Bayern Munich

AC Milan have now competed in all four editions of the Audi Cup. The German preseason tournament is held every other year, but the Rossoneri came into Tuesday's game having never made the final of the four-team competition.

Unfortunately, they still haven't.

Milan was paired with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and were completely, totally and utterly outclassed. Pep Guardiola's men were on top from the first moments of the game. The final score of 3-0 wasn't at all reflective of how the game went. Bayern hit the woodwork twice in the first half and had plenty of other opportunities clear on goal that broke down for one reason or another. This could've gotten plenty ugly.

The best parallel to this match one can think of is the 2012-13 Champions League quarterfinal between Bayern and Juventus. It was one-way traffic. Just as Juve couldn't three years ago, Milan's midfielders simply could not find a way to keep possession. When the defense managed to hoof the ball clear upfield, the forwards couldn't hold the ball up long enough for the midfielders to arrive in support.

Milan's fans are used to being at the level Bayern is at now, and Bayern certainly gave them a clinic on how to get back.

There were some specific issues that made the defeat as bad as it was. Unfortunately most of them came from the same group that has killed the team over the past three seasons—the defense.

The back line had shown improvement during the International Champions Cup in China. They registered two clean sheets against Inter and Real Madrid. The game against Real was particularly impressive considering that when it came time for the typical preseason substitutions the likes of Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo were substituted by Isco and James Rodriguez.

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But Tuesday all of those improvements went by the wayside. The fullbacks were routinely beaten down the flanks, giving the Germans a lethal amount of attacking width. The result was predictable.

The problem on the flanks was exemplified perfectly by Juan Bernat's opener. Right-back Mattia De Sciglio allowed the Spaniard to burst into the attacking third unchallenged, then gave ground as he charged into the penalty area. Bernat used the room to unleash a cannon shot that deflected off Cristian Zapata's leg and snuck in at the near post past a wrong-footed Diego Lopez.

It was like that all night. Milan either over-committed or dropped unforgivably far back, giving Bayern's stable of skilled attackers the room to work their magic. They were beaten in the air, they allowed runners to get free at the back post on set pieces, they nearly put the ball into their own net on the hour. Alex's mindless giveaway in the game's dying moments let Robert Lewandowski in for Bayern's third.

There really wasn't all that much to take away from this game. Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano started together for the first time up front, but Sinisa Mihajlovic isn't any closer to figuring out whether or not the two are so similar to play with each other because they got so few touches.

The same can generally be said for Keisuke Honda, who was playing in his preferred attacking-midfield role, but saw so little of the ball that was likewise difficult to tell how well he can play the position.

If there were any positives at all, it was that the team played with a spirit not often seen in the latter days of the 2014-15 season. Indeed, they may have gone too far—Guardiola had a halftime spat with Nigel de Jong after the Dutchman's hard tackle on Joshua Kimmich eventually forced the youngster from the field.

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While the gap on the field was huge, it is very important to point out the difference in match fitness between these two teams.

Bayern's league season starts in about 10 days' time, while Serie A traditionally starts later than the other major leagues in Europe. The Germans have been in preparation a lot longer and are much closer to regular-season shape. This gap is apparent in almost every preseason match an Italian club plays against foreign opposition.

That gap was certainly as much a factor as the difference in quality on the field. But regardless of that fact, what this game showed was that Milan needs major upgrades. Center back has so long been the focus of the defensive problem that the fullbacks were ignored by comparison. Both De Sciglio and Luca Antonelli were shredded today, and that was without Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery on the pitch.

The midfield has been upgraded, but they're still miles away from the kind of combination that a team like Bayern, Barcelona or Juventus can make. This isn't a team that is one or two players from being in serious contention for silverware. It's more like four or five.

Bayern was always going to be the heavy favorite in this match. Wednesday's match for third place against Tottenham Hotspur will be a much better gauge of where Milan team is. Tottenham's league season starts this weekend, so the fitness gap may again rear its head, but from a talent perspective the ground will be much more level.

If Milan can put in a good showing in that match against a consistent Europa League competitor, they can wash the bad taste of Tuesday out of their mouths and prove to themselves that they are contenders for a European spot themselves.

If there's anything that's been learned from this epic beating, it's that Mihajlovic has a little more work to do than previously thought to regain a place amongst the elite. In the meantime, he will lick his wounds and decide what pieces he has that will work and which ones he'll need to import from elsewhere.