The Resurgent AC Milan

AC Milan beat Sienna 5-1 on Sunday afternoon, and Milan's fans will be relieved that their team is finding a new, and refreshing rhythm after finishing a poor fifth last term.

It is a welcome upturn in fortunes for a team with a prestigious history on the continent and across the world.

Milan have won the European Cup four times in the last 20 years alone, something that has eluded even the most strong clubs in the competition.

Aside from Real Madrid, Milan have won more international titles than any other team in the world. Madrid have the highest number of wins, with nine, but they have fared badly in the last eight years. The last time Madrid won was courtesy of Zinedine Zidane's spectacular strike, heralding the return of Madrid's fear factor.

That era seems to have passed, and Madrid's influence in Europe has been fading, as demonstrated by the rout at Anfied last week.

The other traditional European powerhouses are Liverpool and Bayern Munich. It is interesting though, to note that of these two, Bayern have stamped their authority both at home and in Europe over other Bundesliga sides.

Thus, it is no coincident that they have won the highest number of league titles and European Cups in German history.

The same statistics go for Madrid, the Spanish champions. 

This then brings us to Milan. They have largely failed to translate their dominance in Europe into a rampant Serie A performance. The local scene was dominated by Juventus in the past and now Jose Muorinho's Inter.

The question is, why have Inter and Juventus made little impact in Europe while they are rampant in Serie A. Why do Milan seem to have the opposite problem?

Of course, there have been allegations of match fixing in Serie A. Does it mean that Milan have been victims of these scandals? Does this explain why other Italian teams have not performed well in Europe?

I don't believe this to be the case.The reason Italian teams do not perform well in Europe may just come down to the style of play.

The current Juventus side is a pale shadow of the Juve of Platini and Tigana in 1985. Their play is too conservative and cautious, which is why they could not match a Chelsea team who were there for the taking.

Part of the reason for Juventus' failure could be their manager, Claudio Ranieri.

Why do I point out this? When he was in charge of Chelsea, the team was a nondescript dot on the European soccer map, largely unnoticed.

Inter, Roma, Fiorentina, and Lazio have been contained in the same positions in Europe. That leaves Milan with the mantle of carrying Serie A hopes in Europe's elite competition.

That Milan are finally picking up results is a big piece of news for lovers of the team from the fashion capital of Europe. Unfortunately, I fear they are leaving it late.

They must be ruing the points they lost to the likes of Genoa and Bologna. Even the losses to Juve and Inter are regretful, because the two teams failed to progress in Europe.

If Inter and Juve met Milan In Europe, the latter would prevail. Milan's style of play is adaptive and progressive, until the coach spoils the party by including the likes of Favali and Emerson.

Milan have to progress form the services of old players. Pato has demonstrated that young players can produce. Milan have potentially influential players. I am thinking of the likes of Matteo Darmian, Digao, Mathieu Flamini, Marco Borriello, and Luca Antonini.

If soccer lovers, and particularly followers of Milan, have forgotten, Milan acquired the services of two exciting youngsters from south America in shape of Mathias Cardaccio and Tabaré Viudez.

The question on many people's minds is, where are these potential stars and what are they doing? There is also the largely absent Nicola Pasini and Osuji Wilfred.

I have watched Rodney Strasser play and I must admit he was impressive. Why can't he be used more often?

There are rumours that Milan may soon get the signature of Gael Glichy. This may be welcome news, but such news is only good if the player is present on the pitch and not just in the squad.

They say patience pays, but remember vultures are patient, yet they only feed on the remnants of a carcass. Such patience then has no place in competitive situations.

The future could just be bright for Milan, but the combination of the playing unit will have much to do with it.