5 Areas in Which AC Milan Have Improved Under Filippo Inzaghi

Even though it's still relatively early in the season to judge a new coach who was just hired several months ago to lead a team in Serie A, a few conclusions can already be made about Filippo Inzaghi's tenure at Milan.

For starters, the club is improving and should finish in a better spot in the Serie A table compared to last season's abysmal record under both Massimiliano Allegri and Clarence Seedorf.

Inzaghi has to make the best situation based on the few pieces he has been given, so it's unrealistic to expect instant success.

Here are five areas in which Milan have improved so far under their new coach Filippo Inzaghi.

Tactical Ideas

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Filippo Inzaghi is adamant about conveying Silvio Berlusconi's vision of playing so-called champagne football, which is engineered to be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

While the budget may not be the same that it was years ago when the club could afford to have two world-class starting XIs, the coach has to make the best of what he's given.

The 4-3-3 is his favored lineup, but we've seen Inzaghi not being too stubborn about keeping it that way when there are various injuries. He has shifted between that formation and a 4-2-3-1 (depending on the situation). One thing is clear: He wants to use as many creative players as he can without being too unbalanced up front.

Inzaghi is realistic about the weakness of the defense, so he always needs someone like Nigel de Jong to patrol the area right in front of the back line.

Team Spirit

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A simple eye test will prove this one true. While players lashed out at Clarence Seedorf during his short-lived spell at Milan (and finally expressed their approval of his sacking), per Miles Chambers of Goal.com, they seem to be getting along very well with Inzaghi.

The Rossoneri players often run over to Inzaghi after goals, celebrating alongside him as he goes back into the same frenzied state that we often saw after goals during his long and illustrious career.

It's very telling to see how the players react to one another after a goal—or a moment of hardship. So far, the spirit at Milan looks alive and well, and it has to go down to the coach who has successfully managed the egos and is proving to be an astute student of the game.

Milan will continue to have their unity tested as the season goes on, especially once the games get down to the line and a European place is at stake.

Attacking Prowess

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Only Juventus, Roma and Napoli have scored more goals than Milan this season.

The Rossoneri have managed 23 strikes in the first 13 rounds of the season, led by an array of attacking talent that has been deployed by Filippo Inzaghi. 

Credit Inzaghi for experimenting with plenty of different looks up front and not being stubborn in his original decision. He's helped Jeremy Menez recreate himself as a false No. 9 (despite Fernando Torres waiting in the wings).

Also, Keisuke Honda has undergone a complete transformation compared to the player we saw this past calendar year. Add Stephan El Shaarawy's fight back to top form and you see how much Inzaghi has positively influenced the attacking sector for Milan.

The Revival of Keisuke Honda

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Keisuke Honda was a player who massively disappointed in the latter stages of last season after he was brought over from CSKA Moscow in the January transfer window.

The Japanese international looked slow, clumsy and unable to recreate the form that put his name on the map in the first place.

While there were plenty of factors that went into his decline, his revival has been more impressive. Honda himself attributed his comeback to coach Filippo Inzaghi, who showed faith in him and gave him the confidence he needed to reach his peak.

Honda has continued to play on the right wing, a position where he wasn't normally thought to succeed. He's done well cutting in from the right on his left foot (where he either looks to curl it into the net or send in a cross).

Honda's goalscoring touch has been the most welcome sign of his improvement. He's also shown great versatility in the type of strikes he's been able to convert. As it stands, Honda is one of Milan's most important players.

Hope

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After failing to reach any European competition at the end of last season, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Milan will only continue improving as the chemistry builds. There's also optimism surrounding the gifts that the January transfer window can bring.

As it stands, there's a very good chance that Milan finishes in the top five (and a top-three place certainly isn't out of reach). All the teams vying for that third and final Champions League position have a weakness, and Milan is no different.

With momentum seemingly starting to build, Adriano Galliani and company must clog the holes in the squad and add a bit more depth in January. The Rossoneri need that final push to elevate them over the line and get into the competition that really counts.