AC Milan Risk Another Year out of Europe Without Immediate Improvement

Part 1: The Pessimist

Milan have only one win in their past seven Serie A outings after seemingly holding down the third spot in the standings and giving their fans a temporary boost of confidence.

It's a worrying form that speaks volumes of the unbalanced squad at the hands of Filippo Inzaghi, which is why blaming the coach for the inconsistency seems very premature and unwarranted at the moment.

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The climb into the top five looks like an arduous affair, considering that the club has had a very hard time dealing with teams throughout the table. For example, Milan were only able to pick up two points from their three games against the recently promoted sides from Serie B this season. The Scudetto, or even a top-three finish, is attained by getting the necessary points against provincial sides.

The fact is that Milan don't really even deserve to be in the top five. They were outplayed by Genoa over the weekend in the 1-0 loss and showed no semblance of fluidity or ideas going forward.

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Riccardo Montolivo will need plenty of time before he's back to his old self after missing the last seven months of action following a knee injury picked up before the World Cup. It's an unfortunate note since the Rossoneri desperately need that creative infusion in the centre of the park.

Once again, one of the biggest problems for the club is their woeful set-piece defending. It was inexplicable as to why there were no defenders covering either post on Genoa's headed goal. Unsurprisingly, the marking came from Daniele Bonera on the goal. 

If you want to fault Inzaghi for one thing in particular, pick the point about him relying on Bonera, a player who has been the worst defender in Serie A this season.

Now that the negativity is out of the way, let's focus on any positives going forward that can give you a glimmer of hope going forward.

Part 2: The Optimist

Milan's back line has dealt with injuries throughout the season. Alex, Mattia De Sciglio and Ignazio Abate were all missing in the last two matchdays. That's three out of the four players Inzaghi relies on for his defensive unit.

If the club can keep its players healthy going into the break and the new year, Milan's first-choice starting XI might actually be able to build some chemistry and playing time altogether. Don't forget the loss of Montolivo; he's the best player they have who can provide the vertical long ball and stretch the field. Without him, they're slow and predictable in the buildup unless Jeremy Menez tries to dribble through the entire opposition.

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Finally, the January transfer window should provide some sort of reinforcement. Milan desperately need a real No. 9 who can contribute on a weekly basis. The Fernando Torres experiment is running on fumes, while Giampaolo Pazzini looks like he's learning how to play the sport again after missing so much time.

The Menez experiment as the false nine has been hopeful yet inconsistent, and more depth is needed at that position.

Inzaghi has had to constantly reshuffle his starting XI on a weekly basis, never being able to count on the same exact unit for two weeks running. If the players can heal up during the upcoming break and stay healthy, expect the Rossoneri to start getting a point or three on a more regular basis.