What's Going Wrong in Milan? Analysing AC Milan's and Inter's Woes

It wasn't long ago that both AC Milan and Inter Milan were atop European football, enjoying eras of excellence. The current circumstances paint a starkly different picture, however.

Milan languish in eighth with Inter just behind them in ninth. Something, somewhere, has gone wrong.

Carlo Ancelotti and then Massimiliano Allegri guided Milan to multiple successes domestically as well as on the continent. Under Roberto Mancini's first spell and Jose Mourinho's tenure, Inter won five successive Serie A titles and one Champions League.

To see both clubs struggling as they are now feels strange, to say the least.

Changes in management have failed to prevent the Milan duo's descent. Inter have eaten up and spat out a host of managers since Mourinho's departure, perhaps explaining why their performances have been more volatile in recent years.

Besides Leonardo, neither Rafa Benitez, Claudio Ranieri, Andrea Stramaccioni nor Walter Mazzarri was able to win over 50 per cent of their games in charge of the Nerazurri. None of them retained their posts for two years or longer. This lack of stability has cost the club. Inter have spiralled from challenging for the Scudetto to being satisfied with a top-six finish within a five-year period.

Milan's decline had been steadier until last season. Allegri was sacked midway through the campaign, but form failed to significantly improve under Clarence Seedorf, who was himself dismissed and replaced by Filippo Inzaghi at the end of the season. Inzaghi's win record is the worst in recent Rossoneri memory, though.

It's a sorry state of affairs for two of Italy's biggest clubs to find themselves in. Milan and Inter have identically bad records this season, but the reasons behind their poor performances differ in nature.

Mancini returned to Inter last November. Since then he has ousted the old 3-5-2 tactics of Mazzarri but has yet to establish tactics to replace them.

Mazzarri's use of wing-backs left the club without natural width in attacking areas, something Mancini has addressed in the January transfer window thus far, signing Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri. Incorporating both new boys will probably necessitate a 4-2-3-1 formation or something similar.

It's an open, attacking tactic which may entertain, but not always for the right reasons.

Playing in an attacking style plays to Inter's strengths but leaves an area of great weakness—their defence—even more exposed. Andrea Ranocchia has yet to show himself to be of the calibre to lead the side from the back, while Juan Jesus is a temperamental player. They form a defensive duo more than capable of making mistakes.

Although Gary Medel provides an extra barrier in midfield, there is also a lack of a quality creative presence to link the defence to the attack. Fredy Guarin is energetic, but his distribution is poor. His passing accuracy, as per WhoScored.com, is low in comparison to that of his team-mates.

Not only that, but Guarin is far too fond of a shot. He has the second-highest shots-per-game ratio in the Inter team behind Mauro Icardi. It's a stunning statistic when considering that he is often deployed in central midfield.

Mateo Kovacic is one of the best young players in the world at 20 years of age. An excellent passer and good dribbler, he could be the answer to Inter's issues in midfield but has failed to see game time in the same position on a regular basis.

Now Mancini seems to be realising that Kovacic is at his best in an advanced-playmaker role, but that still leaves Inter without creativity in the centre of the pitch. It's a problem that will not be solved by the rumoured signature of Lucas Leiva from Liverpool, as per Richard Jolly of ESPN FC, as the latter is more a battler than a passer.

In short, defensive frailty, tactical inconsistency and the lack of a link man in midfield have left Inter without balance and without results.

Like the Nerazzurri, Milan are vulnerable at the back, though this is not for a lack of quality individuals. They are well-stocked in the defensive third of the pitch, but the back four has lacked a consistent selection. Adil Rami, Philippe Mexes, Alex and Cristian Zapata have all had recurring spells in the centre of defence.

This is partly due to injury but sometimes a matter of choice, and Inzaghi must decide which central-defensive partnership is his best.

The defence certainly isn't helped when the midfield in front of it goes missing, as was the case last weekend in the 1-0 defeat to Atalanta. Nigel de Jong often has to clean up when the rest of the midfield goes walkabout, perhaps indicating the need for another strongman in the centre of the pitch.

However, De Jong's midfield team-mate, Riccardo Montolivo told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC) that the team's issues may be down to mental weakness rather than any physical or technical deficiency: "We've failed to stay switched on and focused for 90 minutes. That's the difference between a great team and one like us which has only great players."

Milan also lack an out-and-out goalscorer, though it seems that this is simply the way Inzaghi wishes to play. Jeremy Menez has been in excellent form as a false nine this season, performing a similar role to that of Francesco Totti at Roma.

Menez is currently without a supporting act since Keisuke Honda is playing with Japan at the Asian Cup. The next-best contributor beyond the pair is Giacomo Bonaventura, who has scored merely three goals.

Even with the additions of Alessio Cerci and Suso, and with Honda's inevitable return, Milan look lightweight in attack. They dominated possession against Atalanta this past Sunday but failed to score. This hints at a lack of penetration in the final third that even Menez cannot solve.

For a player in the role that Menez occupies, Milan need wide players to press, run and create space for him to move into. When surrounded by players such as Cerci who like to cut inside, Menez is likely to be frustrated.

In short, Milan must bolster their midfield, solve any underlying psychological issues and find the correct attackers to play next to Menez within their system.

Neither Milanese club has it easy, but there are bright spots. The form of the aforementioned Menez and Icardi has been positive for Milan and Inter, respectively, and both have a number of players (Bonaventura and Mattia De Sciglio for Milan, Kovacic and Shaqiri for Inter) who show plenty of promise.

If they can harness such individual talents while alleviating concerns regarding consistency and tactics, both clubs could earn spots in European football next season. If not, a return to past glories could take longer than expected.