Udinese Defeat Underlines Lack of Inspiration and Leadership at AC Milan

Boring.  It's not a word often associated with AC Milan, but over the last two games, it's the only word that one could apply to describe the Rossoneri's performances.

Their performance against Udinese on Saturday at the Stadio Friuli was even less inspired than their drab performance at the Derby della Madonnina last week.  It looked like there was no plan in place as they fell to a 2-1 defeat.  The team have appeared so uninspired that it's clear major changes need to take place this summer in order for them to recover.

For the first hour of this match, Filippo Inzaghi's men looked as though they had no energy.  Their passing was labored and they lacked any incisiveness or inspiration.

Milan couldn't keep possession for more than a few moments, allowing Udinese to come at them in waves for much of the first half.  When the Friuli outfit were coming forward, Milan's typically underwhelming defense consistently let them drive the ball into the attacking third.  More than once, two or three Udinese players managed to play their way through four or five Milan defenders.

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press

Even those few Milan players who have actually inspired this season were underwhelming.  Nigel de Jong put in one of his worst performances of the season.  He was routinely muscled off the ball in midfield—a rare sight indeed—and didn't make much, if any contribution going forward.

Further up the field, Jeremy Menez was absolutely silent.  This space has often mentioned how deceptive his raw numbers are—nearly half of the goals he's scored this season have been from the penalty spot.  But while his selfishness has stopped many a Milan counter-thrust in its tracks, he has at least managed to make those thrusts happen in the first place.

That wasn't the case today.  He rarely saw the ball and didn't make a single serious move to threaten Orestis Karnezis' goal.  He was a passenger when Milan needed his creative spark.

While Milan's open-field defense was poor, they usually managed to recover in time to prevent Udinese from manufacturing serious chances from open play.  Antonio Di Natale managed a third-minute strike that was well parried by Diego Lopez—the one Milan player who wasn't putrid on Saturday—but other than that, it was set pieces that Udinese were really dangerous on.

It was these set-piece situations that Milan's lack of focus truly shone through.  Three times in the first half the Zebrete put dangerous headers across the face of Lopez's goal on corners.  Silvan Widmer's 43rd-minute flick very nearly ended up opening the scoring but flew just wide of the far post.

It's not surprising that Udinese's breakthrough came from a corner.  No Milan player managed to motivate himself enough to get to a lackluster delivery.  When it slunk its way to Giampiero Pinzi, there was no mistake on the finish.  Lopez didn't have a chance.

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press/Associated Press

It was as if being behind finally kicked the team into some form of life.  Menez had his best spell of the game, but even then the team were stalled by a loose final ball that had no hope of causing any kind of trouble.

That apathy bit them 15 minutes later.  Di Natale was given the space to lash another long-range effort at goal.  It was saved well by Lopez, but no one picked up on the rebound, and Guilherme was able to collect it and fire it back into the middle unchallenged, where Emmanuel Badu struck past a stranded goalkeeper.

The only spark of fire that the Rossoneri showed came two minutes from time when Giampaolo Pazzini—who had seen no service all day—managed to head an Alessio Cerci cross past Karnezis.  It set up a grandstand finish, but Milan couldn't make anything more than a limp attempt to follow up for a point despite Pazzini's efforts.

This column has often called for patience in Filippo Inzaghi, who has been trying to make do with a side that hasn't been up to par.  Now, however, it's finally time to say that Pippo is truly out of his depth.  There is no plan going forward and no organization at the back.  But even worse than that is the attitude of the team.  The last few weeks they have been utterly lifeless.

During Milan's recent heyday under Carlo Ancelotti, and even in the waning days under Massimiliano Allegri, this team had players on the field that would take the side by the scruff of the neck and inspire them over the finish line.  Men like Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso, Paolo Maldini and even Inzaghi himself were all leaders on the field, inspiring the winning mentality that has carried Milan to their greatest triumphs.

Inzaghi's team is devoid of those players.  Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to instill such a mentality himself.  Indeed, it's difficult to do so all on one's own.  Antonio Conte was renowned for doing so at Juventus when he arrived there in 2011, but he had inherited leaders like Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon, and others like Arturo Vidal, Leonardo Bonucci and Claudio Marchisio have developed that same leadership quality.

Inzaghi has been totally unable to develop that kind of quality in any of his younger players—which is ironic considering his coaching thesis was all about giving the club a winning mentality.

He will almost certainly be replaced in the summer.  The squad also needs a massive overhaul.  More quality is needed, of course, but just as important—and perhaps more—are the kind of players who can come in and lead this team from the field.  

If Milan lack that kind of player, they'll never again reach the heights they are so accustomed to.  Milan need on-field leaders almost before anything else.