AC Milan Shows Some Improvement but Has a Long Way to Go

After an uninspired showing at Fiorentina last weekend, AC Milan needed three points on Saturday to convince fans that they weren't in for a continuation of last year's debacle of a season.

They got the points after beating Empoli 2-1 at the San Siro. But convincing the fans? That still needs to be worked on.

The end of the first half on Saturday was a strange sight indeed. The 18-time Italian champions and seven-time European champions were holding on for dear life against a team that has only spent a combined 29 seasons above the third tier.

They had the majority of possession, but Empoli had had the better chances. Sixteen minutes in, they took the lead when Carlos Bacca executed a textbook breakaway, but just as they did last year, when they led the league in points surrendered from a winning position, they gave up the lead just as quickly.

Massimo Maccarone drew Cristian Zapata to him and then back-heeled a beautiful through ball to former Milan prospect Riccardo Saponara, who had beaten Nigel de Jong and coolly slotted past Diego Lopez to equalize.

Milan's response was quite frankly pathetic. In the last 25 minutes of the half, only Empoli looked likely to score more goals. Saponara was denied by a good save from Lopez, and Manuel Pucciarelli missed twice from point-blank range.

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Sinisa Mihajlovic made moves to stabilize the team at the half, introducing Juraj Kucka and Giacomo Bonaventura within the first 10 minutes of the second period. With the midfield somewhat more stable and Empoli tiring after pressing hard for most of the match, Milan got a second goal out of nowhere when goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski mistimed a punch on a corner and Luiz Adriano powered the ball home.

As Milan held on for the last 20 minutes to take their first win of the season to the bank, their fans were left to ponder how a team as mighty as Milan had been reduced to playing smash-and-grab football against a team that's only ever had 10 Serie A seasons.

One thing that is different from a year ago is the reaction from the manager's office. A year ago Filippo Inzaghi's press conference would have been full of praise for the win. But Mihajlovic made it clear that he was not impressed with his side.

"We did not deserve to win," he said to reporters (h/t ESPN FC). He then blasted his side for carrying too much of last season with them, saying that there was "fear" in the team.

He cited Bacca and Adriano as the only differences between Saturday's team and Inzaghi's squad last season. "Milan would have lost this game last season," he said, "but that is only because they didn't have these strikers. Nothing else has changed."

That isn't entirely true. The defense had a much better game Saturday than they did in Florence. Mattia De Sciglio may have had his best game in more than a season. Apart from overcommitting to Maccarone on Empoli's goal, Zapata played well.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images

Unlike a season ago, it was the midfield that caused the problems. Suso was ineffective in the trequartista position, Andrea Bertolacci played 83 minutes of absolutely terrible football and Antonio Nocerino shouldn't have even been on the field.

De Jong is misplaced as a regista. The team needs someone more capable of creating from that role. Riccardo Montolivo has fallen out of favor with Mihajlovic, but that position requires someone who has his skill set. De Jong only plays simple passes, and he drops so far back that he sometimes looks like a fifth defender. No one up front will be getting service if De Jong is standing in the role once played by Andrea Pirlo.

But the truly distressing aspect of Saturday's match was the mentality of the team. Mihajlovic highlighted it as the key aspect of the team's struggle.

"We have to do something on the psychological level," he said at the press conference. He reiterated his point later, saying, "I do not understand this fear the team has. ... I have to make the players shake off this fear and rediscover the joy of playing football. Something is wrong in their heads."

It is a credit to Mihajlovic that he recognizes this issue—something Inzaghi didn't catch onto last year until it was far too late. It is even better that he's taking the initiative to put a stop to it. For too long, Milan has looked like the away side in their own building. If they're ever going to move forward, this mental block needs to be overcome.

Mihajlovic is confident that the team will flourish once it is. "Once we shake these ghosts of the past off," he said, "the team will do well."

It's uncertain just how he'll do it—perhaps Leonardo Bonucci's old life coach is available—but once the mental burden is off this team, the talent is there for it to compete. Time will tell how quickly Mihajlovic will be able to get it done.