AC Milan are at a crossroads. A 4-2 home defeat to Bologna, their first loss under Ruben Amorim, has left the club fifth in Serie A with 18 points from nine games, sitting outside the Champions League places and seven points behind city rivals Inter. The result exposed problems across the squad and raised serious questions about the team's readiness under their new manager.

Amorim has been open about the difficulties. Speaking ahead of the derby, he acknowledged that building a stable foundation mid-season takes time, while insisting the pain of defeat remains real. Owner Gerry Cardinale has publicly backed him, promising January reinforcements and naming the Scudetto as a target, but the gap to Inter already looks significant.

There is some relief on the injury front. Mario Gila, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira have all returned to full training and are expected to feature against Inter, giving Amorim more options. Fikayo Tomori, however, picked up a knock against Bologna and joins Samuel Chukwueze and others on the sidelines.

Off the pitch, Christian Pulisic has signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2031, a positive signal amid the turbulence. The club also unveiled plans for the new 71,500-seat Generali Stadium, a project Cardinale described as central to Milan's long-term ambitions.

The derby against Inter on Saturday evening now carries enormous weight. A defeat would deepen the gap to double figures and make the Champions League push look very difficult, very early.