Milan's dress rehearsal for Saturday's derby ends in a heavy home defeat, with four goals conceded. The surprise star is Mbangula, who scores a historic hat-trick. Their already long injury list grows, too: Tomori is unable to continue after the first half. Amorim and his players slip to fifth, seven points behind the leading pair of Inter, their city rivals, and Lazio. At the end of the match, a large section of the crowd, apart from the Curva Sud, 'greet' their favourites with boos.
Translated by
AC Milan’s debacle against Bologna exposes the squad’s structural weaknesses: major investment is needed in January’s transfer window
A thin, poorly balanced squad
"I didn't say we lost because of injuries. I think we lacked energy and, because we can't make the same rotations, it's difficult for us to press constantly and play our football. When we stop playing our football, we struggle. And a manager who arrived two months ago can't expect the whole team to play a different kind of football for 90 minutes, and that's something you should understand." Amorim refused to use the absences as an excuse on Dazn, but asked for patience. He showed little himself when he made the Diawara-Estupinan substitution and called for a back five in the 60th minute. Milan invited their opponents onto them and lost their bearings. They conceded twice, with clear individual responsibility, as in De Winter's case.
Beyond that tactical shift, the squad is short on both numbers and quality, and poorly balanced: the absences of Saelemakers, Gabbia, Chukwueze, Rabiot, Gila and Moreira weakened a team who lacked the energy to play their third match in six days. Many flagged those squad issues last summer, and they now demand a proper assessment.
Cardinale must act in January
Bad luck continues to dog AC Milan, but Amorim and Cardinale must decide how and where to strengthen in January. This squad cannot cope with both the league and the Europa League. The Portuguese manager asks his players to step outside their comfort zones and play in different positions, but that cannot cover the gaps for long. In several positions, he has too few alternatives, and those he does have are not up to the required standard. Time is not on AC Milan's side. They must dig in until the January transfer window, when the club's leadership are expected to act decisively with at least 3 high-calibre signings: a top player in defence, a midfielder with Musah's attributes and a genuine alternative to Ramos.
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