Milan splashed around €90m on new players last summer in their bid to put life back in an ailing side that had finished a disappointing 10th place the previous season.
The inexperienced Filippo Inzaghi made way for the temperamental Sinisa Mihajlovic on the Rossoneri bench but the side was off to a stuttering start as they were soundly beaten by Fiorentina 2-0 at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on the opening day of the season.
Milan went on to suffer a second defeat, following the 0-1 reverse to city rivals Inter, but back-to-back wins over Palermo and Udinese put Mihajlovic’s team back on track.
However, the positive streak was short-lived as Milan went down to Genoa (0-1) and Napoli (0-4) to lose contact with the leaders in the standings at an early stage in the campaign.
A comprehensive 4-1 home win over struggling Sampdoria led many to believe that Mihajlovic could have found the right formula to steer Milan into the top positions in Serie A.
But a goalless stalemate at newcomers Carpi and a 1-1 home draw with bottom side Verona underlined the fact that Milan were still too inconsistent to be ranked among the major contenders this season.
A 4-2 away success at lowly Frosinone saw the Rossoneri win their last league fixture before the Christmas recess.
That victory had special significance as Milan had claimed all points at stake after falling behind to their opponents.
“We continued to play some good stuff even after Frosinone took the lead and had the best opportunities,” Mihajlovic was quoted as saying after the match.
“At the break, I just told the boys to stay calm and keep doing what they were doing.
“In the second half, we did well and deserved to win.
“Now we have time to recover and get some injured players back. There is room for improvement but overall I’m very happy with our position.”
In the Serie A standings, Milan are sixth with 28 points, seven adrift of third-placed Fiorentina.
They are in direct competition with Inter, Fiorentina, Napoli, Juventus and Roma for the slots available for Europe.
But Milan need to embark on a consistent run starting with today’s match at home to Bologna, coached by former Rossoneri great Roberto Donadoni.
Failure to do so, will leave Milan in a vulnerable position to bridge the gap with the league pace-setters as Juve and the rest are not expected to lower their guard at this stage of the competition.
Cup route
The Coppa Italia, perhaps, may represent an easier route for Milan to play in Europe next season.
Today week, they host Carpi at the San Siro and the odds are stacked in favour of the home team to reach the semi-finals, where their opponents will be Spezia or Alessandria.
Spezia are mid-table in Serie B and Alessandria play in Lega Pro.
Milan have won their most recent of five Italian Cups in 2003, a few days after lifting the Champions League trophy in an all-Italian final against Juventus.
With 21 matches to go in Serie A, Milan’s campaign is currently at a crossroads. For sure, Mihajlovic has to instil some much-needed self-belief into his players to spur the team to a better placing and higher objectives.