Since the defeat against Lazio, just a few days after the derby won 1-0, something in Milan has definitively broken. It didn’t happen suddenly, there wasn’t a loud collapse; rather, we have witnessed – and are witnessing – a slow technical, physical, and above all mental draining. A collapse that has transformed a team still in the running for its goals into a fragile, nervous group unable to react. The last weeks of the Rossoneri’s season tell exactly this: the team coached by Massimiliano Allegri is one that has progressively lost certainties, brilliance, and identity. Until reaching the lackluster performances seen against Sassuolo and Atalanta, matches that perfectly narrate a crisis that must now be considered as such.
The numbers, in this sense, are ruthless. In the last matches, Milan has managed only one victory and scored six goals, three of which were against Torino. And they have squandered ten points compared to the fifth place in the standings. All this while two months ago the Rossoneri were competing for the Scudetto with Inter. The first major warning bell had come precisely against Lazio at the Olimpico. Even then, a tense, unclear team was seen, unable to maintain emotional continuity throughout the ninety minutes. From that point on, the performance – especially the offensive one – has evidently collapsed. The chances created have decreased, the rhythm of possession has become slow and predictable, and above all, the most anticipated players have stopped making an impact. The Rossoneri forwards have progressively lost effectiveness, leaving Milan without offensive references and without that ability to suddenly ignite matches that, for long stretches of the season, had represented one of Allegri’s main weapons.
The goal scored by Pavlovic against Atalanta interrupted an offensive drought that had lasted since Fofana’s goal against Torino on March 21. A statistic that perfectly captures Milan’s moment: weeks without being able to find credible attacking solutions, weeks in which every offensive action seemed laboriously constructed and concluded without conviction. It was not just a scoring problem, but above all an issue of offensive production. Milan has stopped filling the area consistently, lost aggressiveness in the final meters, and often gave the impression of relying more on episodes than on a precise plan.
From a physical standpoint, the team also appeared to be struggling. Opponents have started to find spaces between the lines too easily, while Milan has lost intensity in recoveries and speed in transitions. But the most worrying aspect probably concerns the mental side. Because the last outings have mainly conveyed the feeling of a drained team, almost emotionally emptied. The away match in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo perhaps represented the lowest point in this regard. Milan took the field without energy, without aggressiveness, and without the slightest ability to react to difficulties. Every negative episode seemed to amplify the team’s insecurity, which progressively faded as the minutes passed. The impression was that of a group playing under the weight of fear: fear of making mistakes, of losing ground, of definitively compromising a season that just a few weeks ago seemed headed for a very different ending.
This feeling reappeared almost identically against Atalanta. The first 60 minutes of the match at San Siro were probably the most concerning of the last weeks. Palladino’s team dominated Allegri’s on the level of intensity, rhythm, and psychological strength, while Milan seemed unable to offer any form of resistance. The Rossoneri arrived second to every ball, lost almost all individual duels, and above all conveyed a clear and evident sense of fragility. Atalanta played with personality and aggression, while Milan appeared slow, disconnected, and devoid of ideas. Only after Pavlovic’s goal did Allegri’s players wake up, tried to raise the tempo, providing a thrilling finale where they managed to score 2-3, with Nkunku’s penalty, and came close to equalizing with Gabbia. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.
In this context of generalized decline, the growing tension between the club and the fans has inevitably come into play – it has certainly had an impact. The protest that took place at San Siro represents the culmination of weeks of discontent and frustration accumulated by the supporters. First, the protest outside the stadium against the management, then the heavy atmosphere during the pre-match, and finally the choreography “Furlani Out” created with the lights of mobile phones and the abandonment of the Curva in the 51st minute. A strong, direct message aimed primarily at the management and the handling of the season. The rift between the fans and the club now appears evident. The widespread feeling is that the Milan project has progressively lost ambition, and that the mistakes made in building the squad and in technical management have led the team to this complicated end of the season. The protest stems from this, from the fear of seeing the club drift away again from the levels reached in recent years.
Beyond the responsibilities of the club, the atmosphere that has developed around Milan inevitably risks weighing on the last two matches of the season. Because the Rossoneri, today, are a psychologically fragile team. And playing in such a tense environment can turn every difficulty into an even greater block. The protest from the Curva, while understandable in its origin, does not help a group that is already struggling to handle pressure. Now, however, there are no more margins for error. The last two matches against Genoa and Cagliari become a sort of emotional playoff, as well as a technical one. Milan must earn six points to ensure qualification for the next Champions League and at least partially save a season that, otherwise, risks turning into a heavy failure. But to succeed, they will need to quickly regain what has been almost completely missing in recent weeks: clarity, courage, and team spirit. Because the feeling, observing Milan at this end of the season, is that the problem is no longer just tactical or technical, but mental. The implosion, as mentioned, has been slow and constant, but it has ended up dragging everything down with it.