Coppa Italia: Quarter-Final Team rating: 8/10 Top scorer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (17) Europe: Europa League Round of 16
After overachieving to become Winter Champions, Stefano Pioli and Milan avoid collapse by still meeting their goal of a top four finish on the final matchday, writes Matt Santangelo.
The Devil returns home
‘Padre Pio’ rode the impressive post-COVID run at the end of last season into 2020-21, proving to all his Milan were not to be taken lightly in the race for top four.
Swedish talisman Zlatan Ibrahimović yearned for more, however, setting the bar very high early on and helping light the way for many in the squad to dream big in the form of a Scudetto run. A hot start included a 1-2 victory over Inter in the Derby della Madonnina, their first in league play since January 2016 when Sinisa Mihajlovic was in the dugout for a 3-0 win.
Backing their way into the UEFA Europa League group stages after a rain-drenched penalty shootout over Rio Ave, eventual Ligue 1 winners Lille handed Milan a 0-3 loss, their heaviest defeat ever in a European competition. Following Ibrahimović’s brace toppling Napoli at the San Paolo, Theo Hernandez capped off the calendar year with a late winner via header against Lazio, sending the Milan faithful into the New Year first in the table and dreaming of more than a white Christmas with title hopes.
Ibrahimovic was Milan’s best scorer in 2020-21, but missed 22 games due to injuries and four more due to COVID at the start of the season. However, his leadership on and off the pitch has been pivotal to Milan’s development. Sometimes he went a little too far. You may remember the verbal spat with Inter striker Romelu Lukaku in a Coppa Italia derby in January, or a straight red card he picked up in Parma in April when the Rossoneri were 3-0 up.
After claiming Winter Champion status, eventually rivals Inter unseated the Rossoneri atop the table, sending them into a second-half spiral. Despite a few January reinforcements to strengthen for the stretch run, notably Chelsea loanee Fikayo Tomori, inconsistent performances and injuries nearly saw Pioli waste away all the progress that had been made over the last year and a half.
The likes of Mario Mandzukic and Soualiho Meite also moved to the San Siro in the winter transfer window, but were unable to live up to expectations. The Croat joined the Rossoneri as a free agent, but his time at Milan ended after just six months and zero goals scored.
At the end, when it mattered most, Franck Kessie, Simon Kjaer and Gianluigi Donnarumma helped fill the void left by the often injured Ibrahimovic. Their away victories against Juventus and Torino seemed to be the decisive ones as, at that point, the Rossoneri only needed three points in the last two games against Cagliari and Atalanta. When the Sardinians travelled to the San Siro, they already have Serie A survival in their pocket. Nevertheless, the Rossoneri looked frightened and could only pick up one point against Leonardo Semplici’s side.
A win against Atalanta in the last game of the season was then much needed to secure a top four finish. La Dea were the only top team Pioli hadn’t beaten since he was appointed Milan coach, but a Kessié brace from the spot at the Gewiss Stadium threw the Diavoli’s fears away and brought Champions League football back to Milan seven years after the last time.
The coach – Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli hit the ground running immediately out of the starting gate, as Milan soared to the top of table. The Rossoneri earned many positive results through pure grit, toughness, sacrifice and character. The Italian boss’ coaching rationalized the decision management made in the summer to scrap the idea of a Ralf Rangnick revolution in favour of stability. Despite the sporadic run of form in the second half, the former Fiorentina and Inter man avoided the full collapse and managed to skipper the red and black back towards Europe’s mainstage.
Player of the Year – Franck Kessie
This season, there is no denying Franck Kessie took his game to another level, turning any remaining sceptics into believers. Appearing in 37 matches and amassing a whopping 3,227 minutes, the Ivorian’s reliability and availability in a COVID year were crucial for Pioli. More so than his heavy workload, though, ‘il Presidente’ carried the midfield and assumed a key leadership role that was simply impossible to overlook all over Europe. Simon Kjaer is a fair shout, and is deserving of his praise and plaudits, but Kessie’s 13 goals and exploits significantly took him from one of the best in Serie A to a top midfielder in Europe.
Defining moment – Rossoneri ride impressive away record
Away from the San Siro is where Milan found comfort, continuity and their most fluid performances all season long. Setting a new all-time record for away wins in a Serie A season with 16, they established a rather odd, and unexpected edge when going into others’ yard. Fans or no fans, inspiring efforts against the likes of Juventus, Napoli, Atalanta and Manchester United in the Europa League will surely come in handy next season when making those daunting visits midweek in UCL competition.
Did you know?
The Rossoneri defeated each of the 19 clubs at least once for the first time since 1961-62.
Read the full 2020-21 Serie A season review here.