Are AC Milan ready to return to their glory days?

AC Milan are currently undergoing a slight renaissance under head coach Massimiliano Allegri this season.

They are leading Serie A, through to the Champions League knockout stages and in still in the Coppa Italia at the semi-final stages.

Struggled

The last few years have been slightly barren by AC’s high standards. They have had to live in the shadow of city-rivals Inter.

They have had to look on with envious eyes as Inter have won nearly every trophy available to them.

However this season has been different. Inter lost inspirational boss Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid during the summer and ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has struggled to replace ‘The Special One’. In fact he barely lasted six months in the Nerazzurri hot seat.

Inter are currently nine points behind the Rossoneri but have a game in-hand. Their new boss is ironically former-AC stalwart Leonardo. Inter aren’t completely out of the race but if Milan can hold their nerve they could win their first Scudetto since their 2004-05 season.

Quality

Milan have always had quality but haven’t been consistent enough in recent seasons. However the new AC Milan forward-line is absolutely frightening. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Alexandre Pato and Antonio Cassano are simply sublime.

On their day all four players could probably get into the best teams in Europe, however they all suffer from the problem of being difficult to manage and prone to temperament problems. If they are mentality right and happy then they can help Milan again become a powerful force in the European game.

Ibrahimovic

I was a big critic of the Swede when he was at Barcelona. I just didn’t think he fitted in with the way the team played and it seems that Barca boss Pep Guardiola agreed.

Ibrahimovic was at Barca for just a season before joining the Rossoneri on an initial loan deal, which could result in a permanent £20million move in summer. His form back in Serie A has been superb, the 29 year-old striker scoring 12 goals in 19 appearances back in Italy’s top flight.

He does seem more relaxed and happy back in Italy. He enjoyed his first spell in the Italian top flight with Juve and AC’s rivals Inter. Serie A suits his style and he is regarded as a superstar in Italy. I expect him to make the switch permanent in the summer.

Allegri

The rookie boss did a superb job at Cagliari on a tight budget before joining Milan in the summer. The 43 year-old has already set about putting his stamp on the team by bringing in the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cassano and Robinho. He also allowed fading superstar Ronaldinho to return home to Brazil with Gremio.

This move reminds me of when Guardiola came in at Barcelona and allowed the Brazilian to move to AC Milan, maybe in different circumstances but it was still a big decision. He might not have had a big say in the matter but I’m sure he was consulted before the Brazilian was allowed to leave.

Rebuilding

AC Milan have an aging squad and Allegri has already went about rebuilding his squad by the aforementioned signings. He must start to bring down the average age of the squad as a lot of his squad are in their thirties and are in the twilight of their careers.

I’m sure he is thinking about gradually changing the squad around without upsetting the balance of his team. He seems like a talented young coach and he could just be the man to lead the Rossoneri back to the glory days of old.

Early

Although it’s early days this season it looks as though AC Milan are heading in the right direction. They are giants of the European game and it would be good to see them challenging on all fronts again.

Are Milan on their way back to the glory days?