Serie A action returns after the international break this weekend with 11th placed AC Milan taking on fifth placed Torino.
Milan began the international break with their second loss in a row, this time a 4-0 drubbing to Napoli. They have faltered since their 3-2 win over Palermo last month, very nearly allowing a comfortable lead to slip against Udinese and then dropping games to Genoa and Maurizio Sarri’s side. Coupled with losses to Fiorentina and in the derby against Inter to start the season, it is clear that the Rossoneri are not sitting pretty. Situated on 11th spot on the table with nine points, they are in desperate need of wins and dire need of consistent good form.
The break would have been welcomed by Milan, who will look for a turning point in their campaign. One of the key things coach Siniša Mihajlović will need to focus on moving forward is consistency. Winning a handful of games and dropping the rest leaves them precariously positioned and the mental strength needed to string positive results together will be a deciding factor for how Milan shape-up for their run into the new year. They have one of the better records against Torino, winning 13 games and only losing one in the last 10 years, but also settling for 11 draws. Torino have also conceded against AC Milan more than any other team, at an astounding 215 goals so far.
Mario Balotelli’s second stint in the red and black is not going according to plan and with the divisive player still out injured he is unlikely to feature in this weekend match up. ‘Super Mario’ only has one goal to his name this season, and is still struggling to link-up with the midfield and second forward.
Siniša Mihajlović, already under pressure thanks to his under-performing team, will be finding ways to motivate the players into kicking their efforts up a few gears. They have shown that their mental strength has improved from previous seasons, the they just need to harness it more find some goal scoring consistency. The Rossoneri are struggling to maintain possession and the midfield is lacking creativity on most occasions.
If the men from Milan continue their poor showings, then Mihajlović will be put under even more criticism, with media outlets already questioning how long he will last if they stay on this path. Some of the pressure could be considered unfair as the fault can lie with the manager only so much, the players need to start responding.
AC Milan have a terrible away record so far this season with just one away win from four trips on the road, something which does not bode well as their opponents have yet to be defeated at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino and have scored 14 times on their home soil. This will be playing on the minds of the Rossoneri, who are already struggling to find any creativity in the midfield and beginning to show the lapses in concentration that have plagued them in seasons past.
Torino are the only team to beat Fiorentina this season and are fifth on the Serie A table with 13 points, five points behind the leaders. However, the last match saw them lose to Carpi, who had not previously recorded a win since promotion. Goalkeeper Daniele Padelli managed to gift i BIancorossi an own-goal and Torino never recovered, ultimately losing 2-1.
Despite Milan having the historical edge, their lack of creativity in the midfield, inability to keep a clean sheet and shortage of true goal scoring opportunities means this match may be the chance for il Toro to get just their second win over the Serie A giants since 2001.
It just does not look like this is the season for Milan, and we may see a new manager before the year is out if they cannot break out of this losing rut they have found themselves in.
Key Facts
Torino have conceded more goals against Milan than any other team, at 215.
Torino’s home form has them with five wins from their last five home games.
Milan are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, the only other team who has not is Verona.
The Rossoneri have also failed to score in three of their last four away games.
Torino goalkeeper Daniele Padelli had a shocking match before the break, scoring an own goal that saw Carpi take and hold the lead.
Giacomo Bonaventura has had a hand in five of the last seven goals scored by Milan this season, with two goals and three assists.
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Head-to-head
The teams have met on 24 occasions since the 1993-94 season, with the Rossoneri winning 13 of those matches, Torino taking the rewards once and 11 draws. The most recent match ended with a 3-0 victory to Milan and the last time Torino was victorious in this fixture was in November of the 2001-02 Serie A season.
Prediction
Sadly, it just does not look like anything is working for Milan in 2015-16. One can expect that the team will struggle to produce anything significant this game, and with Balotelli most likely still out, they will find it even more difficult to generat any threat.
Torino 1 AC Milan 0
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