Milan raises the white flag in the Serie A title race

With a golden opportunity to narrow the gap with Inter to just 5 points and reignite hopes for the Scudetto, Milan failed to capitalize. The 0-1 defeat at Lazio can be seen as a surrender by Rossoneri.

Instead of chasing the title, after just one goal conceded, Milan now finds itself fighting to hold onto second place, with Napoli closing in from behind with only a one-point deficit, while the gap to fifth place has shrunk from 9 to 7 points.

It's not just a single defeat

Just days ago, optimism about Milan's improbable chance to overtake Inter in the final 10 rounds of Serie A was high. People believed that a derby victory would boost Milan's morale while Inter might falter under pressure. Inter's 1-1 draw with Atalanta on March 14th further heated up the race, as Milan had the chance to cut the gap to just 5 points by beating Lazio, a team no longer among the leaders and which had suffered home defeats to Atalanta, Como, Napoli, and Roma this season.

But Milan not only failed to win, they lost, marking their first away defeat since the start of the season. Four months ago, Milan lost 0-1 to Lazio in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and were eliminated. This time, also at the Olimpico, that scenario repeated with no lessons learned on Milan's side. Lazio was extremely clever in exploiting Milan's left defensive flank, where Strahinja Pavlovic is eager to attack and Pervis Estupinan defends poorly, using continuous long passes over the top and successfully scoring in the 26th minute, then retreating to "park the bus" like any weaker team facing Milan.

This season, Milan has consistently struggled when conceding first. They have lost to Cremonese, lost to Parma, drawn with Genoa, Fiorentina, Como, and Sassuolo. Only twice have they turned a loss into a win (3-2 against Torino and 3-1 against Como in the first leg), fewer than the times opponents have turned the tables to earn points (2-2 draws with Parma, 2-2 with Pisa, 1-1 with Roma, 1-1 with Atalanta). The lack of explosive capability in the style Coach Allegri employs, slow and monotonous, often forces Milan to wait until the final minutes to score, yet they couldn't achieve that at Lazio.

This 0-1 result is not merely a simple defeat; it exposes the truth that Milan lacks the strength and character to compete for the title. Perhaps they also lack the determination and confidence to chase the championship. Milan's play wasn't about missing opportunities; it resembled rejecting opportunities, rejecting the gift Inter had handed them.

The goal is to retain second place

With the gap widened again to 8 points, there's no need to talk about the Inter-Milan Scudetto race anymore. It's meaningless that Inter stumbled, but Milan was the one who fell. Or if we still speak of a race, Napoli is now the challenger, not Milan. Napoli trails Inter by 9 points, only one point worse off than Milan, but has more stable form, a schedule considered more favorable than Milan's, and the biggest difference: they always win against smaller teams. Coach Antonio Conte's squad just secured 9 points from 3 such matches against Torino, Verona, and Lecce, albeit unconvincingly with narrow 2-1 scores. Napoli's confidence is further boosted as they have welcomed back most key players from injuries, with only Giovanni Di Lorenzo and David Neres absent.

That Napoli is a latent threat to Milan's goal of holding onto second place. This remains a crucial task even though finishing 2nd or 4th doesn't differ much financially, as long as they secure a Champions League spot next season. Honor and brand value are what big clubs must protect. The direct clash between the two clubs at the Diego Maradona Stadium on April 7th, in Serie A round 31, will be highly significant in the runner-up competition. In the first leg, Milan won 2-1 thanks to proactive attacking play from the start, something they haven't managed recently.

Above all, Coach Allegri's team must secure the Champions League ticket at any cost, because the current 7-point lead over Juventus isn't safe if they continue to fail. Milan still has to face Juventus directly in round 34, 40 days from now. No one knows how the balance between the two teams will be at that time. With Como improving, Roma always knowing how to bully smaller opponents, and Juve never to be underestimated, Milan should be cautious!