AC Milan's current season has seen some positive developments, but these might not be readily apparent, particularly in the wake of their disappointing loss in the derby. A resounding defeat is discouraging under any circumstance, but when it's against your hometown rival, against whom you've strived throughout the summer's transfer market to close the gap, it can seriously shake belief and ambition.
This disparity was particularly evident during last season's Champions League clash with Inter, where AC Milan’s lack of bench depth became apparent. Management took notice and orchestrated one of Europe's most active transfer windows, which was made possible for two main reasons.
Firstly, despite their limitations, the club managed to reach the Champions League semifinals and secure qualification for the competition in the following season. The former achievement was hard-fought and surpassed expectations, while the latter was made possible due to Juventus's exclusion from European competition. This unique opportunity allowed AC Milan to invest in players without the need to sell. Given that their budget was $50 million in the previous season, it was reasonable to expect a higher budget in the summer of 2023, thanks to increased earnings from their deep Champions League run and enhanced commercial revenue, especially due to renewals with Emirates and Puma.
The second reason was the unexpected sale of Tonali to Newcastle, which, while not necessary, was difficult to resist given its valuation at more than 70 million euros.
With these factors in play, AC Milan found themselves in a favorable position to stitch together perhaps somewhere between 120 and 140 million euros to invest in the transfer window, a substantial advantage in Italy, where many clubs struggle to balance their accounts.
Now, a strategic question arose: Should they build on the existing squad by acquiring three top-tier players (at 50 million euros each), or should they diversify the risk by purchasing 7 to 8 players at 20 million euros each? Given that the club is managed by a fund, it was evident that they would opt for the latter approach, and that's precisely what they did.
The subsequent, and by no means simple, task was to offload a significant number of players to make room for the new ones without incurring losses. This meant finding new homes for a dozen players, some of whom had underperformed in the past season, such as Origi, De Ketelaere, Rebic, and Toure. To their credit, the management team did just that, and did it rather brilliantly.
The result is a completely revamped team that is striving to play differently from previous seasons. The goal was to have a team that holds possession more, and has the patience and confidence to break down tight defenses, which had been a struggle in the past. Overall, a team that aims to control matches and dominate opponents.
Perhaps the mistake in the derby was attempting to display this newfound confidence prematurely when the team wasn't quite ready. Facing a team like Inter, which hadn't fundamentally changed from the previous season, was a risky and bold move. Unfortunately, it didn't pay off. Nevertheless, in the aftermath the team displayed resilience and managed to deliver a commendable performance against Newcastle in the Champions League, followed by two consecutive domestic league victories. This indicates that there is substance to the project, and time is on Pioli's side.
