The Rossoneri adventure with 23/24 is now over. And although it has been dark in Milanello for a while, this final rush can never go unnoticed. San Siro is ready to greet a champion. Probably the coach too, with all the affection and gratitude required. But above all it is time to take stock. With the misstep of JuventusThe Milan he effectively put his championship journey behind him, flaunting a second place that was much more bitter than sweet. But still a second place, which ensures passage to the next Champions League and the final four of the Super Cup. The other side of the coin is the detachment with Inter, which currently amounts to 18 points. Important distance, very reminiscent of 20/21.
Second place, a deja vu
If the gap with the cousins seems enormous, let’s take a step back and return to the season post covid. Naturally it is a very different Milan. Rafa’s surfboard isn’t there yet, but there are Rebic’s hands on his ears and Z’s flying fist. A Tonali still in beta version makes room for Calhanoglu and Kessie, while the defense is not yet in the hands of Maignan and Tomori but rather Donnarumma and Romagnoli. Yet the Rossoneri’s start is already important, certified by the victory in the derby against With you (think that intertwining). The word scudetto is starting to be whispered around Milan for the first time. Then we know how it went. The “fatal” Spice, the derby and a second place which is worth Milan’s return to the Europe that counts, after the starter at Old Trafford. At the end of May the gap with Italian champions Inter was 12 points (91.79). But this matters little. The great goal is achieved. After almost a decade, the Rossoneri will once again hear the Champions League music. And then Inter is a step forward. She returned to Europe first and can invest (Lukaku, for example) while being able to count on a winning coach. For Milan, for now, this may be enough.
Second place, what has changed
This year he is still in second place and the gap is more or less the same as three years before. But the last verb of the previous paragraph encapsulates everything that has changed: suffice. To date, can a second place without a trophy be enough for Milan? While three years earlier the qualification had taken a toll on us, this time there are no reasons for consolation. On the contrary. The eliminations from the Italian Cup and Europe remain in the eyes of the fans, not to mention the second Nerazzurri star stitched in their faces. Today’s second place, therefore, has a decidedly different flavour. The victory of the 21/22 scudetto, which has rightly raised expectations, has a significant impact, just as the fact that it is the eternal rival celebrating in Piazza Duomo has a significant impact. Seconds more, yes, but a lot passes in between, perhaps too much.
