AC Milan Season Review: Scudetto victory overshadows Champions League disappointment | OneFootball

On the final matchday of the 2021-22 Serie A season, AC Milan came away with a convincing 3-0 victory over Sassuolo to win their 19th Scudetto.

This season saw all of Italy’s top clubs struggle to find consistency, but the Rossoneri ended the campaign with an impressive 16-game unbeaten run to steal the title from cross-city rivals Inter Milan.

Milan carried on where they left off last year domestically, improving on their second-place finish from 2020-21. The disappointment surrounding their fourth-placed finish in their Champions League group will be overtaken by their first league title in over a decade.

Stefano Pioli’s side were the third highest-scoring team in Serie A, scoring 69 goals in 38 matches, but a defence that conceded just 31 goals made the difference in the second half of the season.

In his debut season, goalkeeper Mike Maignan made Milan forget about the departed Gianluigi Donnarumma as he was awarded as Serie A’s best goalkeeper.

The 26-year-old Frenchman kept the most clean sheets in Italy’s top-flight (17), despite missing six matches with a wrist injury.

Olivier Giroud finished as Milan’s top scorer with 11 goals, a stat proving that Milan did not rely on a single player to carry their attack as they did in past years.

Rafael Leão, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Theo Hernández, Franck Kessié, Sandro Tonali and Junior Messias all finished with at least five goals and made significant contributions throughout the season.

Best player – Rafael Leão

Leão and Maignan were Milan’s two standout players throughout the season, but the Portuguese winger’s contributions in the final stretch of matches were enough to not only win Milan the title but also win him the MVP of Serie A 2021-22 award.

The 22-year-old had a standout campaign with 11 goals and 10 assists in 34 Serie A appearances and was the most crucial part of Milan’s attack.

Leão was the decisive player in Milan’s late title push as he amassed three goals and six assists in the final six matches of the season.

Best game – Sassuolo 0-3 AC Milan

Milan entered their final game of the season knowing that they needed just a single point to finish above Inter and win the title.

Sassuolo dominated the reverse fixture with a 3-1 victory at the San Siro, but Milan were quick to control the match from the kick-off as it took just 17 minutes for Giroud to find the back of the net.

Milan’s #9 completed his brace in the 32nd minute before Kessié extended Milan’s lead to 3-0 before half-time.

Inter recorded a 3-0 victory over Sampdoria, but it made no difference as Milan and Sassuolo finished with the same scoreline.

Rossoneri fans at the Mapei Stadium came rushing into the pitch after the full-time whistle as Stefano Pioli’s side came together to celebrate the club’s first Scudetto in 11 years.

Worst game – AC Milan 1-2 Liverpool

Matchday 6 was the decisive round for Group B in the Champions League as there was just a one-point margin separating Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Porto.

The Rossoneri lost their opening three games, but a draw against Porto and last-minute victory against Atletico provided Milan with a glimmer of hope of staying amongst Europe’s elite.

A packed-out San Siro and rotated Liverpool squad were not enough to help the home side come away with the victory, and it looked as though the Rossoneri had lost all hope and motivation after falling behind.

It is quite a shame that the club could not qualify for the knockout phase considering how they took a lead in four of the six matches. Despite this, fans should be proud of the squad’s effort considering it was a majority of the players’ first Champions League campaign.

Overall Consensus

The 2021-22 season ended as Milan’s best campaign since they last won the title in 2011 and signifies their return to the top of Italian football.

Their frustration in the Champions League will remain after failing to qualify for the knockout round by such a narrow margin, but fans should be proud of their team’s progress after years of failing to qualify for the competition.

As a consequence of winning the league, Milan will be in pot one for next season’s Champions League group draw, which, in theory, should see them draw a more favourable group.

Milan’s sustainable football model, both on and off the pitch, has proven to be successful after their latest triumph and the future looks very bright for the Rossoneri.

Stats courtesy of Transfermarkt.