The analysis of Milan-Napoli starts with one fact. The Rossoneri are unbeaten in 22 consecutive games against Spezia since last January. Before succumbing to the Azzurri, this team gave it their all and deserved a draw, but football is cutthroat and you don’t always reap what you sow. Despite dominating most of the match, particularly in the first half, Milan failed despite having plenty of chances to score (Kalulu’s crossbar being the most sensational). He played without his most important and decisive player, proving that Pioli’s coral play can also be applied without Leo, Rebic, Origi and Ibra, but in the end he exited the San Siro without points. A bitter and sarcastic outcome, which leaves the entire team unsatisfied. Mr. Pioli’s words at the end of the match are a perfect synthesis: “If you play well you can’t lose”. This is true because Milan hold an unbeaten record, Napoli have been unbeaten since 2014 and the standings at the stoppage are not unusual. But above all, because when you unknowingly put a prepared team like Napoli under the table, there is regret. “We only scored one goal and we created very little. Disappointing, we shouldn’t have lost,” Pioli reiterated.

AC Milan’s test against Napoli was convincing, the team has grown, and if there is discontent, it is a sign of a changing mentality. Coming back from the break, a string of wins will be needed to get things back up in the standings, and seeing Milan against Napoli is more of a task than a possible one. However, Rebić and Origi need to recover to give the Rossoneri coach more options. At Milanello, they are hoping to get the Croatian winger as soon as possible, while Origi is monitoring the situation directly from Belgium on a daily basis. Unfortunately for Milan, Hernandez and even Calabria are not at their best after the match against the Azzurri. Full-back Destin was replaced in the second half with a flexor problem, while Hernandez did not respond to a call-up from the French national team due to an adductor problem. It is best assessed during these hours to determine if there is a lesion and how long it should be left out. Tonali, who is still in the national team, is also tired. It is important that Pioli tries to bring them all back after the break, hoping that no other Milan card holder will have trouble with their national teams.

It takes time to see the real Charles de Keteler. Belgium’s approach to the world of the Rossoneri was a little more intimidating than expected. The player has excellent technical qualities, is elegant when touching the ball and has a great vision of the game. But it should be more intense. It was probably the best performance of the series against Napoli. He entered Milan’s most dangerous operations, and even his colleagues searched for him more insistently. Of course a player expects some goals from his skills and now he is still dry but it is only a matter of time.