Montolivo reiterates stance as Milan will be competing for ‘third and fourth place’

Riccardo Montolivo reiterated his thoughts on AC Milan after the defeat to Napoli, stating that they will be fighting for the Champions League rather than the Scudetto. 

It has been a strong first half of the season for Milan, at least compared to expectations, as they are just one point behind Inter in first place. On the other hand, the eliminations from Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana have certainly highlighted some flaws.

A few months back, the former Rossoneri midfielder Montolivo stated that they would be fighting for third and fourth place. After the defeat to Napoli, he reiterated his thoughts live on Sky Italia, highlighting the goals conceded as a reason for that.

“Milan have been sluggish in recent games, especially in their 1v1s, which was evident at the start of the season: two goals conceded against Torino, two against Sassuolo, and two against Napoli. Milan needs to fix something at the back.

“I don’t think Milan are ready to fight for the Scudetto, but I think they have a good advantage in the third and fourth place-race compared to Juventus and Roma, the two teams that will compete for those positions with the Rossoneri,” he stated.

While Montolivo initially took some heat for his opinion, it’s clear that Milan do need reinforcements in January to improve their situation. Niclas Fullkrug will seemingly be the first addition, but the Rossoneri are also working on signing a centre-back.