Ordine explains why he does not believe in Milan’s Scudetto chances: “Can’t change my mind”

Franco Ordine has explained why he is not jumping on the bandwagon of fans and pundits who see AC Milan as a Scudetto contender.

Milan have made a positive start to the new campaign, winning five out of six games across all competitions and not conceding a single goal in those victories. However, the 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese in round one of Serie A provided a bit of a reality check.

Since then though the response has been exemplary: a 2-0 win at Lecce, a 1-0 win over Bologna, a 3-0 win at Udinese and a 3-0 cup win over Lecce. That means that the Rossoneri approach Sunday’s game against Napoli full of confidence, even if the champions have won every league game so far.

‘I can’t change my mind’

Ordine published his weekly column for MilanNews and he chose to take a more grounded view on Milan’s start to the season and the possibility of a title charge being mounted.

“First, why? Because I’m not participating in the celebrations for the new Milan after the convincing victories over Udinese and Lecce (Coppa Italia). I’m not doing it to go against the grain, which would make sense in these times marked by hypocrisy and sectarianism.

“I’m doing it because I’ve formed my own opinions and beliefs about AC Milan’s transfer market over the summer, and I can’t change my mind after just four league matches and two Coppa Italia wins against Bari and Lecce.

Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

“My point of view remains the same as the one I expressed before the start: if Milan were to finish in the top four, they would have achieved an excellent result.

“And don’t tell me that just having the league title is a special advantage, because otherwise they’d have to explain to me why it’s only happened 4-5 times in the recent history of Italian football and has never happened to Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Milan itself (except for Capello in ’91 and Zaccheroni in ’99), Juve (except for Conte), or Inter.

“The answer is simple: because the advantage only pays off if the competitors are involved in cup competitions until the end of the season.

“So not only do I not participate in the false triumphalism of those who just a few weeks ago were talking about a ‘disaster’, making fun of this and that about the new transfer market, but I also caution Allegri against taking the praise of some of his former ‘opponents’ who now even label him ‘evolved’ as sincere. Dear Max, be careful .