THE ROSSONERE, BOUNCING BACK

There is a common trend that connects the different stages of Maurizio Ganz's AC Milan women's season: not only the quality they have shown on several occasions, but their ability to bounce back after some of their biggest lows. On several occasions this season, the Rossonere have been able to put defeats swiftly behind them, with brave performances and positive results in the games that have followed. The first instance is the one that came at the start of the season, with that excellent start to the league campaign (three wins and 13 goals scored), which all came after their Champions League elimination at the hands of Hoffenheim.

Another such highlight came in the months of October and November, after the shock home defeat against Sassuolo. In the five games that followed, the team displayed their fantastic defensive solidity, collecting 13 points and conceding just once; a goal against Roma, in a match which the Rossonere deserved to win. Their real ability to respond to adversity was also there for all to see in winter: defeats in December against Inter and Juventus could have knocked the wind from their sails, but they instead hit back, securing passage to the next round of the Coppa Italia and they then had a stunning start to 2022.

Five wins in five, between league and cup, scoring 21 goals and conceding just three saw the team improve on their standing in the table in a Serie A competition that has improved significantly in quality and become more unpredictable compared to the 2020/21 campaign. We mustn't forget the excellent performance in the Supercoppa and of course, the final, lost in the dying minutes, as we fought to the end, after being reduced to ten players earlier in the game. Finally, into the most recent stretch: the dismal draw with Napoli, but more notably, the heavy defeat against Juventus, in the first leg of the cup semi-final, which demanded a strong, courageous response.

The draw away at Roma - whose only defeat since October was, coincidentally, to AC Milan in the Supercoppa - although it did not change the league position, it gave a lot of confidence to a team that is now getting a lot of players back from injury. Guagni and Bourielle returned against the Giallorosse, while Piemonte is also nearing a recovery. There are still five more chapters to be written in this season's story; this is also how many points separate the Rossonere from second place. It will be a tall order, but it would certainly be unfair to bet against a group that has been strong and resolute, especially in their most challenging times.

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