#TBT: A MUCH‑NEEDED BREAK

AC Milan were firmly at the top of the table, and despite a worrying comeback from Leonardo’s Inter, the gap always seemed to be enough until the start of March. From there, Milan’s spot on top suddenly seemed under threat. The Rossoneri were knocked out of the Champions League after 0-0 draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, then held to a gruelling draw against Bari (who were bottom of the table) at San Siro in Milan’s first-ever 12:30 kick-off, and 19 March saw the worst result of them all as Milan returned from Palermo with defeat.

The lead over Inter in the league had been slashed to just two points, and AC Milan needed to bounce back in light of another complication: Zlatan Ibrahimović had been suspended.

This chance to regroup came in a superbly placed international break. The Rossoneri had defined a clear strategy for the period: those with aches and pains would not respond to their call-ups, or would only join their national teams in order to progress with their recoveries; those who felt fine and were called up to play would return to Milanello immediately after their games with private flights organised by AC Milan.

All of this extreme action was in preparation for a title-deciding Derby on 2 April, where maximum energy would be needed from every member of the squad. The Nerazzurri weren’t able to prepare in the same way, and this showed as the Rossoneri opened the scoring, going on to win 3-0 on the day and win the title at the end of the season.

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