Luigi Radice, former Rossoneri player, sits in the dugout at the start of the 1981/82 season. The initial enthusiasm was dampened by a third-place finish and subsequent elimination from the group stage of the Italian Cup. The start of the league campaign, however, was characterised by a lack of goals scored that stopped the team from building on their various successes and affected morale and confidence. They would, in fact, have to wait for matchday 13 to recreate the away win over Napoli in the third game of the season. Overall, they only won away three times that season, making AC Milan's journey through the tournament tumultuous. Even worse for the difficulties on-pitch, the injury for Franco Baresi means he is absent for several months. The Club tried to shake things up at the halfway point, choosing to entrust the managerial position to Italo Galbiati instead of Gigi Radice. In January 1982, Giuseppe Farina also became president of AC Milan, succeeding Gaetano Morazzoni. The change in the dugout did not have the desired effects, and despite a positive final push, winning 8 points out of 10 in the last five matches, the Rossoneri finished in third last place in the table, meaning relegation. On the final day, AC Milan beat Cesena (2-3) but an unfortunate series of results from other games - combined with the team's late response - could not save the Rossoneri. In May, the Rossoneri won the Mitropa Cup, finishing at the top of the group thanks to a draw, a loss and four victories.
